"The Vow" pg. 302
by Galaway Kinnell
When the lover
goes, the vow though
broken remains, that
trace of eternity love
brings down among us
stays, to give
dignity to the suffering
and to intensify it.
The short length of "The Vow" is what caught my attention initially, and after reading it, I see that the short length adds a quality of saying very little, but being packed with a great amount of emotion and meaning. I see it like the phrase, "I love you," which consists of three short words, but it is a loaded phrase that means a great deal of emotion and feeling to many different people. "The Vow" appeals to the reader because it is on the topic of love and eternity, which we all can relate to, as well as more specifically wedding vows and what they mean after death. I interpreted it as the well known line from wedding ceremonies, "...to love and to cherish 'til death do us part" and the spouse has died so the love, honoring, and cherishing is now done, but that is not the case in real love, the poem states. Rather, the love still continues on after death and there is a "trace of eternity." The line may be better said, "...to love and to cherish, for eternity." There is always mourning and sadness at the lost of a loved one and there will be pain and suffering, but for the cause of eternal love, it all becomes worth it and meaningful. The poem has a certain flow to it that seems peaceful and angelic. It has a flowing rhythm that gives a sense of something heavenly or eternal. To me, it seems to portray the power of true love and its importance, overcoming suffering or sorrow.
1 comment:
I blogged on this poem today. I am curious why you thought that there was death involved. I didn't get that. I assumed that it was about a lover leaving whether married or not. But I can see because the poem mentions eternity that may be why you could read it that way. I agree about the short length and how much powerful feeling and emotion is packed into it.
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