The art of poetry is so unique in a sense that each and every poet has a unique take on how to portray a message. Every poem has an aesthetic and that is completely based on the poets own devices. Just like any art piece, poetry can be analyzed in so many different ways, that there often is no right or wrong interpretations. The poems “Sonnet” by Billy Collins and “What Lips My lips Have Kissed” by Edna St.Vincent Milly are both sonnets that use anaphoras and metaphors to further their aesthetic, yet they each have completely different tones to convey this message.
Both “Sonnet” and “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed” are similar in a sense that they are sonnets. A sonnet is a play composed of fourteen lines that are written in iambic pentameter. There are two different types of sonnets, one is a Shakespearean Sonnet and the other is an Italian Sonnet. Collin’s “Sonnet” and Milly’s “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed” are both examples of the Italian Sonnet. The Italian Sonnet, otherwise known as the Petrarchan Sonnet, often contains an octave followed by a sestet. “Sonnet” follows this rule but instead of an iambic pentameter throughout all fourteen lines, it only occurs in two lines. “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed” follows the octet and sestet rule as well but carries the iambic pentameter throughout the poem. Since both of these poems are sonnets, each poet wanted to portray their message of their poem in this way for their own aesthetic purposes.
Another way both these poems were similar was because they both use the literary device of Anaphora. Anaphora is is the repetition of a certain word or phrase. This was portrayed in “Sonnet” through the word ‘and’ being used in lines 2,6 and 7 repetitively, and then again in lines 11 and 12 with the word ‘where”. In “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed”, lines 2,12 and 13 all start with a repetitive, ‘I’. The use of Anaphora in both of these poems show that both poets wanted to use this literary device to help along their creative work.
The use of Figurative Language, mainly metaphors, also have made appearances in both poems as well. Metaphors are defined as figures of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. To use a metaphor in a poem is to go beyond with your words since metaphors are used in poetry to explain and elucidate emotions, feelings, and other elements that could not to described in ordinary language. In “Sonnet”, it states to, “take off those crazy medieval tights,”(Collins 13) which is in reference to stop using these old poetic forms. In “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed”, the speaker compares themself to, “the lonely tree” (Milly 9) which also sets the tone for the poem.
A difference between both of these poems is that the tones are very opposite. In “Sonnet”, the tone is very lighthearted and almost mocking, whereas in “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed” there is a very serious and somber tone full of heartache. “Sonnet” is a sonnet that is about a sonnet. Throughout the poem, Collins just describes what a sonnet in a lighthearted way and it almost seems as if he is mocking the art of the original sonnet as he references the numbers of lines in a sonnet , while taking up those lines. Collins also references when there is only 10 lines left and compares that to, “like rows of beans.” This simile illustrates that the rest is just boring and predictable. He then goes on to describe when sonnets were first popularized during the Elizabethan era when he describes the scheme of the sonnets,
“How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan
and insist the iambic bongos must be played
and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines” (Collins 5-7)
The speaker seems bored that “iambic bongos” are in every line of those sonnets and they are predictable by having a rhyme scheme at every line as well. Which he only inputs to compare it to the newer Petrarchan style of sonnets, which this poem is associated as. He inputs “where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen,”(13) as a reference to the Petrarchan style of the sonnet, he is basically saying he wants it to come to a stop. Overall all these factors bring out a very mocking tone to the poem.
In “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed”, there is a more downhearted tone as the speaker brings out this message of heartache. The use of diction is what primarily gives the tone of this poem away throughout the play. In lines 6-8, Milly goes on to use strong words to depict emotions and feelings of hurt,
“And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry…” (Milly 6-8).
The use of the words ‘pain’ to describe what the speaker is feeling in their heart is a sure observation that they are suffering. And referenced the ‘unremembered lads’ to ‘cry’ to her. This showcases that not only are her sorrows troubling her, but so are other people’s sorrows. Milly goes on in the play to state that she , “only know that summer sang in me/ A little while, that in me sings no more.” (13-14) This shows that she once knew how it felt to be truly happy yet now, that happiness and gone. Using happiness as the summer ‘singing’ and then no longer singing is a more gloomy way of stating that she is unhappy. Overall, Milly uses diction to bring out the heartache tone of this poem.
The poems “Sonnet” by Billy Collins and “What Lips My lips Have Kissed” by Edna St.Vincent Milly are both sonnets that use the Device of anaphoras and Figurative Languages of metaphors, yet use different tones to convey this message. Poets are all artists that use words to depict their thoughts and message into the world. When reading poetry, it is important to appreciate the time and effort put into creating a powerful set of words.