dancearound
04-13-2009, 05:43 AM
Song of the Barren Orange Tree
by Federico Garcia Lorca(Spain)
Woodcutter.
Cut my shadow from me.
Free me from the torment
of seeing myself without fruit.
Why was I born among mirrors?
The day walks in circles around me,
and the night copies me
in all its stars.
....
http://www.tonykline.free-online.co.uk/Lorca.htm#_Toc485030355
translated by W.S. Merwin
Source: Polonsky, M. (1998)The Poetry Reader's Toolkit. Lincolnwood, Ill. : NTC Pub. Group.
-------------------------------------------------
After reading this poem, I have some questions:
1. the 2nd stanza seems quite important in the whole poem~ but I cannot really understand it.
For the verse 'The day walks in circles around me', is it something that can mirror? I think the poet just mean that the tree spends all its days in sadness, but what's the content of 'mirror'? does that mean there are other productive orange trees around, so the barren tree feels itself inferior?
and come to the next verse~how can the night copies the tree with "all its stars"...I can just think of the stars are like the oranges, but then it sounds more likely hurt than 'copy'...
2. for the 3rd stanza~the tree is so sad that it wants the woodcutter to end its life. but how does it relate to ants and thistleburrs (i don't know what it is~may be some other kinds of insects...) what does it mean by saying want these things to be 'my leaves and my birds'?
---------I'm just a beginner in analysing poems~ so my questions may seem to u a little bit XX... BUT really want to discuss with u about the poems~
share your view:yawnb:
Thank u :)
by Federico Garcia Lorca(Spain)
Woodcutter.
Cut my shadow from me.
Free me from the torment
of seeing myself without fruit.
Why was I born among mirrors?
The day walks in circles around me,
and the night copies me
in all its stars.
....
http://www.tonykline.free-online.co.uk/Lorca.htm#_Toc485030355
translated by W.S. Merwin
Source: Polonsky, M. (1998)The Poetry Reader's Toolkit. Lincolnwood, Ill. : NTC Pub. Group.
-------------------------------------------------
After reading this poem, I have some questions:
1. the 2nd stanza seems quite important in the whole poem~ but I cannot really understand it.
For the verse 'The day walks in circles around me', is it something that can mirror? I think the poet just mean that the tree spends all its days in sadness, but what's the content of 'mirror'? does that mean there are other productive orange trees around, so the barren tree feels itself inferior?
and come to the next verse~how can the night copies the tree with "all its stars"...I can just think of the stars are like the oranges, but then it sounds more likely hurt than 'copy'...
2. for the 3rd stanza~the tree is so sad that it wants the woodcutter to end its life. but how does it relate to ants and thistleburrs (i don't know what it is~may be some other kinds of insects...) what does it mean by saying want these things to be 'my leaves and my birds'?
---------I'm just a beginner in analysing poems~ so my questions may seem to u a little bit XX... BUT really want to discuss with u about the poems~
share your view:yawnb:
Thank u :)