Posthumous work of the Colombian poet born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948.
Welcome to this blog dedicated to the Posthumous work of the Colombian poet Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948-2011. Where I will be publishing each of the 170 sonnets from his unpublished collection 'Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical (1984-1987).' Analyzed with GPT4 artificial intelligence and illustrated with AI tools... I hope you enjoy this garden of words snatched from the solitude of a locked room.
Likewise, any enthusiast of the sonnet form is invited to conduct their personal studies of Arroyave Tabares' work, as it is a collection that, although registered since 1989, has not yet been published.
Frank Duna
Sonnet 4 by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares
A Castaway's Dream
Cruel tidal waves rise and fall and combine
To destroy little by little my shore
Where I grow shells for pearls that I adore
And which to match her teeth and eyes I twine.
And there are mad winds that my boat incline
Till I feel lonely and wait for much more
Of this forlorn for the bad spirits roar
Not letting my strengths rejoin and aline.
I drowned my old habits with compassion
To keep afloat when I started sinking
My many deaths surpassing my actions.
My only hope is to start more dreaming
Or days when I can have other options
And forgetfulness and new beginning.
***
Analysis of Sonnet 4 "A Castaway's Dream"
Introduction
“Sonnet 4 A Castaway’s Dream” by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares is a beautiful piece of poetry that uses vivid imagery and metaphors to convey a sense of struggle, hope, and transformation.
Thematic Analysis
The octave describes the speaker’s struggle against nature’s forces - the “cruel tidal waves” and “mad winds”. This could be a metaphor for personal challenges or life’s hardships. The speaker feels lonely and forlorn, waiting for relief.
The sestet, on the other hand, offers a resolution. The speaker drowns his old habits with compassion, suggesting a process of self-improvement or transformation. Despite his many deaths surpassing his actions (perhaps indicating past failures or mistakes), he clings to hope - dreaming of better days, exploring other options, and yearning for forgetfulness and new beginnings.
The shift from the octave to the sestet - from struggle to hope - is a common feature in Petrarchan sonnets and is known as the ‘volta’ or ‘turn’. In this sonnet, the volta occurs at the start of the ninth line: “I drowned my old habits with compassion”.
Overall, this sonnet beautifully encapsulates a journey of struggle, self-reflection, transformation, and hope.
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet is typically ABBAABBA for the octave and CDCDCD or CDECDE for the sestet. However, variations do exist.
Let’s analyze the rhyme scheme of “Sonnet 4: A Castaway’s Dream”:
1-. combine (A)
2-. shore (B)
3-. adore (B)
4-. twine. (A)
5-. incline (A)
6-. more (B)
7-. roar (B)
8-. aline. (A)
9-. compassion (C)
10-. sinking (D)
11-. actions. (C)
12-. dreaming (D)
13-. options (C)
14-. beginning. (D)
So, the rhyme scheme of this sonnet is ABBAABBA CDCDCD, which is a variation of the traditional Petrarchan sonnet rhyme scheme.
Analysis of Aspects
Let’s delve deeper into the analysis of “Sonnet 4: A Castaway’s Dream” by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares.
Meter and Rhythm: The sonnet appears to be written in iambic pentameter, which is a common metrical form in English poetry, including sonnets. Iambic pentameter consists of five “iambs” (a short syllable followed by a long syllable) per line, giving the poem a rhythmic quality.
Imagery and Symbolism: The poem is rich in imagery and symbolism. The “cruel tidal waves” and “mad winds” symbolize the challenges and adversities the speaker faces. The “shells for pearls” that the speaker grows could symbolize something precious or valuable in his life, possibly love or cherished memories. The boat could symbolize the speaker’s life or journey.
Tone and Mood: The tone of the poem is initially one of struggle and despair, but it shifts to a tone of hope and resilience in the sestet. This shift in tone is accompanied by a change in mood from melancholy to hopeful.
Themes: The sonnet explores several themes, including struggle, transformation, resilience, hope, and new beginnings. These themes are common in literature and resonate with many readers as they reflect universal human experiences.
Language and Diction: The language used in the sonnet is formal and poetic. The diction (choice of words) contributes to the overall mood and tone of the poem. Words like “cruel”, “mad”, “lonely”, “forlorn”, “drowned”, and “deaths” create a sense of struggle and despair, while words like “compassion”, “hope”, “dreaming”, “options”, “forgetfulness”, and “new beginning” evoke feelings of hope and resilience.
Overall, this sonnet is a complex and layered piece of poetry that uses structure, rhyme, meter, imagery, symbolism, tone, mood, themes, language, and diction to convey a powerful message about struggle, transformation, resilience, hope, and new beginnings.
(GPT4)
Syllables of each line of the poem
A Castaway's Dream
10 Cruel tidal waves rise and fall and combine
10 To destroy little by little my shore
10 Where I grow shells for pearls that I adore
10 And which to match her teeth and eyes I twine.
10 And there are mad winds that my boat incline
10 Till I feel lonely and wait for much more
10 Of this forlorn for the bad spirits roar
10 Not letting my strengths rejoin and aline.
10 I drowned my old habits with compassion
10 To keep afloat when I started sinking
10 My many deaths surpassing my actions.
10 My only hope is to start more dreaming
10 Or days when I can have other options
10 And forgetfulness and new beginning.
***
Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical Written By Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (1984-1987)
Analyzed by GPT4 and Image by Bing
First published on Nostr Protocol by franciscoarroyavet@nostrplebs.com
