Critical Appreciation Of The Poem Traumdunkel

Improved Essays
“Eingang” opens the cycle Traumdunkel (Darkness of Dream), the fifth part of George’s Der siebente Ring, which counterbalances the growing emotional intensity that characterises the book up to the Maximin-cycle by sinking into the lingering darkness of dreams. The cycle consists of fourteen poems and was written between the spring of 1902 and the end of 1905, but mostly after Maximilian Kronberger’s death in April 1904. The heading “Traumdunkel” was first used as the title of a poem in autumn 1899.
“Eingang” was written in November 1905. The title is ambiguous as it can mean both entrance, doorway or access and introit or introduction. In the context of this poem, several of these translations seem plausible: “Eingang” is the introduction to
…show more content…
The German word “male” refers to a large sculptural or architectonic structure that can be a monument, memorial or the like. According to Morwitz, the connection of “Mitten” and the preposition “beim” indicates that the fountain is placed in the middle of both the forest and the marble structure, and not next to it as most readers would understand it. The atmosphere of the second stanza is calm and peaceful. The fountain just starts (“beginnt”, v. 5). It is slow (“langsam”, v. 6) and the water flows gently (“sachte”, v. 7). The repeated murmuring consonants of the alliteration “Mitten […] marmornen male” convey the water’s soft gurgling and gentle flow. In the eighth verse, the otherwise regular rhythm is interrupted by a sudden trochaic beginning that illustrates the new image of the verse, which compares the water of the spring to grains falling one by one on a silver bowl. It is easy to associate this description with the idea of an hourglass that shows the slow trickle of time. Throughout the second stanza, different materials with different textures are mentioned: cold marble, slowly flowing water and single grains on a metal bowl. None of these materials are warm or soft, yet the scene appears pleasant due to the water’s “blumige spiele”. The adjective “blumig” means flowery, ornate, florid or floral and could refer to the water, its movement or the appearance of the marble

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Bruce Dawe was born on 15th February, 1930 in Fitzroy, Victoria. He is a renowned Australian poet who writes about ordinary people and their lives. His phenomenal 1968 poems, ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Drifters’ examine abiding human emotions such as loss of hope and loss of identity through the use of metaphors, personification and symbolism. ‘Homecoming’ is an anti-war poem written about the Vietnam War, which describes the process of collecting and processing the dead bodies, then shipping them home. It portrays a sense of moral outrage at the futile and dehumanizing war.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    n the novel Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden, survival is a repeating theme. Throughout the stories if the two protagonists, Annie and Will, their survival physically, mentally, and emotionally is continually tested. Boyden expresses the theme of survival through the use of symbols relating to the survival of Annie, Will and the Netmakers. Annie’s journeys expressed in the novel test her survival skill physically and mentally in the city and in her rural hometown setting. In the urban setting Annie gets into modeling, which she finds both physically and emotionally demanding.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She Walks In Beauty Laced with endless compliments and adoration, Lord Byron’s poem “She Walks in Beauty” tells the story of a man admiring a woman’s beauty. While the speaker does not claim that he is in love with the nameless woman, it is evident that he is attracted to her – based on the detail in which he describes her physical beauty. The “cloudless…starry skies” and “tender light” accompanied by the undulating iambic tetrameter sets the perfect, romantic mood for the speaker to express his infatuation (2, 5). The meter indicates the innocence of his attraction and a parallel to the subject of his attraction.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    After listening to the James Brown song, it is easy to hear that the rhythm of the song catches your hear. The rhythm of the songs definitely make them a obvious choice to keep the party going. The first parts in Funky Drummer that I would sample is from 2:00 to 2:30, where the saxophones seems to be in a groove. it does not have any shouts or grunts during this part. That part is just solid and clean, and the beat just grabs you rhythmically.…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bradstreet: Poem Analysis

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the poem, Bradstreet is sleeping during a calm and quiet night, and then suddenly, she wakes up by “thund’ring noise / And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice” (lines 3-4). She then sees that her house is burning in fire. Terrified, she cries out to God and prays so that God would help her. Her house eventually got entirely burned up, and Bradstreet ended up homeless, but she did not lose hope. She began to pull herself together and realized that God took away something that didn’t belong to her anyway.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bruce Dawe Poem Analysis

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dawe relies on common issues to form the backbone of his poetry, all of which are known to a much larger, or even global audience. Life-Cycle is arguably one of the most Australian poems, and tells the story of Australian rules football culture, by referring to common slang terms; such as “carn”, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (A.N.Z.A.C) pledge and “bludger”, that transforms the reader into the passionate and vocal audience of a football game. So yes, this poem, at surface level, is Australian - although, the main theme of loyalty is universal. The poem explores the stages of life that a child goes through, growing up supporting a team, which in this case is assumed to be AFL; although isn’t specifically mentioned, meaning it could relate to any sport.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My brain directly fixed on a son6e17:18 17/10/20153321g called 'Cleaver Redemption', which also became the title of the album and my imagination for torture be derived from this song. Not that the first track ' Epileptic Defecation' and other songs not affecting my brain to imagine a torture. However, these songs come across as a continuation of the torture phase of my imagination. I must feel this imagination from the riffs of brutal death created, before interested in hearing this album repeatedly and write a review.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Subject Matter: The poem is a scenario about the inevitability of restlessness in the life of a transient-like family. This event is an Australian phenomenon, originated from shearers and rouseabouts (unskilled labourers, or odd jobbers) during the early colonial times. The family is constantly moving from place to place. A lot of Australian families went through similar situations during the time of economic hardship, including Bruce Dawe. The author of this poem that was written in 1999.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Arash Derakhshan 7/22/15 English 12B Unit 17 Essay Rough Draft Bruegel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" and Auden’s "Musée des Beaux Arts" both describe a spring’s scene. Serenity, and the calmness of spring, feature in both painting and poem; nature is also a central element. In addition, both depict a spring morning which awaits the “fall of Icarus. Nevertheless, while both may have these elements in common, these similarities appear to serve only as a point of departure for poet and artist as they focus on differing aspects of spring, and a number of contrasts which represent this approach may briefly be referred to. It is peaceful, yet there is the warmth of humanity and a feeling of security and companionship in the painting.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the last seven weeks I have learned a lot as a writer through reading works written by Johnson, Dawkins, Barthelme, and King. Through analyzing their techniques and continuing to practice I have become a better fiction writer. These writers have taught me how to use concrete sensory detail to reveal emotion and tone. In addition, they taught me the importance of white space, poetic language, building tension, and creating dialogue that reveals character. While writing my midterm story, Don't Run, I worked to embed many of these elements into the piece.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Yanjie Hong Amy Murray Twyning Reading Poetry Essay 2 4/23/2015 The Complexities of identity in Terrance Hayes’s Poems Essentially, the emblematic portrayal of the African American male persona in Terrance Hayes poems is evidence of the experiences that people of color have in their routine lives. Evidently, his interview in the New York Times where lengthy conversations ensue, details emerge of how problematic his life in college and Japan was due to his dark skin (Burt).…

    • 1484 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the poem “Nude Descending a Staircase” the writer, X. J. Kennedy, blatantly introduces the subject of a nude woman. In his poem the speaker is describing an unidentified woman as she travels down a set of stairs. This poem was written as a reaction or response to a painting created by Marcel Duchamp, that was entitled “Nude Descending a Staircase No.2”. Since the poem was a reaction to the art, it is categorized as an ekphrastic piece. In mostly all poems, the writer utilizes various poetic devices to help a reader further understand and develop a deeper meaning to the poem.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Also, the poems are characterized by persistent capitalization at the beginning of every line. This paper seeks to deeply discuss imagery as used in the "For the Anniversary of My Death" and "The Nails", by W.S. Merwin. “For the Anniversary of My Death” the poem begins with the speaker informing the reader, “Every year without knowing it I have passed the day” (Merwin 636), which is the longest single line in the poem. It also sets out the situation in the poem. This line ends…

    • 2326 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Process of growing up Through the process of growing up many people gain knowledge and go through the loss of friendships and relationships. Robert Frost, one of the most favored and honored American poets during World War I depicts through two poems a trend that shows how one grows up and adapts to their surroundings. He is able to promote a colloquial, restrained language that implies message instead of just revealing it through strong verbal language of hidden messages within the text. Both poems, Mending Wall and Out, Out- use characterization, and symbolism in order to attain Frosts’ themes of loss of innocence and one’s bonding of friendship. The characterization, and symbolism used in Mending Wall and Out, Out- gives readers an understanding…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Joseph Maioli Due Date: 9-8-15 FOR207 – Wagner “The Road Not Taken” Introduction Assignment “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost (1916), is one of the most famous and well-known poems of the century. Most people are aware of the choice taken in this poem, but are not aware of the fundamental economic concepts portrayed. Robert Frost writes this poem explaining how there was a choice: take one road, or take the other. This choice is a lot like any other choice made in everyday life.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays