Rhapsody on a Windy Night - T.S. Eliot
A Midnight Walk Through Memory and Despair
Twelve o'clock.
Along the reaches of the street
Held in a lunar synthesis,
Whispering lunar incantations
Dissolve the floors of memory
And all its clear relations,
Its divisions and precisions,
Every street lamp that I pass
Beats like a fatalistic drum,
And through the spaces of the dark
Midnight shakes the memory
As a madman shakes a dead geranium.
Half-past one,
The street-lamp sputtered,
The street-lamp muttered,
The street-lamp said, “Regard that woman
Who hesitates toward you in the light of the door
Which opens on her like a grin.
You see the border of her dress
Is torn and stained with sand,
And you see the corner of her eye
Twists like a crooked pin.“
The memory throws up high and dry
A crowd of twisted things;
A twisted branch upon the beach
Eaten smooth, and polished
As if the world gave up
The secret of its skeleton,
Stiff and white.
A broken spring in a factory yard,
Rust that clings to the form that the past drew
From the muscles once so strong.
One thinks of all the hands
That are raising dingy shades
In a thousand furnished rooms.
Half-past two,
The street-lamp said,
“Remark the cat which flattens itself in the gutter,
Slips out its tongue
And devours a morsel of rancid butter.“
So the hand of the child, automatic,
I could see nothing behind that child's eye.
I have seen eyes in the street
Trying to peer through lighted shutters,
And a crab one afternoon in a pool,
An old crab with barnacles on his back,
Gripped the end of a stick which I held him.
Half-past three,
The street-lamp said,
“Remark the yellow soles of feet
Of those who walk along the hill-road.“
The lamp hummed:
“Regard the moon,
La lune ne garde aucune rancune,
She winks a feeble eye,
She smiles into corners.
She smoothes the hair of the grass.
The moon has lost her memory.
A washed-out smallpox cracks her face,
Her hand twists a paper rose,
That smells of dust and eau de Cologne,
She is alone
With all the old nocturnal smells
That cross and cross across her brain.“
The reminiscence comes
Of sunless dry geraniums
And dust in crevices,
Smells of chestnuts in the streets,
And female smells in shuttered rooms,
And cigarettes in corridors
And cocktail smells in bars.
The lamp said,
“Four o'clock,
Here is the number on the door.
Memory!
You have the key,
The little lamp spreads a ring on the stair,
Mount.
The bed is open; the tooth-brush hangs on the wall,
Put your shoes at the door, sleep, prepare for life.“
The last twist of the knife.
Overview of "Rhapsody on a Windy Night"
"Rhapsody on a Windy Night" by T.S. Eliot is a modernist poem that delves into themes of memory, decay, and the haunting nature of urban life. The poem unfolds over the course of a single night, from midnight to four o'clock in the morning, capturing the fragmented thoughts and sensory impressions of an individual wandering through desolate streets.
Structure and Style
The poem employs free verse with irregular stanzas, reflecting the disjointed and stream-of-consciousness narrative style characteristic of Eliot's work. The imagery is vivid and often unsettling, drawing on the bleakness of urban environments and the eerie stillness of nighttime.
Analysis of Key Sections
Midnight: Lunar Synthesis and Fatalistic Drums
The poem opens at twelve o'clock, setting a tone of surreal introspection. The street is bathed in moonlight, described as a "lunar synthesis," which casts a spell-like quality over the scene. This lunar presence seems to dissolve clear memories and precise divisions, suggesting a breakdown of structured thought:
- "Whispering lunar incantations / Dissolve the floors of memory / And all its clear relations,"
Each street lamp the narrator passes beats like a "fatalistic drum," symbolizing the relentless passage of time and the inevitability of confronting one’s past.
Half-past One: Encounters and Twisted Imagery
At half-past one, the street-lamp personifies and comments on a woman hesitating in the doorway, her dress torn and stained, her eye twisting unnaturally. This encounter evokes images of decay and distortion:
- "A twisted branch upon the beach / Eaten smooth, and polished / As if the world gave up / The secret of its skeleton,"
The description of a broken spring in a factory yard further emphasizes themes of industrial ruin and forgotten labor, hinting at societal neglect.
Half-past Two: Animal Instincts and Empty Gazes
By half-past two, attention shifts to a cat consuming rancid butter, illustrating base instincts and survival. The child's empty gaze mentioned here suggests a loss of innocence or purpose:
- "I could see nothing behind that child's eye."
Half-past Three: Lunar Reflections and Nocturnal Smells
At half-past three, the street-lamp directs focus to the moon, portrayed as forgetful and worn, her face cracked like "a washed-out smallpox." The moon's actions—twisting a paper rose, smoothing grass—are futile gestures amidst lingering nocturnal odors, reinforcing themes of futility and memory loss.
Four O'clock: Confrontation with Memory
Finally, at four o'clock, the street-lamp urges the narrator to confront their own memories using a key, symbolizing access to personal history. The mundane details of returning home contrast sharply with earlier surreal imagery, grounding the narrative in reality while underscoring existential dread:
- "The bed is open; the tooth-brush hangs on the wall, / Put your shoes at the door, sleep, prepare for life."
The phrase "The last twist of the knife" encapsulates the emotional climax—a final, painful realization or confrontation before succumbing to rest.
Themes and Interpretations
- Memory and Time: Throughout the poem, memory is depicted as both elusive and oppressive, shaped by fleeting impressions and fragmented recollections.
- Urban Decay: The cityscape serves as a backdrop for exploring decay—not just physical but also moral and psychological.
- Isolation and Alienation: Characters encountered are isolated figures, emblematic of broader human disconnection and loneliness.
Conclusion
"Rhapsody on a Windy Night" captures the haunting essence of modern urban existence, where time, memory, and identity intertwine amidst desolate surroundings. Through rich imagery and symbolic language, T.S. Eliot crafts a poignant meditation on the human condition, marked by moments of profound introspection and melancholy.
Key points
T.S. Eliot's 'Rhapsody on a Windy Night' explores themes of isolation, memory, and decay through vivid imagery of a late-night stroll under dim streetlights; it reflects the disconnection of modern life, where fleeting thoughts and broken recollections surface in moments of solitude, ultimately revealing the haunting beauty in despair and the cyclical nature of time.
