The Voice Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me,
Saying that now you are not as you were
When you had changed from the one who was all to me,
But as at first, when our day was fair.

Can it be you that I hear? Let me view you, then,
Standing as when I drew near to the town
Where you would wait for me: yes, as I knew you then,
Even to the original air-blue gown!

Or is it only the breeze, in its listlessness
Travelling across the wet mead to me here,
You being ever dissolved to wan wistlessness,
Heard no more again far or near?

Thus I; faltering forward,
Leaves around me falling,
Wind oozing thin through the thorn from norward,
And the woman calling.

Welcome, dear readers, to an exploration of Thomas Hardy’s deeply moving poem, “The Voice”. This piece of literature invites us into a world of memory, longing, and the profound echoes of a love lost. Prepare to uncover the layers of emotion and masterful craftsmanship that make this poem a timeless reflection on grief and the enduring power of the past.

Unlocking “The Voice”: A Journey Through Memory and Longing

The Heart of “The Voice”: Summary and Central Ideas

Thomas Hardy’s “The Voice” is a poignant and introspective poem that captures the speaker’s intense longing for a lost loved one. The poem unfolds as the speaker believes he hears the voice of a woman he deeply misses, prompting a desperate desire to see her as she once was, particularly from the early, joyful days of their relationship. This perceived voice, however, is fleeting and uncertain, leading the speaker to question whether it is truly his beloved calling or merely the deceptive whisper of the wind.

At its core, “The Voice” explores the powerful and often painful interplay between memory and reality. The central idea revolves around how grief can conjure vivid, almost tangible, sensations of a lost person, blurring the lines between what is real and what is imagined. The poem beautifully illustrates the human capacity to cling to the past, to yearn for a return to happier times, and to feel the enduring presence of love even in absence. It is a meditation on the persistence of memory and the melancholic acceptance of loss.

A noteworthy aspect of this poem is its deeply personal resonance. While not explicitly stated within the poem, “The Voice” is widely understood to be a reflection of Hardy’s own profound grief following the death of his first wife, Emma Gifford. This personal context imbues the poem with an added layer of authenticity and raw emotion, making the speaker’s yearning all the more palpable and universally relatable to anyone who has experienced deep loss.

Diving Deeper: An Analysis of “The Voice”

The Speaker’s Emotional Landscape: Tone and Theme

The tone of “The Voice” is overwhelmingly melancholic, yearning, and contemplative. The speaker is caught between hope and despair, desperately wishing for a reunion with the past while simultaneously acknowledging its impossibility. This emotional tension is central to the poem’s impact.

Loss and Grief: The most prominent theme is the profound sense of loss and the speaker’s struggle with grief. The entire poem is a manifestation of this sorrow, as the speaker grapples with the absence of his beloved.
Memory and Illusion: The poem delves into the nature of memory, particularly how it can be both a source of comfort and torment. The “voice” itself is an illusion, a product of memory and longing, highlighting the mind’s power to create what the heart desires.
The Persistence of Love: Despite the pain of absence, the poem underscores the enduring nature of love. The speaker’s vivid recall of the woman, even down to her “air-blue gown,” demonstrates that love transcends physical presence and time.
The Passage of Time: The poem subtly touches on the irreversible march of time. The speaker yearns for the past, “when our day was fair,” acknowledging that the present is irrevocably changed.

Crafting Emotion: Literary Devices in “The Voice”

Hardy masterfully employs various literary devices to enrich “The Voice” with profound emotional depth and vivid imagery. These tools allow readers to connect deeply with the speaker’s experience.

Imagery: Hardy’s use of sensory details creates a powerful and immersive experience. The poem paints a picture of both the speaker’s internal state and the external world.

“Leaves around me falling,
Wind oozing thin through the thorn from norward,”

These lines from the final stanza evoke a desolate, autumnal landscape, mirroring the speaker’s internal feelings of decay, sorrow, and the chill of loneliness. The specific detail of the “air-blue gown” is particularly striking, anchoring the speaker’s memory in a concrete, vibrant image of the past:

“Even to the original air-blue gown!”

This single detail brings the lost woman vividly to life in the speaker’s mind, emphasizing the clarity and preciousness of his memories.
Symbolism: Objects and natural elements in the poem carry deeper meanings, enhancing its thematic resonance.
- The “breeze” in the third stanza symbolizes the elusive and fading nature of memory and the ephemeral quality of the perceived voice. It is a force that is present but intangible, much like the speaker’s connection to the past.
- The “wet mead” can be seen as a symbol of the speaker’s sorrow, a landscape saturated with grief and tears.
- The “air-blue gown” symbolizes not just a specific garment, but a particular moment of joy, youth, and the vibrant past that the speaker longs to reclaim.
Rhetorical Question: The speaker’s direct questions, posed without expectation of an answer, draw the reader into his internal struggle and uncertainty.

“Can it be you that I hear? Let me view you, then,”

This question immediately establishes the speaker’s doubt and desperate hope, inviting the reader to ponder the nature of the voice alongside him.
Paradox: A statement that appears contradictory but contains a deeper truth. The very premise of the poem presents a paradox. The speaker hears a voice, yet the person speaking is absent.

“Saying that now you are not as you were
When you had changed from the one who was all to me,
But as at first, when our day was fair.”

Here, the paradox lies in the speaker’s desire for the woman to be “as at first” while simultaneously acknowledging that she “changed from the one who was all to me.” He yearns for a past version of her, a version that existed before their relationship evolved or perhaps before her illness and death, creating a poignant contradiction between memory and the reality of change and loss.
Alliteration and Consonance: These sound devices add musicality and emphasize certain words or phrases, contributing to the poem’s emotional impact.
- Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds.
  
  “faltering forward”
  
  The repeated ‘f’ sound here draws attention to the speaker’s hesitant, uncertain movement, reflecting his emotional fragility and physical weariness.
- Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.
  
  “You being ever dissolved to wan wistlessness,
  Heard no more again far or near?”
  
  The repeated ‘s’ sound in “wistlessness” and “dissolved” creates a soft, sibilant effect, mimicking the gentle fading and dissolution of the woman’s presence and voice, emphasizing her complete absence.

The Music of Memory: Poetic Devices in “The Voice”

Hardy’s careful selection of poetic devices contributes significantly to the rhythm, structure, and overall emotional resonance of “The Voice.”

Structure: Stanza and Quatrain: The poem is composed of four stanzas, each a quatrain, meaning it has four lines. This consistent, orderly structure provides a framework for the speaker’s turbulent emotions, creating a sense of controlled grief. The regularity of the quatrains offers a subtle counterpoint to the speaker’s internal disarray.
Rhyme Scheme: “The Voice” employs a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme in each stanza.

Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me, (A)
Saying that now you are not as you were (B)
When you had changed from the one who was all to me, (A)
But as at first, when our day was fair. (B)

This regular rhyme scheme provides a musicality and a sense of completeness to each stanza, even as the speaker’s thoughts are fragmented. The predictable pattern can also be interpreted as a reflection of the speaker’s desperate attempt to find order or meaning in his chaotic grief.
Meter: The poem predominantly uses a trochaic meter, where each foot consists of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (DA-dum, DA-dum).

WOman much MISSED, how YOU CALL to ME, CALL to ME,

This falling rhythm often creates a mournful or melancholic tone, perfectly suiting the poem’s subject matter of loss and longing. The consistent, almost insistent, rhythm can also mimic the persistent, haunting nature of the “voice” in the speaker’s mind.
Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a grammatical pause.

“Saying that now you are not as you were
When you had changed from the one who was all to me,”

This technique creates a flowing, conversational quality, mimicking the natural progression of thought and the speaker’s rambling, almost desperate, internal monologue. It also emphasizes the connection between the lines, drawing the reader swiftly from one idea to the next.
Repetition: The deliberate use of words or phrases multiple times for emphasis.

“Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me,”

The repetition of “call to me” immediately establishes the speaker’s intense longing and the haunting nature of the perceived voice. It underscores the urgency and persistence of his desire to reconnect.

Thomas Hardy’s “The Voice” is a profound exploration of human grief, memory, and the enduring power of love. Through its evocative imagery, carefully chosen literary devices, and poignant poetic structure, the poem invites us to reflect on our own experiences of loss and the ways in which the past continues to shape our present. It stands as a testament to the complex beauty of human emotion, reminding us that even in absence, love can echo across time, a haunting yet beautiful melody in the chambers of the heart.