Thread: Dylan Thomas
View Single Post
  #14  
Unread 10-08-2005, 06:38 PM
Matthew T. Barber Matthew T. Barber is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Grove City, PA
Posts: 77
Post

" ...crying how bright
their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay"

Think of wavetops on choppy water, & how sunlight reflects from them--the light really dances. And think of the 7th wave or 9th wave, or whatever it is (I think it was Tennyson wrote a poem calling Milton the 7th wave of his [Milton's] age), you know, the wave that is supposed always to be the largest in a series.

I suppose it is significant Thomas chose a bay because the water is habitually choppier in bays or lakes than in seas or oceans.

Hopkins uses a similar image somewhere. Also, Hopkins'

"gash gold vermilion"

[the sparks coming up from a wood fire] bears some similarity.

What is really quite interesting to me, is, the light on the waves is necessarily a reflected light. Odd image for an atheist.
Reply With Quote