Blog Entry 6: Essay 3

Petals by Amy Lowell

Life is a stream

On which we strew

Petal by petal the flower of our heart;

The end lost in dream,

They float past our view,

We only watch their glad, early start.

Freighted with hope,

Crimsoned with joy,

We scatter the leaves of our opening rose;

Their widening scope,

Their distant employ,

We never shall know. And the stream as it flows

Sweeps them away,

Each one is gone

Ever beyond into infinite ways.

We alone stay

While years hurry on

The flower fared forth, through its fragrance still stays.

Amy Lowell is an American imagist poet. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, to a prominent family of high-achievers. Amy was the youngest child out of five (americanpoems). She did not attend college because her family did not find that proper for a young lady. She then embarked on a program of self-education. She lived as a socialite and travelled broadly. It wasn’t until 1902, when she began her poetic career. A famous actress in Europe named Eleonora Duse inspired her to write her very first poem (famouspoetandpoems). Amy Lowell died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 51 on May 12, 1925. The following year, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Lowell's works were forgotten for many years. However, her works have resurged due to her lesbian themes and love poems (poemofquotes).

The poem is composed of two stanzas. The first stanza consists of six lines; meanwhile the second stanza has twelve lines. The rhyme scheme in stanza one is ABCABC and in stanza two ABAABCBACBDC. However, stanza two could also be read as ABAABCBACBAC. The minor change is in stanza two (line 17) from D to A. I believe it could work both ways, either categorizing it as D or making it an A.

“Petals” describes a poem about lives, dreams, and after life. Forming a connection between a flower’s petals and a human’s life. Life is a stream (line 1) states that life is a continuous flow on which we strew (line 2) petal by petal the flower of our heart (line 3) refers to petals equaling human beings while flower equals their life. The end lost in dream (line 4) they float past our view (line 5) we only watch their glad, early start (line 6) means dreams are shattered, there faced with reality. Freighted with hope (line 7) crimsoned with joy (line 8) we scatter the leaves of our opening rose (line 9) leaves are interpreted as memoires in a midst of dreams. Their widening scope (line 10) their distant employ (line 11) we never shall know and the dream as it flows (line 12) defines unaccomplished dreams. Sweeps them away (line 13) each one is gone (line 14) ever beyond into infinite ways (line 15) we alone stay (line 16) can be interpreted in two ways such as lives are taken or dreams are unachieved. While years hurry on (line 17) the flower fared forth, though its fragrance still stays (line 18) relates the heart or dreams of a human to the petals of a flower still remaining present as years pass.

The symbols most relevant to me in this poem are (1) rose, petals, leaves, flower; (2) heart; (3) dream.

The poem’s title Petals refers to the petals of a flower. According to Dictionary of Symbolism flowers are a symbol of young life, they are associated with the sun because the arrangement of its petals is reminiscent of the shape of a star. “Flower” is used to describe the life of a person (line 3). However “heart” (line 3), according to Dictionary of Symbolism defines life giving, complex, and in Egypt, represented life-essence, as the mummified had their heart preserved, first part of man to live, last to die. Allowing “heart” (line 3) to symbolize complexity in life.

While the word “rose” (line 9) stanza two, which according to the Dictionary of Symbolism represents resurrection. However, the word “leaves” (line 9), according to the Dictionary of Symbolism is a term used as 'turning over a new leaf' in the Western idiom offering people a chance to start anew and amend their past mistakes. I interpret “We scatter the leaves of our opening rose” (line 9) as turning over a new leaf meaning a human is finding opportunities or ways to make their dreams come alive. “Dreams” (line 4) according to a good friend of mine Gabriela Rojas symbolizes things that will happen, already happened, or you want to happen. As used “the end lost in dreams” (line 4) can be interpreted as having a finale to dreaming or unachieved dreams.

The tone this poem conveys is of hopeless and hopeful. The word “end” (line 4) indicates a tone of failure. This allows us to interpret the tone hopeless in stanza one. However “we scatter the leaves…” (line 9) indicates a tone of hope. Meaning that (line 4) indicates living with what is present, having no hope towards the future and stanza two (line 9) is having hoping for what is to come. Words such as "heart" and "petals" (line 3), and "stream" (line 1) provide a tone of living, the petals represent human lives, the stream represents the currents of human lives, and how their lives flow.

“Petals” can be interpreted in two forms. It can be a poem about dreams or life. In stanza one, symbols such as “flower” and “heart” (line 3) determine life and complexity. Words like “end” (line 4) and “past” (line 5) interpret a past form of non-existence. However, “life “(line 1) and “dream” (line 4) explain existence or a form of reverie. It is when I read stanza two that my mind changes. “We never shall know. And the stream as it flows” (line 12) Sweeps them away (line 13) Each one is gone (line 14) can be interpreted into death, lives being taken or their dreams are shattered and unknown. While years hurry on, (line 17) The flower fared forth, though its fragrance still stays (line 18) means years pass, the “flower” meaning life “fared forth” meaning moving on or gone and “fragrance” I interpret it as an emotion. Concluding that life continues or ends and all the past dreams still remain present.


Works Cited:
1. “Amy Lowell”. Wikipedia. Web. April 4, 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Lowell
2. "Biography of Amy Lowell." American Poems. Gunnar Bengtsson. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/amylowell
3. Dictionary of Symbolism. University of Michigan Fantasy and Science Fiction Website. 2001. Web. April 13, 2010.
http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/index.html
4. "Famous Poets and Poems." Amy Lowell Biography. http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/amy_lowell/biography

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