La Figlia che Piange - T.S. Eliot
A Poignant Reflection on Love and Loss
Stand on the highest pavement of the stair—
Lean on a garden urn—
Weave, weave the sunlight in your hair—
Clasp your flowers to you with a pained surprise—
Fling them to the ground and turn
With a fugitive resentment in your eyes:
But weave, weave the sunlight till you hear it sing—
Before the trembling altar of the day,
Bow down thy head in solemnity:
For the bright sun spins its threads of gold
Upon the dark and solemn sea.
O slender attitude,
Draped in the folds of an imaginary shawl!
Thy small hands tremble,
And thy heart beats fast beneath thy silken veil.
The wind that lifts the gossamer
Of thy garments about thy feet,
Shall blow my petals forth and scatter them
Far from thy reach, O sweet!
Turn, turn thy face,
Let me see thy profile clearly drawn
Against the sky,
As though it were a cameo of stone.
O bitter beauty,
Thou art but a shadow cast upon the wall,
A phantom of delight,
That fades before the morning's call.
Would that I might hold thee close and warm,
Fold thee in my arms and kiss thy lips;
But thou art gone, a wraith, a form
That slips through fingers like the sand of ships.
O vanish'd child of sorrow,
Leave me not alone to mourn thy flight;
But linger yet awhile,
Till twilight deepens into night.
Introduction to "La Figlia che Piange"
"La Figlia che Piange", which translates to "The Weeping Girl", is a poignant poem by the renowned modernist poet T.S. Eliot. Written in 1917, this piece exemplifies Eliot's ability to blend classical imagery with deeply emotional themes, creating a work that feels both timeless and personal. The poem explores themes of fleeting beauty, longing, loss, and the transient nature of human experience.
The Structure and Imagery
The poem opens with vivid visual imagery: "Stand on the highest pavement of the stair— / Lean on a garden urn—" . These lines immediately evoke a sense of elevation and stillness, as though the subject is poised between two worlds—earthly reality and something more ethereal. The act of weaving sunlight into one’s hair suggests an almost magical interaction with light, symbolizing how beauty can be woven into moments but remains intangible.
The repeated command to "weave, weave the sunlight" emphasizes persistence despite pain or frustration. This motif reflects the tension between creation and destruction, joy and sorrow, encapsulated in the act of flinging flowers to the ground while simultaneously trying to capture their essence through song. It introduces the central theme of transience—the idea that beauty and happiness are fleeting yet worth cherishing.
Themes of Transcendence and Mortality
In the second stanza, Eliot shifts to a tone of reverence: "Before the trembling altar of the day, / Bow down thy head in solemnity:". Here, the sun becomes a divine force spinning golden threads across the sea, blending natural elements with spiritual symbolism. This juxtaposition highlights the interplay between earthly existence and higher powers beyond our control.
The description of the figure—"O slender attitude, Draped in the folds of an imaginary shawl!"—further accentuates fragility and illusion. Her trembling hands and racing heart suggest vulnerability, reinforcing the notion that she exists in a liminal space between presence and absence, life and death.
Nature and Impermanence
Eliot uses natural metaphors throughout the poem to underscore impermanence. In the third stanza, the wind lifting the gossamer fabric around her feet mirrors the ephemeral nature of her being: "Shall blow my petals forth and scatter them Far from thy reach, O sweet!". Just as petals disperse in the breeze, so too does her form dissolve into memory, leaving behind only traces of what once was.
This scattering also parallels the speaker's inability to hold onto her physically or emotionally. Despite his desire for closeness ("Would that I might hold thee close and warm..."), she remains elusive—a wraith slipping through his grasp like grains of sand.
Longing and Loss
The final stanzas deepen the sense of yearning and melancholy. The plea for her to linger until twilight underscores the inevitability of separation and the passage of time. By describing her as "a shadow cast upon the wall" and "a phantom of delight," Eliot captures the paradoxical nature of memory: it preserves fragments of those we love even as they fade away.
The closing lines reveal raw emotion: "O vanish'd child of sorrow, Leave me not alone to mourn thy flight;". The speaker's grief is palpable, yet there is also acceptance. He acknowledges her departure but asks for a brief reprieve—a momentary stay against the encroaching darkness.
Conclusion
"La Figlia che Piange" is a meditation on the complexities of love, loss, and the passage of time. Through rich imagery and evocative language, T.S. Eliot crafts a haunting portrait of beauty that cannot be held, only remembered. The poem invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of fleeting joy and inevitable parting, reminding us of the delicate balance between presence and absence in all aspects of life.
Key points
T.S. Eliot's 'La Figlia che Piange' delves into the pain of unfulfilled love and the haunting beauty of memories, capturing the tension between desire and detachment through vivid imagery and lyrical elegance; it invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of heartbreak and the fleeting nature of human connections.
