Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Arthur Rimbaud's poem "Tear" dwells in the realm of disillusionment and self-discovery, as a part of his journey to understand human emotion and the landscape of his own mind. The narrator of the poem is distanced from ordinary life, far from "birds, the cattle herds, the village girls." He is isolated, both physically and emotionally, a theme that pervades much of Rimbaud's work. The first stanza finds him in a state of yearning and potential, kneeling in the heather, surrounded by the soft groves of hazel-trees. The Oise, the young stream, offers not a gulp of refreshing water but "liquor of gold," a substance that should be invigorating but instead "makes sweat."

The poem plays on the contrasting elements of nature and the emotional world. Rimbaud utilizes imagery of the natural environment, of "green lukewarm haze," "soft groves," and "slender elms," yet these elements do not provide tranquility or happiness but instead appear to drain the narrator, making him sweat and feel distant. Even the 'liquor of gold,' which should be a symbol of wealth or jubilance, turns out to be a source of further disenchantment.

The poem also has an undercurrent of missed opportunities or misinterpretations. The narrator feels like "a strange-looking signboard for a country inn," an object meant to attract travelers and yet appearing out of place, awkward, or possibly even repelling. The imagery continues to change drastically as a storm sweeps through, freezing ponds and altering the landscape. Nature, originally a backdrop of potential wonder and awe, becomes a stage for isolation and transformation, albeit not of the uplifting kind.

Rimbaud touches on the theme of an elusive quest, a search for something indefinable that is always just out of reach. "Weeping, I saw gold-and could not drink," encapsulates the essential frustration and paradox of the narrator's journey. What he seeks is right before him-perhaps it always has been-but it remains untouchable, non-consumable. The poem paints a vivid scene of the eternal human condition of yearning for what we cannot have, of seeing but not touching, of a thirst that can never truly be quenched.

While Rimbaud's own life was rife with rebellion against societal norms and a ceaseless quest for new emotional and experiential territory, "Tear" encapsulates the often tragic outcome of such quests. The landscape of the soul is as unpredictable and potentially destructive as the natural world, and the poem serves as a cautionary tale of the price one might pay for venturing too far into either. As with much of Rimbaud's work, "Tear" offers no easy answers or resolutions, but instead leaves the reader with a lingering sense of existential disquiet-a poignant reminder of the often insurmountable gulf between human desire and the uncompromising realities of the physical and emotional worlds we inhabit.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...