"This Is Just To Say" (1934) is a famous imagist poem by William Carlos Williams.
This Is Just To Say[]
Stillleben mit Pflaumen, by August Herrmann-Allgäu (1852–1916). Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Analysis[]
Written as though it were a note left on an ice box, Williams' poem appears to the reader like a piece of found poetry.[1] Metrically, the poem exhibits no regularity of stress or of syllable count. Except for lines two and five (each an iamb) and lines eight and nine (each an amphibrach), no two lines have the same metrical form.[1] The consonance of the letters “Th” in lines two, three, and four, as well the consonance of the letter “F” in lines eight and nine, and the letter 'S' in lines eleven and twelve give rise to a natural rhythm when the poem is read aloud.
A conspicuous lack of punctuation contributes to the poem’s tonal ambiguity. While the second stanza begins with a conjunction, implying a connection to the first stanza, the third stanza is separated from the first two by the capitalized “Forgive.” In a 1950 interview, John W. Gerber asked the poet what it is that makes "This Is Just To Say" a poem, Williams replied, "In the first place, it's metrically absolutely regular... So, dogmatically speaking, it has to be a poem because it goes that way, don't you see!"[1] Critic Marjorie Perloff writes, "on the page, the three little quatrains look alike; they have roughly the same physical shape. It is typography rather than any kind of phonemic recurrence that provides directions for the speaking voice (or for the eye that reads the lines silently) and that teases out the poem's meanings."[1] Additionally, this typographical structure influences any subsequent interpretation on the part of the reader.
Interpretations[]
The CliffsNotes analysis states "Building on sibilance and concluding on “so cold,” the poem implies that sweet, fruity taste contrasts the coldness of a human relationship that forbids sharing or forgiveness for a minor breach of etiquette."[2] The words “Forgive me,” written as a command, emphasize the sense of regret conveyed by the speaker. This desperate need for forgiveness, an obvious admission of forbidden action, immediately followed by Williams’ graphic imagery of the plums suggests this poem could be concerned with the uselessness or self-entrapment of sexual desire.[1]
Another, more straightforward, interpretation is that the writer of the note on the refrigerator seeks to replace the experience of eating the plums with a clear, succinct description--"They were delicious / So sweet and so cold." Forgiveness in the poem depends on the success of the description. This is a good model for the poet's task, as he forsakes actual experience for mere words. The poem will be a success if the reader forgives the poet's transgression.
In another light, the poem was written from Williams to his wife. He ate her plums from the ice box and proceeded to write a small apology in the form of poetry on a napkin.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "On 'This is Just to Say'". Modern American Poetry. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/williams/just.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ↑ "CliffNotes". http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/American-Poets-of-the-20th-Century-The-Poets-William-Carlos-Williams-1883-1963-.id-11,pageNum-40.html. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
External links[]
- Text
- About
- Modern American Poetry Commentary on the poem
- CliffsNotes Analysis of some of the works by William Carlos Williams
- An episode of "This American Life" that features analysis and commentary on the poem
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