'Sonnets from china'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

Let's have some fun now with 'Sonnets from China'. This poem is aptly named on two counts. First, you no doubt may have been thinking that the poem is set in China although there is no evidence of this in the poem itself. The poet had visited China, thus the title, even though this poem is not specific to any one country. The original title was 'In Time of War' and seems more appropriate than the one on which the poet settled.

Second, I am sure that you already know that there are different forms of poetry. There is the closed form which includes sonnets, epics, ballads and villanelles. The open form is written in blank verse. The closed form includes poems which follow a regular (though not rigid in modern times) pattern. Such poems look symmetrical and have repeated patterns with lines of similar length arranged in groups of two, three or four. Both the metric pattern and the rhyme scheme tend to be regular.

The lines of blank verses have a set metrical style - five stressed and five unstressed syllables but they do not rhyme.

The sonnet is probably the best known of the closed form poems. It has 14 lines. There are two main kinds: the Shakespearean and the Petrarchan. The Shakespearean sonnet has three four-line stanzas or groups of lines and a closing couplet. The Petrarchan is divided into an eight-line segment called an octave and a six-line section called a sestet. Both are written in iambic pentameter. The ideas in the sonnet follow the way in which it is structured.

Let us turn our attention to the poem at this point.

'Sonnets from China XV'

As evening fell the day's oppression lifted; a

Far peaks came into focus; it had rained: b

Across wide lawns and cultured flowers drifted a

The conversation of the highly trained. b

Two gardeners watched them pass and priced their shoes; c

A chauffeur waited, reading in the drive, d

For them to finish their exchange of views; c

It seemed a picture of the private life. d

Far off, no matter what good they intended, e

The armies waited for a verbal error f

With all the instruments for causing pain: g

And on the issue of their charm depended e

A land laid waste, with all its young men slain, g

Its women weeping, and its towns in terror. f

Along with this poem which was written by W.H. Auden I have included the rhyme scheme. Later we will take a closer look at the changes in the form used here. Now, how shall we proceed to get an understanding of this piece of work? I suggest you do the following:

1. Read the poem.

2. Find the meaning of any unfamiliar word or expression.

3. Take your text and your pencil and write down the possible explanation for each line. For example, ask yourself 'Why is it that when the day fell, oppression lifted?' What was the problem that existed during the day? Does the word 'oppression' refer to the heat of the day, the hard labour which some have to do or to the looming war?

Continue to read and you will see that it has rained and this seems to be the source of the relief that was being enjoyed in the twilight or early night. Yes. We do get the idea that the rain has washed away the haze and reduced the terrible heat. It may even have brought a lessening of the tension among those who were conversing.

4. Read it again as many times as you wish until you understand well enough to put the poem in your own words.

We will pick up from here next week. Didn't the recent Boys and Girls' Championships show once again that hard work pays dividends? Is there a lesson there for you? Take care and God bless!