Critical Analysis of Song : Weep You No More, Sad Fountains- Anonymous

ContentThe poem opens, using anapostrophein an address to a fountain, which could have been an inspiration for the poem or the sight of person going through sad moment, probably weeping profusely. The second analogy is a mountain covered in snow and being melted by the sun, releasing a deluge of water compared to tears. The poem from the fifth verse introduces a contrast to the sad ambiance of the fountains, this time round, a positive suns heavenly eyesis introduced which symbolises the supreme spiritual powers from the celestial realm, which does not accord any respect and recognition to the persona sorrowful state. The celestial realm also presents itself contrastively as a citadel of peace and this continues till the last line of the stanza, captured in softly, now softly lies Sleeping.The second stanza continues the stressing of the last point mentioned, dwelling on the benefits of having a peace of mind and as such, seeing sleep as a process of reconciling with nature .More examples of gaiety is drawn from thesun rise smiling,even in the dark covered evening. The ambiance of peacefulness created in the first stanza is recreated.ThemesSorrowGaietyPositive Side of DeathForm and StructureThe poem is a lyrical one with 2 stanzas, of 9 lines each. The first stanza exhorts and pacifies the unseen persona to jettison her crying, drawing inferences from nature, known for its peacefulness and tranquillity. The second stanza dwells more on the positive side of rest, this time round, the beauty of sleep or death which is a process of man reconciling with his maker or nature.Imagery and Other Literary DevicesThe metaphorical reference tosad fountainsin the opening line of the poem draws attention to the plight of the sorrowful persona and the profuse depth of her agony, which could only be compared to the deluge of tears being released. The contrast of the healing substance of nature is introduced inheavens sun doth gently wasteandsuns heavenly eyes.Other imageries used generously in the poem tend towards the positive atmosphere the poet intends to create, to subsume the negative ones inHeavens sun doth gently waste,Suns heavenly eyesetc.SoundsThe poem maintains a solemn and cautious feel almost throughout the poem and this is mostly achieved through ample use ofend-stopsat the end of most lines in the poem. Howeverenjambmentshave almost equal application in a poem, that is supposed to be sorrowful. The effect of this is the calming effect meant to mitigate the sadness of the poem. One would have expected a lot ofcaesurasin the poem, but this is not the case. Where they appear, they create a lasting effect, as seen in the opening line, whererhetorical questionis put to effective use in pricking the conscience of the persona, on the rationale behind her agony. The next caesuras appear in the second to the last verse of the first stanza, where a mellowing effect is created to douse a sorrowful atmosphere. The same effect and repetition is achieved in the last and second stanza. Thus, the repetition in the poem serves as arefrainto establish the soothing effect of tranquillity, over the sadness of tears. One could claim that thealliterationused insattempts to create a light atmosphere of gaiety.Voice, Tone, Mood, AtmosphereThe pervading atmosphere in the poem is that of sorrow, occasioned by agonizing tears of the persona. Even the pacifying tone of the poem, further creates a melancholy feeling and mood. However, the second stanza attempts to be more pacifying, with the introduction of the tone of the positive side of sleep.Diction/VocabularyBeing a lyrical poem, the poem utilises simple diction, exemplified by mostly mono-syllabic words. To create a vivid effect, the poem mostly applies present continuous tense, which also rhymes to form couplets inweepingandsleepingin the first stanza and repeatedly used for the same effect in the second stanza.- See more at: http://literatureencore.com/2013/09/critical-analysis-of-song-weep-you-no-more-sad-fountains-anonymous/#sthash.c2kxZzav.dpuf