Ecce Puer
By James Joyce
Of the dark past
A child is born;
With joy and grief
My heart is torn.Calm in his cradle
The living lies.
May love and mercy
Unclose his eyes!Young life is breathed
On the glass;
The world that was not
Comes to pass.A child is sleeping:
An old man gone.
O, father forsaken,
Forgive your son!
Summary of Ecce Puer
- Popularity of “Ecce Puer”: James Joyce, the popular Irish literary icon, got this poem published first in 1932 and later included it in his Collected Poems. Interestingly, it first appeared in New York rather than in Ireland. It mourns the death of his father as well as celebrates the arrival of his son in the family. Therefore, this mingled and simultaneous expression of joy and sorrow and excitement and disappointment marks the uniqueness of the poem.
- “Ecce Puer” As a Representative of Personal Joy and Sorrow: The poet himself is the speaker of the poem who mourns the death of his father as well as celebrates the birth of his son. Both occasions demand a unique mood that the poet has to adopt to do the act syncing with the event. His father, John Stanislaus Joyce, died shortly before the birth of his son. The celebration of the arrival of Stephen James Joyce is a moment to enjoy happiness, but the death of his dear father hangs over the family. Therefore, he uses paradoxical language, saying he is welcoming his son with “joy and grief” adding that he has to live with his son, but he seeks forgiveness from his dead father for forsaking him at this hour. The last verses show his dedication to his family; a show of love for his son, as well as an appeal to his father to show the same love to his son.
- Major Themes in “Ecce Puer”: As the title suggests, that poem is about beholding the young, which means an old man is to leave one day but the young has a lot of time to live. Therefore, the love of a son and father are two major thematic strands of this poem “Ecce Puer.” The poem laments the death of his father, saying that his father has left him after which he has felt pain. The world seemed to have lost luster for him. Therefore, he mourns his father but at the same time, he is also to take care of his family, and his son has caused ripples of happiness in the family. Therefore, he apologizes his father that he is going to pay attention to his son instead of the dead father.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Ecce Puer
James Joyce uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices have been analyzed below.
- Apostrophe: It is a literary device that is used to call the dead person, an absent figure or an idea. The poet has used an apostrophe to call his father, such as “O, father forsaken.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Calm in his cradle” and the sound of /o/ in “The world that was not.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /f/ “father forsaken.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ and /th/ or /t/ in “The world that was not” and the sound of /c/ in “Calm in his cradle.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which a line does not end but rolls over to the next line to present the complete theme. The poem shows the use of enjambment, such as
Young life is breathed
On the glass;
The world that was not
Comes to pass.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. James Joyce used imagery in this poem such as “A child is born”, “My heart is torn” and “Unclose his eyes.”
- Irony: It means to the contradictory meanings of the words used in different contexts. For example, the verse “The world that was not / Comes to pass” shows that it was very difficult for him to pass the time when his father died, but then in the next stanza, he states that he seeks apology of his father as he is to live with the newborn.
- Paradox: It is a device that shows the use of contradictory terms in a phrase or a sentence. The poem shows the use of paradoxes such as “joy” and “grief” and “love” and “mercy.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used different metaphors, such as “My heart is torn” equating the heart with some cloth.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as dark, child, joy and grief to express is a condition of having both grief and happiness simultaneously.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Ecce Puer
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of formal and poetic diction, having very short and concise verses.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. James Joyce used end rhyme in this poem such as born/torn and lies/eyes.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABCB rhyme scheme in each of its stanzas until the end.
- Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The poem shows the use of quatrains.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a sad, exciting and ambivalent tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when seeking forgiveness of the father.
A child is sleeping:
An old man gone.
O, father forsaken,
Forgive your son!