Sunday Morning..
By Wallace Stevens
The speaker in the poem is of the position that the lady should not lavish her thoughts upon the dead Jesus but should turn to the realities of this world. Instead of meditating/thinking upon the divinity of Jesus Christ, this lady should mediate upon the divinity within herself. True divinity is to be found in this present world and inside oneself. Divinity dwells in one's own varying moods, in the charging seasons. Reality consists of one's perceptions of all these worldly process and phenomena.
This lady should therefore identify herself with the natural landscape and with the seasonal changes. Her life consists of her changing moods and her changing experiences; her life consists of her sufferings, of her grief suffered in loneliness, her feelings of happiness when the forest puts forth its blossoms and its bloom, her emotion which she experienced on wet roods on autumn nights. Her life consists of all the pleasures of this world and all the sorrows which she may have to suffer.
The green branches of trees in summer and the leafless branches of trees in winter are actual facts of this world. Such happenings are the measures of her soul. She would therefore meditate upon such real things like the divinity of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.
One should not spend one's time in dwelling upon what is doubtful and what is illusory. Facts are more important than myths. One should follow the dictates of reason instead of the beliefs of the divinity teach by priest .
According to the poem :-
-pleasure is symbolized by a green branch.
-pain is symbolized by a black branches.
Similarly:
Bough of summer : pleasure joy.
Bough of winter : pain.
Stanza 1 .. line 1-9: (part 1):
The speaker in the first stanza shows\ presents a woman , who is enjoying a late breakfast in the sunshine . Her late morning is full of happy things or " complacencies " like coffee , oranges , green cockatoo and the warm sun .
The woman is having a late breakfast and thinking about the nice things around her . When all these things combine together or "mingle " in her mind they become weak or " dissipate " and she feels the sense of obligation .
" The holy hush of ancient sacrifice " the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in Christianity . She has all the small pleasures around her , but she starts thinking about Christianity ( Religion ). People or neighbours are at church , and she is relaxing outside in the sun . Her thoughts become serious and deep . She starts thinking about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ . She starts to daydream . She no longer has focus on the happy things around her , she feels the approach or " encroachment " of powerful thoughts about " that old catastrophe " the crucifixion of Christ.
Basically the " calm " of her morning routine is replaced by serious thoughts about religion , the way a peaceful sunset on the ocean gives way to darkness and the reflection of strange lights on the waters (waves ).
Stanza 2: Line(9-15).
The poet tells us that the happy things around her_ the oranges, the coffee
and the cockatoo with its " bright green wings " , suddenly seem different .
They " seem things in some procession of the dead ". They seem more like " dead spirits" because they are walking across a large, "wide" body(area) of water(sea). It is a serious occasion and the spirits are walking silently "without sound " .
She is thinking about Juses Christ, It can be said that the spirits are travelling towards him (Christ ). The day dream becomes more serious. She imagines herself as a part of the procession spirits. She is passing silently " over the seas " (wide water/ ocean ) . Her thoughts are becoming serious . She is taking a mental trip to Palestine , where Juses Christ was crucified .
She is in America now , to get to Palestine She would have to cross the ocean . The ocean is stilled or calmed so she can pass over it . When she arrives , she will be in the " dominion of the blood and sepulcher " .
According to Christianity the " blood " spilled when Christ died and the
" sepulcher " or tomb, where he was buried
Stanza 3: Line (16-22)
In this stanza, the speaker is speaking on her behalf, shows us her (woman) skepticism about the Christian faith. The speaker in the poem asks why this lady should give up her luxuries (oranges, cockatoo) to some body or Christ who is died. Juses Christ died long, long ago. Why should this lady devote her thinking to him?
Her thoughts are more skeptical. She says divinity is of no use because one cannot see it before ones own eyes, and one can perceive it in dreams and in fancy in a shadowy and dim manner. Actually she wants to say that "if Christ is so glorious and powerful, why does not he stay in may thoughts all the time?. He come into imagination for short time.
Should she not take pleasure in the comforts of this world only?. Should she not take pleasure in eating oranges, drinking coffee and looking upon the green wings of her parrot?. Should she not find pleasure on looking at the other beautiful objects of this earth / world . If the thought of heaven is pleasing , so are the comforts, delights and pleasures of this earthly world. She should not devote her thoughts to Juses Christ instead she should enjoy the worldly pleasures.
Sunday Morning is a poem in which a kind of debate is held between religious beliefs and the demands of reason.
Stanza ( 22- 30 )
The speaker in the poem is of the position that the lady should not lavish her thoughts upon the dead Jesus but should turn to the realities of this world. Instead of meditating/thinking upon the divinity of Jesus Christ, this lady should mediate upon the divinity within herself. True divinity is to be found in this present world and inside oneself. Divinity dwells in one's own varying moods, in the charging seasons. Reality consists of one's perceptions of all these worldly process and phenomena.
This lady should therefore identify herself with the natural landscape and with the seasonal changes. Her life consists of her changing moods and her changing experiences; her life consists of her sufferings, of her grief suffered in loneliness, her feelings of happiness when the forest puts forth its blossoms and its bloom, her emotion which she experienced on wet roods on autumn nights. Her life consists of all the pleasures of this world and all the sorrows which she may have to suffer.
The green branches of trees in summer and the leafless branches of trees in winter are actual facts of this world. Such happenings are the measures of her soul. She would therefore meditate upon such real things like the divinity of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion.
One should not spend one's time in dwelling upon what is doubtful and what is illusory. Facts are more important than myths. One should follow the dictates of reason instead of the beliefs of the divinity teach by priest .
