Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Please explain the poem "Porphyria's Lover" stanza by stanza.

- It was a stormy night. Porphyria’s lover was waiting in his room. He was picturing the unexpected presence of Porphyria, who was separated from him for her higher social rank and status. The lover was watching the fury and violence of the storm that tore down the tops of elm-tree and ruffled the water of the lake. He was feeling lonely. Just then Porphyria stepped into his cottage and it was a great surprise to the lover.


Entering into the lover’s cottage Porphyria shut the door to prevent cold and storm. Immediately after this, she kindled the dying fire and made the cottage warm. She then took off her dripping cloak, shawl, hat and gloves and came by the side of her lover. She let the lover embrace around her waist. The lover, even then did not speak a single word. To arrest the lover’s attention in her passionate love, she made her white shoulder bare and laced the lover’s cheek on it. To stir the lover’s mood she spread her golden hair over her shoulder. Amidst such countenance of her lover, she in a low but sweet voice told how darling she loved the lover. She also confessed that she was really weak to throw away the social barriers like, her high rank and the authority of her guardians that stood as an insurmountable bar.


At such submission, the lover felt joy and pride. He knew how ardent and sincere Porphyria’s love for him was. In such state of ecstasy a plan of action peeped into his head. The very moment proved itself eternity. Porphyria’s complete submission in one hand, and on the other, her charming disposition and visional innocence, led the cover stamp them on time. Once again Porphyria’s love for him was thwarted by the social barriers. He wanted to make it free. So, the lover decided and executed his plan by starling her to death with a string of her hair. It seemed that Porphyria felt no pain; rather she looked as quiet a bee in bud. The lover opened her eye-lids and found her eyes laughing without a stain. The lover, then, untightened the tresses from her neck and even then, her cheeks blushed bright in the lover’s kiss. He lifted her head, she was dead. In dead Porphyria, the lover read a sense of smile that indicated the fulfillment of the ladylove’s last hope, which was – a death in the lover’s lap and a union of two souls.


The lover sat the whole night keeping Porphyria’s dead body in his lap. He wanted God’s approval for the great deed that he accomplish, God’s silence showed his approval.

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