i love ephemera

Ephemera

‘Your eyes that once were never weary of mine

Are bowed in sotrow under pendulous lids,

Because our love is waning.

And then She:

‘Although our love is waning, let us stand

By the lone border of the lake once more,

Together in that hour of gentleness

When the poor tired child, passion, falls asleep.

How far away the stars seem, and how far

Is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart!’

Pensive they paced along the faded leaves,

While slowly he whose hand held hers replied:

‘Passion has often worn out wandering hearts.’

The woods were round them, and the yellow leaves

Fell like faint meteors in the gloom, and once

A rabbit old and lame limped down the path;

Autumn was over him: and now they stood

On the lone border of the lake once more:

Turning, he saw that she had thrust dead leaves

Gathered in silence, dewy as her eyes,

In bosom and hair.

‘Ah, do not mourn,’ he said

‘That we are tired, for other loves await us;

Hate on and love through unrepining hours.

Are love, and a continual firewell.’

William Butler Yeats

Ephemera by Butler are poem which seems to be pointed to “ripen” love.  In the beginning of this works has been stated that the speaker’s love has been weaker and weaker. Love also considers the ages. The lover cannot stand through entire of the time. The climax of ripening love is how we act to our lover. Getting bores may be is one of the symptoms. So, ripening love does not mean the doer is also getting old. But how our love can stand immortally into our soul or not. In this Butler’s work here, he seems to contrast two lovers. One is giving up of his love. And the other one is standing still with her waning love. Two binary oppositions here come up when love is stated as a waning love. While the one, who gives up for his love, is going to leave his love emperor, the one, who seems to be faithful to her love, forbids him to give up.

Lake, first kiss, and stars are served by the faithful one. Those three symbolizations can be the past memory which can freshen and “replant” the love which has been “built”. Lake is the media where Adam and Eve create the world of adoration. Lake is not like a sea. It is calm and peaceful. There are no waves which can have a crash with the reefs. So, this geographic place can be the representation of imperishable love. Lake has never drawn a big of tidal. Lake has never caused abrasion. But lake brings in calmness and peacefulness which can be brought into the dryness of adoration play.

First kiss happens when the affections have reached into the point of adoring desire. It is the “product” of love. It is the combination of verbal and action. It cannot be blamed when two lover join their joint into one unity. This expression can be the proof how we adore and respect to our lover. The emphasizing of “first” here is used to clarifying that the one, who is still faithful to her love, ask the one, who gives up of his love, to keep the affection feeling even though the age has ripened it. First kiss is not easy to be fallen off but it can be everlasting although time cannot count the time passes by.  

Then, stars seem to be the witness of their love. Stars may be has the relation to transcendental aspects. Stars are created by God. Stars shines because of God’s hand. Love is waning also because of God. This interpretation comes from the one, who gives up for his love. But there must be different point of view from the one, who is still faithful to her love. Stars shines is expected to shine her love. Stars are shining every night is also expected to “grow” her love. The beauty of stars is expected to polish up and “decorate” her boring love. Stars and adoration has been the friendship or the enemy in ruling where the love runs.

Butler tries to approach the waning love by representing the symbols of nature. Natural elements “decorate” the whole of this poem. It cannot be avoided that nature can be everlasting is because of the unity of love. That is why nature also seems to support every human being affections and adorations. The mutualism relation is needed in order to reach what is called by the balance of nature and human being affections.

While lake, first kiss, and stars are the anchor of loves. In the opposite, yellow leaves, faint meteors, and autumn are the crusher of love. The atmosphere of these three elements has created the gloomy pattern. They are created to represent the waning love. Affections and adorations has not been had their own Lord but they have been mortgaged. Yellow leaves, faint meteors, and autumn are the opponents of lake, first kiss, and stars. While love continues to trespass the forbidden border, those three, yellow leaves, faint meteors, and autumn will “obstruct” it.  How love can break and pass it easily is depended on how the lovers use the strength of their own love.

After analyzing the symbolizations of love which comes up the waning love as the main theme of this Butler’s work, now in this section will be discussed how every structural element can correlate and support what this poem actually wants. This work can be concluded as the free verse. There cannot be found the systematized rhyme and patterns of sound. Butler’s poem here seems to focus on how every single word in Ephemera can be delivered well to the readers. That is why the dictions and the figure of speech have been the “main dishes”. Personification and metaphor are the major figure of speech in Ephemera. Because the God’s creation is personified, Ephemera here seems to be alive. The way how Butler correlates the natural elements and love can strengthen the theme itself as a result waning love which has been judged as the theme is finally raised successfully.

Figure of speech and theme successfully create the image of Ephemera. This work can be considered as a good poem. It is because of the combination of structural elements and natural symbolization can reach what this poem wants. Love and natural relation has united into the holy unity in order to keep love as if love has sacrificed itself to save human being life.