What are the poetic devices used in the poem What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why?
What are the poetic devices used in the poem What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why?
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Repetition:
Repetition is a literary device where a certain word or phrase is repeated multiple times to emphasise the word or to create a rhythm.
The poet has used this device in the following lines.
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
The repetition of the words “lips” and “what” are for the purpose of emphasising the word.
Anaphora:
Anaphora is a literary device that uses the repetition of short phrases or single words at the beginning of clauses or sentences to enhance rhythm.
The poet has used this device in the following lines.
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
Both these lines begin with the same word “I”.
Metaphor:
Metaphor is a literary device where two unrelated objects are compared to each other.
The poetess has used this device in the following lines.
Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Here, the word “the lonely tree” is compared to the present state of the speaker. On the other hand the word “birds” is used to make a comparison to the speaker’s past lovers.
Thus, like the lonely tree in the winter season, the speaker is living without the trace of her past lovers.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a literary device in which certain sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase.
The poet has used this device in the following lines.
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
I only know that summer sang in me
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why Summary