For A Poet

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1929

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Extended Metaphor

Cullen makes use of an extended metaphor to provide context to his entire poem. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is carried on beyond the initial line of its use; in the case of “For a Poet,” the extended metaphor comprises the entire poem. Cullen’s metaphorical action of wrapping his dreams in a silken cloth and laying “them away in a box of gold” (Line 2) becomes the prevailing action through which all else is determined. The presence and subtle eroticism of the moth is held in regard to this burial, as is the guarded statement about hate and anger. As with most extended metaphors, Cullen’s metaphor evolves from its original use. The repetition of “I wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth” (Lines 1, 4, 7) picks up uncertainty and finally resignation with each iteration, turning the careful and sensual statement of the first line into the reserved and bittersweet lamentation of the seventh line.

Enjambment

Enjambment refers to the carrying over of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next. Cullen only enjambs one line in the poem, but in doing so, he creates an emotional center within the lyrical refrain of his directing metaphor. The second quatrain begins with the enjambment, as the speaker states, “I hide no hate; I am not even wroth / Who found earth’s breath so keen and cold” (Lines 5-6). The breaking of his second statement across the lines asks for an extended breath or a rushed delivery, each complimenting the guarded nature of the admission. It becomes as personal as the poem gets, and the rushed feel gives a stagger to the statement, a tripping of words and a hurried conclusion that suggests the speaker may not be as sure as they are trying to appear. Cullen counteracts this rush, however, by delivering Line 6 in perfect iambic pentameter, underscoring the line with a grandness that matches its eloquent if not vague phrase. These techniques balance one another accordingly, infusing the line with a personal directness while maintaining the affected stateliness of Cullen’s aesthetic Romanticism.

Form and Meter

The poem is presented in eight lines of irregular rhyme (abaaabab) that alternate at times from iambic pentameter—five unstressed-stressed feet—to iambic tetrameter—four unstressed-stressed feet. Lines 1, 4, and 7 are iambic pentameter, though each contains an extra foot, while Line 6 is in perfect iambic pentameter. Lines 2, 3, 5, and 8 are iambic tetrameter, and each of these concludes with an anapestic foot—an unstressed-unstressed-stressed foot. This mixture of meter and altered poetic feet give Cullen a fine control of the music of his poem, allowing him to tailor the flow according to the weight of the statement in each line.

Cullen creates a complicated sway at the ends of his lines by adding an extra foot—an unstressed extra syllable—to some lines, “cloth” (Lines 1, 4, 7). In the following lines, he balances out this extra sound by converting the final foot into an anapest, with the quiet march of “box of gold” (Lines 2, 8) and “not even wroth” (Line 5). In order to achieve further interior balance, Cullen also ends the third line with an anapestic foot—“of the moth”—continuing the rhythm. Cullen then breaks this rhythm with the sixth line, whose solemn pronouncement in perfect iambic pentameter adds a stark clarity to the proud yet somber proclamation of the poet.