i shall imagine life
is not worth dying,if
(and when)roses complain
their beauties are in vain
but though mankind persuades
itself that every weed’s
a rose,roses(you feel
certain)will only smile
i shall imagine life
Analysis, meaning and summary of e.e. cummings's poem i shall imagine life
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i shall imagine life
is not worth dying,if
(and when)roses complain
their beauties are in vain
The rose is symbolic of love So this first verse is saying that without love life is not worth the effort, or conversely that it is love that makes life worthwhile.
but though mankind persuades
itself that every weed’s
a rose,roses(you feel
certain)will only smile
Mankind likes to believe that even pale imitations of love are true love, and of course love smiles because any love, even the weedy kind, is true love.
Life is not worth death, if death is meaningless and without beauty.
Mankind persuades itself that every life is just a death waiting to happen, and death awaits with a mischievous smile, without beauty.
A friend recently gave me the most profound and insightful analysis of the second verse of this poem:
There are those that will settle for less than the best they can do and convince themselves that a weed is a beautiful as a rose,
and the rose will only smile.
As long as you see the beauty in what you do…
1. stanza: even if all beautiful things must die, cummings persuades himself that life is still worth living, still beautiful while it lasts
2. stanza: mankind likes to believe that even a bad life is beautiful, but is ignorant, really, of the beauties of the afterlife, which he assumes, is smiling down upon us.
He is being sardonic.
He seems to be saying that he will only say that life is worth dying when the real beauties say that their beauty is meaningless, or ‘in vain’.
Despite the fact that the world tries to tell you that every ‘weed’, or essentially(rather than superficially) ugly thing is, in some way beautiful, you know, or should know, that the real beauties will only smile. Since, after all, that’s the beautiful thing to do.
Sadly, I don’t see much in the world to support this optimism. The world has nearly succeeded in persuading us that every weed is a rose. So the beauties will die in silent. How long before they proclaim they are in vain?
This poem is soo good. I have not read much or any of
e. e. cummings but I will deff. do so now.
LIfe`s not worth dying, life is worth living, the same old carpe diem, and what a joy life is.
Known and used theme of the splendour of the rose and its too soon death.
or the pessimistic approach…
When something is good and beautiful, you say “it´s worth dying for”. Life not being worth dying for, could then be interpreted as a pessimistic view of life.
Still, e.e. cummings loves life, and the moment, and the remembrence, and the yes…, so I stick to the first interpretation.
This Poem I find gives me inspiration on every day I live and the day I just might die,As everything lives by night or by day,I thrive inside just to know that I cannot lie. Thank- you for this inspiration
– Tia