Evan Boland
In addition to her poetry, Eavan Aisling Boland also
authored insightful essays on literature and literary criticism. Her work often
explored themes of memory, identity, and the impact of history on personal
narratives. Boland’s distinctive voice continues to resonate with readers,
capturing the essence of Irish experience and the complexities of womanhood.
Atlantis - A Lost Sonnet
Eavan Boland’s poem “Atlantis—A Lost Sonnet” delves
into themes of loss, grief, and memory, using the mythical island of Atlantis
as a metaphor. The poem suggests that Atlantis, though likely mythical,
represents more than a physical place—it embodies the irretrievable losses we
grapple with. Just as the island was said to be covered by the sea and lost,
our own losses remain submerged, haunting us. Boland’s poignant
conclusion—“they gave their sorrow a name and drowned it”—captures the human
need to find meaning in our grief, even when faced with the unattainable.
Structure
Eavan Boland’s poem “Atlantis—A Lost Sonnet” defies
the traditional sonnet structure. While it is loosely categorized as a sonnet,
Boland takes creative liberties. The poem discards the formal iambic pentameter
meter, opting for an easy flow with enjambed line endings, abrupt stops, and
caesurae. There is no strict rhyme scheme. Structurally, it consists of a
four-lined quatrain followed by three three-lined tercets. The final stanza can
be seen as either a long final line or a couplet with two lines of different
lengths, creating a fifteenth line. Within this concise framework, Boland
explores loss, grief, and memory. Her thoughtful tone suggests an internal
dialogue, as if she is contemplating her own thoughts and reaching an
imaginative yet mournful conclusion.
Language and Imagery
The poet employs distinct language and vivid imagery
to convey its themes. The poem is presented in the first-person voice, likely
that of the poet herself. Boland uses accessible and colloquial language as if
she is sharing her thoughts aloud. The lines flow easily, breaking away from
the rigid formality of traditional sonnets. There is no strict rhyme scheme,
allowing her to focus on content rather than rhyme patterns. Line endings are
enjambed, creating a fluid movement from one thought to the next. This twisting
effect mirrors the shifting perspectives—from speculation about Atlantis and
mythology to the present day and back again. The central image is that of the
lost city of Atlantis, serving as a metaphor for human loss and grief. Just as
the mythical city was submerged and lost, our own losses remain hidden beneath
the surface. Boland captures this theme with poignant simplicity, leaving us
with an abrupt, melancholic ending.
Line by Line Explanation
"How on earth did it happen, I used to wonder
that a whole city—arches, pillars, colonnades,
not to mention vehicles and animals—had all
one fine day gone under?"
The poet begins the poem by expressing disbelief and
wonder at how an entire city, complete with its structures, vehicles, and
animals, could vanish suddenly. This sets a tone of mystery and astonishment.
The vivid imagery of "arches, pillars, colonnades" conjures a picture
of a grand, bustling city that was once full of life but is now lost. The
phrase "one fine day gone under" captures the suddenness and the
completeness of the city's disappearance, emphasizing the scale of the loss and
the enigma surrounding it.
"I mean, I said to myself, the world was small
then.
Surely a great city must have been missed?
I miss our old city —"
Here the poet reflects on the seeming impossibility of
such an event going unnoticed. The assertion that "the world was small
then" suggests a time when events would be more noticeable due to a
perceived smaller, more interconnected world. The speaker's personal connection
to the lost city emerges with the line "I miss our old city,"
revealing a sense of nostalgia and personal loss. This contrast between the
physical loss of a city and the emotional connection to it deepens the poem's
sense of longing and highlights the personal impact of this disappearance.
"white pepper, white pudding, you and I meeting
under fanlights and low skies to go home in it. Maybe
what really happened is this:"
The poem continues to explore the speaker's memories,
focusing on specific sensory details like "white pepper" and
"white pudding," which symbolize purity and hope. The imagery of
meeting "under fanlights and low skies" evokes intimate and cherished
moments shared with a loved one. The phrase "to go home in it"
implies a deep sense of comfort and belonging associated with the old city.
This stanza not only paints a vivid picture of the past but also conveys the
speaker's yearning for the lost city's emotional and personal significance.
"the old fable-makers searched hard for a word
to convey that what is gone is gone forever and
never found it.
And so, in the best traditions of
where we come from, they gave their sorrow a name
and drowned it."
The speaker discusses how ancient storytellers
struggled to articulate the permanence of loss. The "old
fable-makers" symbolize those who create myths and stories to make sense
of the world. Their inability to find a word that fully captures the finality
of loss led them to name their sorrow "Atlantis" and metaphorically
drown it. This metaphor suggests a deliberate act of overcoming or burying
their grief, emphasizing the weight of the emotional burden. The act of naming
and drowning their sorrow reflects a coping mechanism to deal with profound
loss, capturing the themes of memory, loss, and the human tendency to
mythologize the past.
Literary Devices
Eavan Boland's poem "Atlantis" uses a
variety of literary devices to convey its themes of loss, memory, and the human
response to grief. Here are the key literary devices used in the poem:
1. Imagery
Imagery is vividly employed throughout the poem to
create a sensory experience for the reader. Descriptions like "arches,
pillars, colonnades" and "white pepper, white pudding" paint a
vivid picture of the lost city and the speaker’s cherished memories. These
images help readers visualize the grandeur of the city and the intimate moments
the speaker recalls.
2. Metaphor
The city of Atlantis itself is a powerful metaphor for
something lost forever. By likening the vanished city to Atlantis, Boland
evokes the myth of the submerged, unreachable utopia, symbolizing irretrievable
loss. Another metaphor is "they gave their sorrow a name and drowned
it," suggesting how people cope with grief by personifying it and then
attempting to bury it.
3. Contrast
Boland uses contrast to highlight the differences
between past and present, and between what was expected and what actually
happened. For instance, the contrast between the bustling, detailed imagery of
the city and the stark reality of its disappearance emphasizes the sudden and
complete nature of the loss. Additionally, the contrast between the speaker’s
nostalgic memories and the current reality underscores the theme of
irretrievable loss.
4. Understatement (Litotes)
The phrase "the world was small then" is an
example of understatement. It implies that the world seemed more connected and
manageable in the past, making the disappearance of an entire city even more
incomprehensible. This understatement serves to emphasize the enormity and the
improbability of the loss.
5. Symbolism
Various elements in the poem carry symbolic meaning.
"White pepper" and "white pudding" symbolize purity and
hope, adding a layer of emotional significance to the speaker's memories. The
city of Atlantis symbolizes the ultimate lost paradise, representing things
from the past that can never be recovered.
6. Repetition
The repetition of the speaker’s wonder and disbelief
at the city's disappearance in the first and second stanzas reinforces the
theme of incomprehensible loss. It also emphasizes the speaker's ongoing
struggle to understand and come to terms with what has been lost.
7. Personification
The act of giving "sorrow a name and drowned
it" personifies sorrow, treating it as a tangible entity that can be named
and dealt with. This personification highlights the human need to make sense of
and manage grief in a tangible way.
8. Allusion
The poem alludes to the myth of Atlantis, a legendary
city said to have sunk into the ocean. This allusion enriches the poem by
connecting the speaker’s personal loss to a broader, mythic context, suggesting
that the experience of losing something precious is universal and timeless.
By employing these literary devices, Boland
effectively conveys the emotional depth and complexity of dealing with loss and
memory. The vivid imagery and metaphors make the abstract concepts of grief and
nostalgia tangible, while the use of contrast and understatement highlights the
profound impact of the lost city on the speaker’s life.
Themes in "Atlantis"
1. Loss and Nostalgia
The poem centers on the profound theme of loss,
illustrated by the mysterious disappearance of an entire city. The speaker's
nostalgia for the lost city, coupled with vivid memories of past experiences,
captures the universal human experience of longing for what is irretrievably
gone.
2. Memory and the Passage of Time
Memory plays a significant role as the speaker recalls
details like "white pepper, white pudding" and moments spent
"under fanlights and low skies." These memories highlight how the
past continues to shape the present and how the passage of time deepens the
sense of loss.
3. The Search for Meaning
The poem reflects on the human need to find meaning in
the face of loss. The speaker mentions "the old fable-makers" who
struggled to convey the permanence of loss, symbolizing the collective human
effort to understand and cope with grief through storytelling and myth-making.
4. Maternal Instinct
Although not overtly about motherhood, the poem can be
read through a maternal lens. The speaker’s yearning for the lost city and the
memories associated with it can be seen as a metaphor for the protective and
nurturing instincts of a mother. This theme resonates with Boland's broader
body of work, which often explores maternal themes and the complexities of
familial relationships.
5. Myth and Reality
The poem blurs the lines between myth and reality by
alluding to the legendary city of Atlantis. This theme emphasizes how myths
help people process real-life emotions and experiences. The use of Atlantis as
a metaphor for loss and longing suggests that creating and engaging with myths
allows humans to articulate and manage their deepest sorrows.
"Atlantis" by Eavan Boland intricately
weaves themes of loss and nostalgia, memory and the passage of time, the search
for meaning, maternal instinct, and the interplay of myth and reality. These
themes collectively offer a poignant meditation on the permanence of loss and
the enduring power of memory and myth in the human experience.
Critical Analysis
Eavan Boland’s poem "Atlantis—A Lost Sonnet"
masterfully intertwines themes of loss, memory, and myth to explore the
enduring human quest for meaning amidst the permanence of absence. Through
vivid imagery and reflective language, Boland captures the universal experience
of longing for what is irretrievably lost, drawing on the myth of Atlantis to
deepen the emotional resonance of her reflections.
The poem opens with the speaker pondering the sudden
disappearance of an entire city, "arches, pillars, colonnades," and
everything within it, creating a sense of bewilderment and awe. This initial
contemplation sets the tone for the poem, emphasizing the incomprehensibility
of such a vast and sudden loss. The speaker’s repetition of the idea—wondering
how "a whole city" could vanish—underscores the disbelief and the
magnitude of the loss being described.
In the subsequent lines, the speaker reflects on the
past with a sense of nostalgia, recalling details like "white pepper,
white pudding," and meeting "under fanlights and low skies."
These specific, sensory memories anchor the poem in a tangible reality, highlighting
the contrast between the concrete past and the abstract, elusive present. The
phrase "The world was small then" suggests a time when everything
seemed more manageable and close-knit, enhancing the sense of a lost intimacy
and simplicity.
As the poem progresses, Boland delves deeper into the
theme of loss. The speaker mentions "the old fable-makers" who
struggled to find a word to convey the permanence of what is gone, emphasizing
the inadequacy of language in the face of profound loss. This struggle to
articulate the ineffable reflects a universal human experience, where words
often fall short of capturing the depth of our emotions.
Boland's use of myth in the poem is particularly
poignant. By referencing Atlantis, she draws on a powerful symbol of a lost,
perfect world, submerged and unreachable. This myth serves as a metaphor for
the speaker's own lost world, suggesting that some aspects of our past, much
like Atlantis, are irretrievably gone and exist only in memory and imagination.
The act of "giving their sorrow a name and drowning it" implies a
deliberate attempt to manage grief by creating myths, which provide a structure
for understanding and coping with loss.
The
poem also touches on the theme of maternal instinct, albeit subtly. The
speaker’s yearning for the lost city and the associated memories can be seen as
a metaphor for the protective and nurturing instincts of a mother. This reading
aligns with Boland’s broader body of work, which often explores themes of
motherhood and the complexities of familial relationships.
Boland’s
language throughout the poem is both lyrical and evocative, capturing the
emotional intensity of the speaker’s reflections. The use of imagery, such as
"arches, pillars, colonnades," and "fanlights and low
skies," creates a vivid picture of the lost city, enhancing the sense of
nostalgia and loss. The poem’s reflective tone invites readers to contemplate
their own experiences of loss and the ways in which they seek to make sense of
it.
"Atlantis—A Lost Sonnet" by Eavan Boland is
a profound meditation on loss, memory, and the human quest for meaning. Through
the interplay of myth and reality, Boland explores the enduring impact of what
is irretrievably gone and the ways in which we cope with such losses. The
poem's evocative imagery and reflective language create a poignant and resonant
exploration of the universal experience of longing for the past and the
struggle to articulate the depth of our emotions.
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