Engl. 2306 Paper 1

I intend to do a comparison and contrast of two poems that have been reviewed by the class this semester. These poems are

from the Norton Anthology of Poetry and are authored by George Gordon, Lord Byron "Written after Swimming from Sestos to

Abydos," and Percy Bysshe Shelley "Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples."

I will compare and contrast the themes of the two poems as well as the poetic elements used in the writing of the poems.

The poem entitled "Written after Swimming from Sestos to Abydos" possesses themes dealing with great endeavor,

comparison of different outcomes and the vanity sometimes associated with the effort to accomplish great feats. The poem

entitiled "Stanzas Written in Dejection" deals with themes concerning talk of gloom and dejection, comparism of different

realities experienced by different peoples in society and gives the portrait of a person seemingly rejected by society. Poetic

elements drawn from both poems that I will compare and contrast include Figures of speech, Images (sensory), and

Language.

Themes from the two poems "Written after Swimming from Sestos to Abydos" by George Gordon, Lord Byron and "Stanzas

Written in Dejection" by Percy Bysshe Shelley are very different. "Written after Swimming..." talks about great endeavor and

two men who reached out and took action to accomplish their goals--to cross from Europe to Asia Minor over the

Dardanelles strait for differing reasons. The poem describes a tale of one man who made a noble effort to swim across the

Dardanelles strait from Abydos to Sestos inorder to be with his lover. This can be seen from the following lines in the poem:

"But since he crossed the rapid tide,
According to the doubful story,
To woo-and Lord knows what beside,
And swam for Love, as I for Glory." 1.

In contrast the poem "Stanzas Written in..." has talk of gloom and dejection in its theme. The protagonist seems to be in a

current state of dejection and outcast from society. No great feats of courage are being attempted here. Apparently the

protagonist seems to feel that success and prosperity have eluded him unlike the experience of others in society. An excerpt

from the poem can show this:

"Alas I have nor hope nor health,
Nor peace within nor calm around,
Nor that content surpassing wealth
The sage in meditation found,
And walked with inward glory crowned-
Nor fame, nor power, nor love, nor leisure.
Others I see whom these surround-
Smiling they live, and call life pleasure;
To me that cup has been dealt in another measure." 1.

A poetic element that can be observed from these two poems is that of -figures of speech. Both poems use metaphors,

however it is of my opinion that the poem "Written after Swimming..." contains both implied and explicit metaphors while the

poem "Stanzas Written..." contains mainly implied metaphors.

In Byron's poem, he spoke of the difference between the quests of the mythical Leander and compared with those of the

protagonist using these words in what I believe to be an explicit metaphore:

"But since he crossed the rapid tide,
According to the doubtful story,
(To woo-and -Lord knows what beside),
And swam for Love, as I for Glory;" 1.
An implicit metaphore was used to explain the results of the efforts of the two men who swam accross the Dardanelles strait seen from an excerpt from the poem:
"'Twere hard to say who fared the best:
Sad mortals! thus the gods still plague you!
(He lost his labor, I my jest);
For he was drowned, and I've the auge." 1.

The poem written by Byron appears to only feature explicit metaphors as compared to the poem written by Shelley. In

contrast the poem written by Shelley contains both explicit and implied metaphors and also endeavors to

compare and contrast the state of affairs of the protagonist with that of other more prosperous members of society, as seen

from lines 28-36 in the poem:

"Alas! I have nor hope nor health,
Nor peace within nor calm around,
(Nor that content surpassing wealth)
(The sage in meditation found),
And walked with inward glory crowned-
Nor fame, nor power, nor love, nor leisure.
Others I see whom these surround-
Smiling they live, and call life pleasure;
(To me that cup has been dealt in another measure)." 1.

Another theme from Byron's poem is the comparison of similar results experience by the two men in the poem as well as

the signifcance of those results. This can be contrasted with the theme from Shelley's poem which describes a comparison of

different realities as they are experienced from the point of view of the protagonist and that of the society that is described in

the poem. In Byron's poem, the two men attempted to cross the Dardanelles strait, but experienced different outcomes. One

of them-Leander-lost his life while the other, the protagonist, became ill. They experienced similar results because both of

them lost something from the effort. As explained in the poem:

"'Twere hard to say who fared the best;
Sad mortals! thus the gods still plague you!
He lost his labor, I my jest;
For he was drowned, and I've the ague." 1.

In Shelley's poem the author strives to show the difference between the reality of life as experienced by a seemingly dejected

protagonist as compared to members of the society at large that have appeared to have rejected him and consider him to be

an outcast. An excerpt from the poem can illuminate this:

"Nor fame, nor power, nor love, nor leisure.
Others I see whom these surround-
Smiling they live, and call life pleasure;
To me that cup has been dealt in another measure." 1.

There is an ample amount of imagery used in both poems. I believe that the imagery used in Shelley's poem was used

extensively to advance the meaning and the readers understanding of the poem. The use of imagery in this poem was also

much more extensive and prevalent as compared to Byron's poem and the images did connect to each other. Byron's poem

used imagery much more sparsely and I consider it to be much more decorative.

In Shelley's poem the author used imagery extensively in the first part to describe the breath-taking environment that the

protagonist was surrounded by and this was a good set-up to use for the later contrast with the protagonist's pitiable state

of life. An example of this use of imagery to explain the environment can be seen in the following lines:

"The sun is warm, the sky is clear,
the waves are dancing fast and bright,
Blue isles and snowy mountains wear
The purple noon's transparent might.
The breath of the moist earth is light,
Around its unexpanded buds;
Like many a voice of one delight,
The winds, the bird, the ocean floods,
The City's voice itself is soft like Solitude's." 1.
In Byron's poem the use of imagery is much more sparse and as I noted appears to be more decorative. The author was

explaing the custom of the mythical and love-struck Leander to cross the Dardanelles strait (or Hellespont), to visit his

girlfriend Hero. Byron described this and gave a description of the Hellespont in the following lines:

"If, when the wintry tempest roared,
He sped to Hero, nothing loath,
And thus of old thy current poured,
Fair Venus! how I pity both!" 1.
Another difference in themes between the two poems can be seen by the focus in the Shelley's poem on what appears to be

the vanity sometimes involved in the attempt to accomplish great endeavours by successful people, as compared to the

theme in Byrons poem which seems to focus on a portrait of a person rejected and outcast by society.

In Shelley's poem the author relates a story of two people who are very successful in their endeavours but who unfortunately

experience what could amount to moments of truth when it becomes apparent that their efforts might have been in vain and

could be regarded as mere vanity. An example of this can be seen in the following excerpt:

"If when the wintry tempest roared,
He sped to Hero, nothing loath,
And thus of old thy current poured.
fair Venus! how I pity both!
For me, degenerate modern wretch,
Though in the genial month of May,
dripping limbs I faintly stretch,
And think I've done a feat today." 1.
Comparing this to Byron's poem, the theme of this poem does not focus on two successful people who had their efforts end

ultimately in vain but on a seemingly unsuccessful person who appears to be an outcast from society and despised by other

members of the public. An excerpt from the poem can show this:

"Some might lament that I were cold,
As I, when this sweet day is gone,
Which my lost heart, too soon grown old,
Insults with this untimely moan;
They might lament-for I am one
Whom mwn love not-and yet regret,
Unlike this day, which, when the sun
Shall on its stainless glory set,
Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet." 1.

When comparing the language used in two poems I believe that the diction used in Byron's poem is rather mixed being

neither casual or elevated completely, while that used in Shelley's poem is comparatively elevated. Byron's poem also seems

to have been written at some emotional distance while Shelley's poem appears to have been written in the midst of emotion.

An example of the mixed diction and relative emotional distance found in Byron's poem can be seen in the following excerpt:

"If in the month of dark December,
Leander, who was nightly wont
(What maid will not the tale remember?)
To cross thy stream, broad Hellespont!" 1.

When reading Shelley's poem in contrast one can notice the emotional investment of the author while describing the

circumstance of the protagonist. The diction used is also comparatively elevated as compared to Byron's poem. An example

of this can be seen from the poem:

"Some might lament that I were cold,
As I when this sweet day is gone,
Which my lost hear, too soon grown old,
Insults with this untimely moan;
they might lament-for I am one
Whom men love not-and yet regret,
Unlike this day, which, when the sun
Shall on its stainless glory set,
Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet." 1.

It is possible to see from the foregoing that the poems "Written after Swimming from Sestos to Abydos" and "Stanzas

Written in Dejection, Near Naples," have several contrasts in themes and characteristics as well as the use of poetic elements

such as Figures of Speech, Images and Language.

WORKS CITED:

1. George Gordon, Lord Byron. "Written after Swimming from Sestos to Abydos". Ferguson, Salter and Stallworthy. 833-834.

Ferguson, Margaret; Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy,
The Norton Anthology of Poetry. New York: Noron, 2005.

Percy Bysshe Shelley. "Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples." Ferguson, Salter and Stallworthy. 870-871.