1
Why did Blake say
'Sunflower weary of time'?
Every time I see them
they seem to say
Now! with a crash
of cymbals!
Very pleased
and positive
and absolutely delighting
in their own round brightness.
2
Sorry, Blake!
Now I see what you mean.
Storms and frost have battered
their bright delight
and though they are still upright
nothing could say dejection
more than their weary
disillusioned
hanging heads.
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Comments
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interesting
Smart has chosed to write about the physical aspects of the sunflower, which is the subject of William Blake's poem, "Ah, Sunflower!". Blake focused on the sunflower as a symbol of afterlife, whereas Smart focuses on the "how" a sunflower gets battered with time. At first, the sunflower looks like this wonderful, blazing yellow circle-as Smart writes, "own round brightness". With the image comes the sounds that she associates with it-cymbals, the NOW--as if the flower is giddy with itself and with nature. As she notices the flower with time, the once boldness the flower possessed is now deformed, weary and sagging.
I don't think one can truly appreciate this poem without reading Blake's. As a companion piece, Smart's poem works as a wonderful written response. -
Well, I'm not sure I totally understand the symbolism in this poem. Though her poems are interesting, to be sure, I'm not positive I'm a huge fan of her writing style or what she chooses to write about. I suppose it's because I can't really relate to anything she says or anything she's been through in her life. And she's been through a lot, or so her homepage says...
Kate
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