CAUCE,
Re is a de Filología y su Didác ica, n.°
8,
1985,
págs.
107
- 109
A SAMPLE OF POET1C CQMMENT:
The Lonely S ee , by Wüllam Ca los Williams.
LUISA FERNANDA RODRÍGUEZ LARA*
THE LONELY STREET
School is o e . I is oo ho
o walk a ease. A ease
in ligh ocks hey walk he s ee s
o while he ime away.
They ha e g own
all.
They hold
pink lames in hei igh hands.
In whi e om head o oo ,
wi h sidelong, idle look—
in yellow, loa ing s u ,
black sash and s ockings—
ouching hei a id mou hs
wi h pink suga on a s ick—
like a ca na ion each holds in he hand—
hey moun he lonely s ee .
The poe is an obse e . In his case Williams is wa ching a eal scene and
a e wa ds he exp esses his pe cep ion h ough poe ic wo ds, in such a way ha
he eal expe ience has u ned ou in o «his iew» o such a simple scene.
* P o eso a Ag egada de Bachille a o y Diplomada Uni e si a ia en la Sección de Filología de P o eso ado
de E.G.B.
107
CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...
The gene al one o he composi ion sugges s peace and quie ness, The e is
also some hing o loneliness. «The Lonely S ee » is almos a pic o ial pe cep ion
whe e he desc ip i e elemen s a e bea i ully a nished by Williams's exp ession.
We a e in oduced o he heme o passlng ime by a e e ence o a conc e e
exp esión o ime: School is o e .
Some pe iod o U e has been le behind. Childhood is mo e o less a pas
s age o li e. Wea he is ho :... I is o ho / o walk a ease.
No subjec has been in oduced up ill now. The e is only a so o
p esen a ion, a c ea ion o a mosphe e. And now, a e a pause, Williams makes
his subjec s and ou :... A ease / in llgh ocks hey walk he s ee s.
Al hough we ha e been old ha i ¡s oo ho , he subjec s —plu al— o he
poem do no ca e. In ac his con as is o achie e a clea e ec : i con ibu es o
ein o ce he ¡dea o loneliness. The e is some hing «swee » in he way Williams
speaks abou « hey» wea ing «ligh ocks». This ¡dea o gen leness will be
de eloped h ough he poem. We can guess somehow a eminine conno a ion,
« ock» implies ha hese «gi ls» —and we use he wo d on pu pose— a e no
women,
bu hey a e no child en any mo e. Some hing jus in he middle, be ween
childhood and ma u i y is he elemen o be ema ked. They walk o le ime
conclude i s wo k: hey expec o become women. We know hey a e nea because
« hey ha e g own
all».
They walk slowly, he so eness o hei walking being
sugges ed by he mild sounds o wo ds like:
EASE ( wice), FROCKS, STREETS
and by he long and melodic « o while he ime away», wi h clea ocalic sounds,
ull o gen leness. No hing seems o be ou o he con ex .
Immedia ely we a e shocked a he opposi ion be ween childhood and
ma u i y: hey ha e g own
all;
hey hold / pink lames ¡n hei igh hands. I we
ca y on eading we will know ha he pink lames a e «pink suga on a s ick». I ¡s
a symbol o childhood, bu he e is also a so o p ologue o he women o be, ¡n
he way Silliams says ha . «Flames» is a wo d wi h conno a ions ha make us
hink o some hing no e ealed. I ¡s
hen,
almos a he end o he poem, ha we
ind he line:LJke a ca na ion each holds in he hand,
e e ed o he pink suga on a s ick. We can no doub ha i is a clea allusion o
he awakening o sex ¡n he gi ls who ha e jus le school. Howe e , i is no
exp essed ín a ough way. On he con a y, he e a e oman ic allusions o a
symbolic colou : WHITE.
108
CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...
In whi e om head o oo ,
hey a e like li le gi ls. This sugges i e image speaks by i sel . Bu Williams also
makes us ealize ha his is only he beginning o a «lonely s ee », no easy o
walk, as he uses he e b «moun ».
As we a e si ua ed in he p esen we see wha is going on, bu we a e only
insinua ed wha will be likely o happen, as i is a na u al e en . In ac , no hing
happens. Time passes in a e y slow way. Desc ip i e eiemen s such as adjec i es
and nouns p o e he quie ness o he p ocess:
lonely s ee , ho , ligh ocks, al!, pink lames, igh hands, whl e,
sidelong/idle look, yellow/ loa ing s u , black sash, s ockings, a id
mou hs, pink suga , like a ca na ion.
Sexual conno a ions a e exp essed by means o «pink lames» (no ed ye ),
he e is s ill whi e; «a id mou hs», in his case no explana ion is necessa y as he
mou h is a sexual symbol i sel , ein o ced by he adjec i e «a id», compa ed wi h
he pleasu e o a child ea ing his pink suga ; and he clue: «like a ca na ion» - we
do no hink i could be a whi e one, bu a ed ca na ion. We know ha h ough
Spanish li e a u e a RED CARNATION appea s o be a symbol o lo e. We can
emembe ha beau i ul sonne by Góngo a, whe e he woman's lips a e
compa ed o a ed cana ion, o he poems by Da ío and his ed lowe s.
Now U e wai s p he . We can only add he so ness o some o he sounds
such as loa ing, s u o lames. Alli e a ion also con ibu es o he melody o
«The Lonelly S ee », a ime game which mo es om pas h ough p esen and
owa ds u u e. The poem has go hus he magic o he idea o o ali y and
e e las ing i ali y.
109
CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...
CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...
CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...

CAUCE. Núm. 8. RODRÍGUEZ LARA, Luisa Fe nanda. A sample o poe ic commen : The ...