Tall Ambrosia
By Henry David Thoreau
Among the signs of autumn I perceive
The Roman wormwood (called by learned men
Ambrosia elatior, food for gods,—
For to impartial science the humblest weed
Is as immortal once as the proudest flower—)
Sprinkles its yellow dust over my shoes
As I cross the now neglected garden.
—We trample under foot the food of gods
And spill their nectar in each drop of dew—
My honest shoes, fast friends that never stray
Far from my couch, thus powdered, countryfied,
Bearing many a mile the marks of their adventure,
At the post-house disgrace the Gallic gloss
Of those well dressed ones who no morning dew
Nor Roman wormwood ever have been through,
Who never walk but are transported rather—
For what old crime of theirs I do not gather.
Summary of Tall Ambrosia
- Popularity of “Tall Ambrosia”: Written back in the 19th century by Henry David Thoreau, “Tall Ambrosia” is a philosophical poetic piece. David Thoreau laments the approach of modern man, showing how easily they have forgotten their precious history. Also, he describes how one can enjoy the natural world. The poem, however, won popularity due to the meaningful and philosophical description of food items.
- “Tall Ambrosia” As a Representative of Care: This poem is about the little joys human beings miss during their busy lives. It begins with a description of the autumn season. The poet notices the changes that this time of the year brings to the natural setting. Being present in a landscape, the speaker begins to talk about things that catch his attention like Roman wormwood, which is also called Artemisia Pontiac or Ambrosia Elatior. He goes on to describe that “Ambrosia” is a food the Greek gods used to eat. The consumption of this food blessed them with immortality. Also, it would work the same for any mortal who tries to consume it.
While walking through the fields of this magical plant, his shoes catch yellow dust. In the second part of the poem, the poet talks about his shoes as his true friends as they speak about the journey they undertook. In the final five verses of the poem, the speaker talks about different people gathered at the post-house. Their glossy clothes show that they never walked through the fields of Roman wormwood as they come through some other transport. The speaker feels that it could be due to their crimes which he does not know. - Major Themes is “Tall Ambrosia”: Praise, pleasures of nature, attachment, and man versus world are the major themes of the poem. On a surface level, the poem depicts a short journey of the speaker when he passes through the fields of Roman wormwood. It shows how the fields fill his heart with immense pleasure and make him remind of the Greek gods. While if one digs deep, the poet has a lot to say in this poem. First, he praises natural beauty that is always there to fill our hearts with joy and wonder. Second, he complains about how easily people forget their ancient civilizations. First, he outpours his heart about the food that serves immortality to the Greek gods. Later, he describes how people do not bother to stop in the fields of Roman wormwood for a while to recall their history.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Tall Ambrosia
literary devices are modes that represent the writers’ emotions and ideas impressively. David Thoreau, too, has inserted some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Is as immortal once as the proudest flower” and the sound of /o/ in “We trample underfoot the food of god.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “Far from my couch, thus powdered, countryfied” and the sound of /s/ in “My honest shoes, fast friends that never stray.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“Among the signs of autumn I perceive
The Roman wormwood (called by learned men
Ambrosia elatior, food for gods,—
For to impartial science the humblest weed”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The poem has situational irony at the end, where he notices people who do not bother to see this Roman wormwood.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The writer used imagery in this poem such as; “At the post-house disgrace the Gallic gloss”, “Bearing many a mile the marks of their adventure” and “For to impartial science the humblest weed.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used spirituality as an extended metaphor in the poem to show how people are leaving their true selves with time.
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet personified shoes in the poem, such as “My honest shoes, fast friends that never stray.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem has symbols, such as praise, wonder, immortality, and complaint, to show human memory is oblivious to ancient wonders.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Tall Ambrosia
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: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There is only one stanza in this poem that contains eighteen lines.
- Tone: The poem shows a nostalgic, sad, and moralistic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about people who do not care about their religious, cultural, and ancient norms and values.
“Of those well dressed ones who no morning dew
Nor Roman wormwood ever have been through,
Who never walk but are transported rather—
For what old crime of theirs I do not gather.”