To
[British] Shelley
The gentle singing has disappeared,
The music still lingers in the memory;
Although the violet flower has died,
The fragrance still remains in the consciousness.
Once the roses fade,
Loneliness becomes a bed curtain for lovers;
I will miss you after you are gone
It's time for love to sleep peacefully on it.
(Translated by Jiang Feng, selected from "Appreciation of the Dictionary of World Famous Poems")
Appreciation
This is an extremely delicate and graceful lyric poem, which is pure Lyrical, not conceptual. The images are close but have many connotations. For example, violets and roses are common flowers. It is also a common way to use them to refer to the beauty of love and its easy to wither. However, after reading this little poem, I still feel that it is very fresh and has an endless aftertaste.
The structure and poetry of the first stanza are exquisitely balanced. The fragrant violet corresponds to the soft singing, and the lingering fragrance corresponds to the lingering sound. "Singing" and "Fangfei" create a comfortable and sweet atmosphere. The violet is dead, but its lingering fragrance still remains in the consciousness, which leads to a sentimental prelude. The second verse is filled with sadness. Regarding this stanza, poetry critic Kim Hele has a very unique metaphor: "It's like sitting in a deep armchair, only to find that it is a hard chair." Because his tone is different from the first stanza. He felt calmer, as if a sigh was choked in his throat, showing the theme of grief and loss. The loss of love is like the withering of roses, leaving only a deep loneliness. It becomes a cotton bed for lovers to miss each other, which actually shows their lonely feelings. Lovers sleep peacefully on loneliness, and love sleeps peacefully on thoughts. The virtual and the real correspond to each other in a tactful way. The second stanza does not use an adjective, but it does its best to express the inner sentimentality.
The poet uses two impeccably balanced contrasts in the first and second stanzas to highlight the fragrance and lingering sound of love. Although there is not much ink, it conveys the most subtle feeling of lovelorn.
(Wang Kailin)