Prof. Dra. María José de la Torre
LITERATURA INGLESA II
GRADO EN ESTUDIOS INGLESES
SURREY’S “ALAS! SO ALL THINGS NOW DO HOLD THEIR PEACE”
1 Rhyme schme and structure> Italian style: only two rhymes throughout (+ couplet)
2 ANTITHESIS: calm vs agitation (Nature’s toil persona’s feelings )
pleasure vs pain
Alas! so all things now do hold their peace,
Heaven and earth disturbed in no thing.
The beasts, the air, the birds their song do cease,
The nightès chare the stars about doth bring.
Calm is the sea, the waves work less and less:
So am not I, whom love, alas, doth wring, CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
Bringing before my face the great increase
Of my desires, whereat I weep and sing
In joy and woe, as in a doubtful ease.
For my sweet thoughts sometime do pleasure bring,
But by and by the cause of my disease
Gives me a pang that inwardly doth sting,
When that I think what grief it is again
To live and lack the thing should rid my pain.
OXYMORON: Turmoil, clash of overwhelming feelings that can’t be reconciled.
Or also: PARADOX: 1st pleasure, 2nd pain (so it’s not good or bad >> “doubtful
ease”).
Paradox: doubt removes any possibility of ease!
Alas! so all things now do hold their peace,
Heaven and earth disturbed in no thing.
The beasts, the air, the birds their song do cease,
The nightès chare the stars about doth bring.
Calm is the sea, the waves work less and less:
So am not I, whom love, alas, doth wring,
Bringing before my face the great increase
Of my desires, whereat I WEEP AND SING
IN JOY AND WOE, as in a doubtful ease.
For my sweet thoughts sometime do pleasure bring,
But by and by the cause of my disease
Gives me a pang that inwardly doth sting,
When that I think what grief it is again
To live and lack the thing should rid my pain.
CHIASMUS: WEEP AND SING
IN JOY AND WOE
a
b
a
b
a
b
a
b
a
b
a
b
c
c
