Oscar Wilde's "REQUIESCAT"
TREAD lightly, she is near
Under the snow,
Speak gently, she can hear
The daisies grow.
All her bright golden hair
Tarnished with rust,
She that was young and fair
Fallen to dust.
Lily-like, white as snow,
She hardly knew
She was a woman, so
Sweetly she grew.
Coffin-board, heavy stone,
Lie on her breast,
I vex my heart alone,
She is at rest.
Peace, peace, she cannot hear
Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here,
Heap earth upon it.
Under the snow,
Speak gently, she can hear
The daisies grow.
All her bright golden hair
Tarnished with rust,
She that was young and fair
Fallen to dust.
Lily-like, white as snow,
She hardly knew
She was a woman, so
Sweetly she grew.
Coffin-board, heavy stone,
Lie on her breast,
I vex my heart alone,
She is at rest.
Peace, peace, she cannot hear
Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here,
Heap earth upon it.
My Poem Analysis on Oscar Wilde's "REQUIESCAT"
In Oscar Wilde's poem, "REQUIESCAT," Wilde's message is that death is painful and carries others with it. Wilde visits the girl he loves grave and talks about how young and beautiful she was. Wilde speaks about how his love and life left along with her, how it will lie with her in peace in her grave. Truly sad love.
In stanza three, well, all of stanza three Wilde says,
"Lily-like, white as snow,
She hardly knew
She was a woman, so
Sweetly she grew."
Wilde obviously loved her a lot, thought of her as a beautiful woman. Wilde thinks of how beautiful she was, even after she was dead. He mentions she is "white as snow." Snow being pure and gorgeous.
In all of stanza four Wilde says,
"Coffin-board, heavy stone,
Lie on her breast,
I vex my heart alone,
She is at rest."
There is a huge part of the message in this quote alone. When Wilde says "Coffin-board, heavy stone," he means she's in her grave. When he says "Lie on her breast, I vex my heart alone" he means his troubled heart lies with her. Vex means trouble, so that's how I came to that conclusion. "she is at rest," means she peacefully died, or maybe he thinks one day she'll wake up or he'll join her.
In stanza five Wilde says,
"Peace, peace, she cannot hear
Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here,
Heap earth upon it."
What he means is no matter how much he speaks of her, she won't hear, she's dead. But he will always love her.
So, he loves her with all his self. Her death devastated him, his love, and his life. She was his life.
In stanza three, well, all of stanza three Wilde says,
"Lily-like, white as snow,
She hardly knew
She was a woman, so
Sweetly she grew."
Wilde obviously loved her a lot, thought of her as a beautiful woman. Wilde thinks of how beautiful she was, even after she was dead. He mentions she is "white as snow." Snow being pure and gorgeous.
In all of stanza four Wilde says,
"Coffin-board, heavy stone,
Lie on her breast,
I vex my heart alone,
She is at rest."
There is a huge part of the message in this quote alone. When Wilde says "Coffin-board, heavy stone," he means she's in her grave. When he says "Lie on her breast, I vex my heart alone" he means his troubled heart lies with her. Vex means trouble, so that's how I came to that conclusion. "she is at rest," means she peacefully died, or maybe he thinks one day she'll wake up or he'll join her.
In stanza five Wilde says,
"Peace, peace, she cannot hear
Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here,
Heap earth upon it."
What he means is no matter how much he speaks of her, she won't hear, she's dead. But he will always love her.
So, he loves her with all his self. Her death devastated him, his love, and his life. She was his life.