The River
Valerie Bloom
The River's a wanderer,
A nomad, a tramp,
He doesn't choose one place,
To set up his camp.
The River's a winder,
Through valley and hill,
He twists and he turns,
He just cannot be still.
The River's a hoarder,
And he buries down deep,
Those little treasures,
That he wants to keep.
The River's a baby,
He gurgles and hums,
And sounds like he's happily,
Sucking his thumbs.
The River's a singer,
As he dances along,
The countryside echoes,
The notes of his song.
The River's a monster,
Hungry and vexed,
He's gobbled up trees,
And he'll swallow you next.
Meaning of the Poem
Stanza 1 : The poet perceives the River as a living thing; in this stanza as a wandered, a nomad, and a tramp,
and it never makes a stop.
Stanza 2 : The River will never stop. Not even when there are obstacles in front of it, it will twist and turn,
makes its way through valley and hills.
Stanza
3 : The
poet perceives the River as a hoarder; which take and keep anything
that it wants in the
riverbed.
Stanza 4 : The River is being perceived as baby. By saying that
"he gurgles and hums". the poet makes it clear
that the river is happy; but nevertheless, as the River is a baby, it is unpredictable.
Stanza
5 : In this stanza,
the poet perceives the River as a singer and a dancer, and she added that the
countrysid echoes with the notes of "his" song. This might shows that the River promised people
with life.
Stanza 6 : In this stanza, the River is being perceived as a monster - a hungry and vexed monster. The poet
warned that "he" gobbled up trees and he will eventually swallow people, too. This shows the
sheer destructive power the River has.
Themes
1. The River is a natural source of water.
2 . The River is natural source of life.
3. The River causes natural disaster.
4. Man has both negative and positive qualities.
Setting
Setting refers to the place where the story in the poem happens.
- - The poem is set somewhere in the countryside or village where a river flows.
- - We can conclude this from the word 'countryside' in the fifth stanza.
Persona - The voice used
in the poem The River is a 'he', which is the third person pronoun. - The persona
describes what he sees, feels, and hears about the river. - Some of the
descriptions relate to his life's experiences and knowledge about how a river flows - upstream to downstream. - The persona
provides details about where the river starts, meandering through the
hills and valleys and finally, ending up in the sea or ocean. - Apart from
being gentle, the persona also warns that the river can be destructive to both nature and Man. |  Valerie Bloom Picture source: Google Image (Valerie Bloom) |
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