Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy

• Glossary

  chidden - scolded

  sod - grass-covered earth

  rove - wander

  therby - by

  a-wing - flying

  wrings - squeezes or twists forcefully

  curst - cursed
• What the poem's about

  1. The narrator remembers a day when he and his lover stood by a pond. It's an unpleasant memory - it's clear that their relationship was failing and about to come to an end

  2. He describes his lover's behaviour - he seems to believe that she found him boring and had fallen out of love with him

  3. Whenever he's been hurt by love since, he remembers that day by the pond
• Form

  The poem is written from the point of view of a man addressing a past lover. The first and last lines of each stanza rhyme - this reflects how the memory of a past experience returns to affect the narrator in the present. The indented final line of each stanza slows down the pace of the poem by creating a pause - this hints at his sadness that the relationship failed
• Structure

  The first three stanzas centre around a specific memory, then there's a time jump to the final stanza where the narrator reflects on love in general. The poem ends where it began, with the image of a pond - this cyclical structure represents how he's been repeatedly hurt by love since that day by the pond, and the way that those experiences always remind him of that day
• Language about suffering

  Although the 'neutral' tone of the poem is never broken, it's clear that the narrator feels strong emotions about that day by the pond - he uses language associated with pain, death and punishment, which shows that he's hurt by what happened

  . "chidden" - Imagines that God has scolded the sun. This adds to the bleak mood of the poem, and hints that the narrator sees everything in a negative way

  . "starving sod;" - Alliteration and personification emphasise this impression of suffering - the lifeless ground reflects their dying relationship

  . "keen" - "keen" means sharp or strong - these lessons have been painful

  . "wrings with wrong" - Alliteration emphasises his pain and anguish

  . "God-curst" - The "t" in "curst" is a harsher sound than "chidden" in the first stanza - this hints that the narrator has become more bitter over time
• What does the 'neutral' tone in the language about lifelessness indicate about the narrator's feelings?

  It shows a lack of love between the narrator and his lover
• How does the landscape reflect the narrator's feelings about love?

  It is bleak, decaying, and cold
• What does the word "stood" imply about the atmosphere?

  Lack of physical movement contributes to lifelessness
• How does the term "winter" relate to the narrator's emotional state?

  It reflects their emotional coldness towards each other
• What does the description of the sun as "drained of warmth and colour" symbolize?

  It symbolizes the draining of love from their relationship
• What effect does the alliteration in "leaves lay" have on the imagery?

  It emphasizes how the leaves are still and unmoving
• What dual meaning does the word "ash" convey in the context of the relationship?

  It links to both the ash tree and a burnt-out relationship
• What does the oxymoron "deadest smile" suggest about the woman's feelings?

  It emphasizes her complete lack of feeling towards him
• What does the phrase "Alive enough to have strength to die" imply about her choice?

  She chose to let her smile and love die
• Why are the leaves described as "greyish"? What does this signify?

  It signifies their rotting and decaying love
• How does the repetition of the color grey contribute to the overall theme?

  It emphasizes the decay of their love
• Feelings and attitudes in the poem

  1. Bitterness - The narrator feels bitter about the breakdown of his relationship - he resents the lack of real emotion behind his lover's smile and the way she seemed bored of him

  2. Pessimism - Other negative experiences of love since the relationship described in the poem have only confirmed his pessimistic view of love. The bleak mood and colourless setting show that there's a lack of hope everywhere, even in nature
• How are eyes portrayed in love poems according to the analysis?

  Traditionally positive, but negatively here
• What does the enjambment in "rove Over" signify?

  It mimics her eyes moving over his face
• How do the words "rove" and "Over" contribute to the poem's meaning?

  They reflect her boredom in the relationship
• What does the game imagery of "riddles", "played", "lost" suggest about love?

  Love should be fun and playful, but isn't
• What does the imagery of the "ominous bird a-wing" represent?

  It suggests the end of the relationship
• What does the ellipsis in the phrase "ominous bird a-wing..." signify?

  It represents the time when the relationship ended
• What generalization does the phrase "love deceives" convey?

  All love is deceptive
• How does the line "shaped to me Your Face" relate to the speaker's experiences?

  It reminds him of deceitful love experiences
• What significance does the pond have in the poem?

  It shows how the memory still affects him
• What themes are explored through the imagery and language in the poem?

  • The duality of love (positive vs. negative)
  • The transition from playfulness to tedium
  • The impact of memories on present feelings
  • The inevitability of deception in love