Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.
Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit’s still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.
Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.
Analysis
Stanza 1:
The first line in this poem is: “Life has loveliness to sell.” I beleive that this line means that life is full of loveliness. However, when things are sold, they come with a price. So, I beleive that this line means that life can be beautiful if you are willing to pay the price. The next line in this poem is: “All beautiful and splendid things.” In conjunction with the line above, this line shows that life can provide things that are beautiful and splendid, but it does not come without a price. The third a fourth line form a scented. This sentence is: “Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings.” This line provides a description of the beautiful things in life. The transition of a blue wave to white when it comes in contact with the cliff may symbolize the fact that change, which is one things that life can give, occurs abruptly, but is beautiful. The fifth and the sixth line, which form the sentence: “And children’s faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup.” I beleive that this line means that youth is precious, and that it is full of wonder. However, this is something that life only sells for a little while.
Stanza 2:
The first line of this stanza is: “Life has loveliness to sell.” Like the first line of the first stanza, this line means that life is full of loveliness, and anyone can have the happiness that it provides, but only for a price.The second line and the third line form a sentence, which is: “Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain.” I think that the music may represent things that are pure and beautiful that can bring up your mood. I also think that the scent of pine trees in the rain represent the existence of something good, thus the scent of pine, in something bad, thus the rainfall. However, the rain can be viewed in a positive way, since the smell of rain is often perceived as a good smell, along with the scent of pine. So, the combination of both may represent immense luck and purity. The fifth line is: “Eyes that love you, arms that hold, and for your spirit’s still delight.” I think that the “eyes that love you” may represent the connection between the narrator and either friends and family, as well as “arms that hold.” Since the presence of family and friends may also encourage happiness, and thus a “delighted spirit,” I think that this entire line represents the presence of family in life. The final line is: “Holy thoughts that star the night.” Since stars are beautiful things, and in the context, the stars are represented by thought, I beleive that the thought must be beautiful and pure. Since the f=word “holy” is used to describe the thought, this further proves my claim.
Stanza 3:
The first line in the stanza is: “Spend all you have for loveliness.” I think that this line reflects the greediness of the human race, and their desire for all that is beautiful. However, this line also shows their intense desire because they are willing to spend everything they have for it.The second line in the stanza is: “Buy it and never count the cost.” I think that this line means that people have an unruly desire for all that is good, but do not realize that the goodness has a cost. For this reason, they spend everything they have, and don’t even realize it.The third line in the stanza and the fourth line are: “For one white singing hour of peace, count many a year of strife well lost.” This shows that people are willing to trade years of strife for one small moment of peace. This shows how desperate some people are for happiness.The last two lines of the poem are: “And for a breath of ecstasy, give all you have been, or could be,” show once again that people are very desperate for happiness, even in the smallest quantities because they are willing to trade their futures for one “breath” of happiness. Since a breath is usually short, this symbolizes how short-lived their happiness will be.
Figurative Language:
Personification and Repetition: "Life has loveliness to sell"
In this poem, the phrase "Life has loveliness to sell," is repeated many times. This means that it is repetition. This is personfiication becuase the human-like quality of selling is being given to life. In the text, this example of personfiication is being used to show readers that life is full of wonderful things that you can experience.
Similie: "Holding wonder like a cup"
In this poem, the similie "Holding wonder like a cup," I being used to show readers that children are full of curiosity. This proves the significance of youth, and encourages readers to make the most of thier youth. This phrase is a similie because it is a comparison between the eyes of children and a cup that uses the word "like."
Similie: "Music like a curve of gold"
This phrase is a similie because it is a comparison between music and a curve of gold that uses the word "like." In the text, this similie is being used to show that music is valuable and beautiful. This encourages readers to look for the best in what they have.
Tone: In this poem, the tone is encouraging and positive. This is because there are many quotes in the text that reflect this idea. These quote include: "Life has loveliness to sell," "And for your spirit's still delight," "Buy it and never count the cost," and "Give all you have been, or could be."
Mood: In this poem, the mood is encouraged. The poem also lends a positive attitude. This is because when I first read this poem, I felt encouraged and had a new-found positive attitude. I think that this was the author's intention. There are also many quotes in the poem that prove my claim. These quote include: "Life has loveliness to sell," "And for your spirit's still delight," "Buy it and never count the cost," and "Give all you have been, or could be."
Barter
by Sara Teasdale
Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
Poetic Perfection
Created by: Brynn Siles
Teacher: Klaudia Neufeld
Class: 7GT English
Date: 23 November , 2014
School: Hulstrom K-8 School