One Art-Elizabeth Bishop
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.
--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
Her poem begins in a blunt, factual way. Commencing with advice and what happens when you lose something. It ends powerfully and emotionally based on Elizabeth Bishop’s own experiences. The whole poem is a transformation from the mundane to emotional.
The first stanza is blunt and direct, just telling the reader briefly what the poem is about, the art of losing.
The second stanza is saying the art of losing is not a big deal and the small things like losing door keys and wasting time, is something you can put up with.
The third stanza is becoming slightly more urgent as it describes the loss of more and more things.
By the fourth stanza the poem is becoming melancholic. It is now listing the things lost.
The second last stanza is telling the reader that even the dolefulness of losing two lovely cities, rivers and a continent can be put up with. She has experienced them all, but it’s not the worst yet.
The last stanza is the worst she has had to deal with. It is serious and emotional, she has to face losing someone. The last line ‘Thought it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.’ is a bit incredulous because she has to tell herself it’s not a disaster, although it looks like it. Which is why she says ‘(Write it!)’ to convince herself.
PS: you are not alone =)
The first stanza is blunt and direct, just telling the reader briefly what the poem is about, the art of losing.
The second stanza is saying the art of losing is not a big deal and the small things like losing door keys and wasting time, is something you can put up with.
The third stanza is becoming slightly more urgent as it describes the loss of more and more things.
By the fourth stanza the poem is becoming melancholic. It is now listing the things lost.
The second last stanza is telling the reader that even the dolefulness of losing two lovely cities, rivers and a continent can be put up with. She has experienced them all, but it’s not the worst yet.
The last stanza is the worst she has had to deal with. It is serious and emotional, she has to face losing someone. The last line ‘Thought it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.’ is a bit incredulous because she has to tell herself it’s not a disaster, although it looks like it. Which is why she says ‘(Write it!)’ to convince herself.
PS: you are not alone =)
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