Key Facts
- Author: Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
- Occupation of the Author: Lyric Poet and Cleric.
- Written Date: 1648
- Published Date: 1648
- Tone: Appreciative and Melancholic
- Genre: Short Lyrical Poem
- Stanzas: 2, Each Stanza consists of 10 lines.
- Total Lines: 20
- Setting: Time Setting: 17th century, In the spring Season.
- Place Setting: Natural Landscape
- Daffodils: Daffodils are short-lived flowers that bloom in Spring.
Background: Robert Herrick was a Cavalier Poet. During the reign of King Charles I, the poets who wrote poetry with his patronage and support were called Cavalier poets. This era is named Caroline Age (1625-49) after Charles I. These poets were called Royalists. Robert Herrick was a Christian minister by profession. As a priest, he has shown people’s attitude toward the world in this poem. Cavalier poets mainly wrote poems based on the “Carpe diem” theme. This is a Latin phrase. It means to “Seize The Day” or enjoy the present moment as much as possible. And make the most of it. Daffodils flowers are very ephemeral. And like this flower, human life is also temporary in this world. Robert Herrick wrote the poem “To Daffodils” to illustrate this point.
Symbols
Daffodils: Symbolize beauty, youth, and transience. They represent the fleeting nature of life and the idea that beauty fades quickly.
Sun: Represents the passage of time and the cyclical nature of life. The daffodils’ beauty is compared to the sun’s fleeting rays.
Spring: Symbolizes renewal and growth, reflecting the daffodils’ emergence as a brief burst of life in nature’s seasonal cycle.
Time: Serves as a central theme, highlighting the concept of impermanence. The daffodils’ short-lived splendor mirrors the brevity of human existence.
Literary Devices
Personification: “Fair daffodils, we weep to see you haste away so soon.” The poet gives the daffodils human-like qualities, suggesting they are hurrying to leave.
Imagery: The poem creates vivid imagery through descriptive language that appeals to the senses. Lines like “Fair Daffodils, we weep to see / You haste away so soon” paint a clear picture of the daffodils and evoke an emotional response.
Metaphor: The daffodils are metaphorically referred to as “golden stars” in the lines “We have a short time to stay, as you, / We have as short a spring!” This metaphor emphasizes their fleeting beauty.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity. In the line “We have a short time to stay, as you,” the repetition of the “s” sound creates an alliterative effect.
Repetition: The repetition of phrases like “Fair Daffodils” and “We weep to see” emphasizes the poem’s emotional tone.
Selected Quotations
“Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon…”
Robert Herrick expresses sadness at the short-lived beauty of daffodils, which quickly fade.
“And having prayed together, we
Will go with you along.“
The speaker expresses that they will accompany the daffodils on their journey after praying together, suggesting a sense of unity with nature.
“Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song…”
The quote expresses a desire for time to slow down until the end of the day.
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
The quote emphasizes the fleeting nature of human life, comparing it to the brief existence of daffodils in spring.
“We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away”
The quote means that, like daffodils, our lives end gradually, just as the hours pass and fade away.
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Themes
Transience of Life: The poem explores the fleeting nature of human existence. It draws parallels between the short-lived beauty of daffodils and human life. The daffodils’ brief bloom mirrors the ephemeral nature of youth and vitality.
Connection with Nature: Daffodils represent human life in the poem. The poet finds a deep connection between nature and human life.
Impermanence: The theme of impermanence is present as the daffodils’ beauty fades quickly. This serves as a reminder that nothing in life, including youth and beauty, remains constant.
Mortality: The poet laments that we, like beautiful Daffodils, have a short life in this world. As the daffodils grow very hasty and die too quickly.
Characters
Daffodils: The daffodils are personified as cheerful and carefree beings. They symbolize youth, vitality, and the fleeting nature of life. The poet addresses them directly, depicting them as joyful and unaffected by human concerns.
Speaker/Poet: The speaker is the poem’s voice, addressing the daffodils. The speaker encourages the daffodils to enjoy their brief time of beauty and bloom, drawing a parallel to human life’s brevity.
To Daffodils Bangla Summary
Daffodils ফুলকে সম্মোধন করা: কবিতার শুরুতেই কবি ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোকে Personification করে বলেছেন, ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোর জীবন জলদি শেষ হয়ে যায়। এইটা দেখে কবি তার জন্য কান্না করছেন। আসলে দুপুরের আগেই ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোর জীবন শেষ হয়ে যায়। এরপর কবি ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোকে এই ব্যস্ত দিন শেষ হওয়া পর্যন্ত থাকতে বলেন। আবারো তিনি ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোকে সন্ধ্যার প্রার্থনা সংগীত পর্যন্ত থাকতে বলেন। সন্ধ্যায় কবি এবং ড্যাফোডিলস ফুল একসাথে প্রার্থনা করার ইচ্ছা পোষণ করেছেন। তারপর কবি ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলোর সাথে চলে যাবেন। অর্থাৎ এখানে কবি বোঝাতে চেয়েছেন যে, তিনি যতদিন বাঁচবেন, ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলো যেন ততদিন থাকে। আর জীবনের শেষ পর্যায়ে তিনি এবং ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলগুলো একসাথে পরপারে পাড়ি জমাবেন।
Daffodils এর সাথে মানুষের জীবনের তুলনা: এখানে কবি বলেন মানুষের জীবন ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলের মতোই ক্ষণস্থায়ী। আর বসন্তকালের মতো ক্ষণস্থায়ী মানুষের যৌবনকাল। ড্যাফোডিলস ফুল বা যেকোনো কিছু, যতোই বেড়ে ওঠে, ততই মৃত্যুর দিকে ধাবিত হয়। আমরা মানুষেরাও ঠিক সেভাবেই মারা যাই, যেভাবে ড্যাফোডিলস ফুলের সময় শেষ হয়ে যায়। এবার কবি আরও দুইটা বিষয়ের সাথে মানুষের ক্ষণস্থায়ী জীবনের তুলনা করেছেন। গ্রীষ্মকালে বৃষ্টি হলে যেমন অল্পতেই শুকিয়ে যায়, ঠিক তেমনি মানুষের জীবনও অল্পতেই শেষ হয়ে যায়। আবার, ভোরবেলা যেই শিশিরবিন্দু দেখা যায়, তা একটু পরেই আর খুঁজে পাওয়া যায় না। তো কবি কখনো মানুষের জীবনকে গ্রীষ্মকালের বৃষ্টি, আবার কখনো ভোরবেলার শিশিরের সাথে তুলনা করেছেন।
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