Anaphora

Tears, Idle Tears by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.

Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.

Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.

Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!

Definition: An anaphora is the repetition of the first word or phrase in a line.

In Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem, “Tears, Idle Tears,” the speaker expresses his or her confused attitude towards the “days that are no more” or the past. The poem opens with the anaphora “Tears…,” stating that the tears are “idle” or of no purpose or worth. However in the next line, the anaphora “Tears…” then elicits irony and confusion, when stating that tears come from “divine despair.” The use of the anaphora “Tears…” emphasizes the contrast of opinion, which supports the speakers feeling of confusion. Furthermore, the speaker uses the anaphora “so sad, so fresh,” stating that while the death of his friends is sad, the memories are still fresh. Then the anaphora “so sad, so strange,” continues to emphasize the speaker’s confusion; although a person dies, a new day is also born. The anaphora “so sad” connects the two thoughts to show the varying emotions born out of the past.

The importance of the position where the anaphora repeats, which is the beginning, is that the repetition immediately draws the reader’s attention to the common word or phrase and allows the idea to encompass diverse and varied emotions.

Anaphora also creates a more driving rhythm; emphasis; shows contrast within the same topic; intensifies emotion