After the prescriptive forms we have examined so far, Tone is much more subjective. It is the poet’s attitude or approach to their subject. This, of course, is a matter of interpretation and can lead to misunderstanding. Some of the poet’s tonal tools are expression, irony, and paradox (we discussed irony and paradox in an informal approach to poetry: 10-irony and paradox. Perhaps the best way to view expression is to compare two poems on the same subject but with different approaches.
A Winter Night
By Sara Teasdale
My window-pane is starred with frost,
The world is bitter cold to-night,
The moon is cruel, and the wind
Is like a two-edged sword to smite.
God pity all the homeless ones,
The beggars pacing to and fro,
God pity all the poor to-night
Who walk the lamp-lit streets of snow.
My room is like a bit of June,
Warm and close-curtained fold on fold,
But somewhere, like a homeless child,
My heart is crying in the cold.
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A Winter Bluejay
By Sara Teasdale
Crisply the bright snow whispered,
Crunching Beneath our feet;
Behind us as we walked along the parkway,
Our shadows danced,
Fantastic shapes in vivid blue.
Across the lake the skaters
Flew to and fro,
With sharp turns weaving
A frail invisible net.
In ecstacy the earth
Drank the silver sunlight;
In ecstacy the skaters
Drank the wine of speed;
In ecstacy we laughed
Drinking the wine of love.
Had not the music of our joy
Sounded its highest note?
But no,
For suddenly, with lifted eyes you said,
“Oh look!”
There, on the black bough of a snow flecked maple,
Fearless and gay as our love,
A bluejay cocked his crest!
Oh who can tell the range of joy
Or set the bounds of beauty?
In the first poem, “A Winter’s Night,” Teasdale’s approach to her subject matter is very clear in her imagery and word-choice: frost, bitter cold, cruel, smite, pity, homeless, beggars, poor, homeless child, crying in the cold. In this case, she sees a Winter Night as a kind of pitiless scourger, causing pain and suffering to the poor and homeless. The speaker’s room is warm and protected, but she cannot enjoy that warmth while thinking of others’ hardship, and that thought causes her heart, like a homeless child, to cry in the cold.
Compare the images and word-choice of the second poem, “A Winter Bluejay”: crisply, bright snow whispered, danced, vivid blue, ecstacy, wine, love, music, joy, highest note, snow flecked, fearless and gay, range of joy, bounds of beauty. Once again Teasdale’s approach to winter is very clear, only this time it is ebullient, almost ecstatic. The images she presents in the first part of the poem are joyous: a wonderful walk; “flying” ice skaters; the earth drinking sunlight; the skaters drinking the wine of speed; she and her lover drinking the wine of love. This seem to her to be the highest note of joy. Then there is an abrupt fulcrum: “But no.” And she and her lover are transported by the sight of a bluejay outlined against a black bough flecked with snow, and their seeming fearlessness and gaiety in raising their crest. Just when life couldn’t seem any more wonderful, it is elevated by the startling image of the blue jay, and the speaker is left in wonder that there is no measurable range of joy, no boundaries to the effects of beauty. Quite the comparison to “A Winter’s Night.” The note we should take here is that the poet’s approach and expression should be at one with their subject matter.
For one of the greatest and most famous tonal poems, see the post, Ode to a Nightingale, by John Keats.
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(Note: You can view most poems on the website, Poetry Foundation.)
(Note: My Poetry Recordings Playlist: At the very bottom of the post Is a recording. To view my entire playlist of poetry recordings, hover over “1/18” in the upper right corner, then click on ‘My Poetry Recordings Playlist:´and make selection.)
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