Under the Lemon Tree

Vocabulary

Marsha De La O

Hides (noun): the skin of an animal whether raw or dressed —used especially of large heavy skins

- in the poem it is being used to describe the lemon's outside coating

She was born and raised in Southern California, which is where her and her [poet] husband live today. Most of her poems are very descriptive of the Southern California area. Her poetry is know for her "nuanced observation and description of the region". She has two finished collections of poetry, and she publishes the poetry journal Askew.

Distillate (verb): something concentrated or extracted as if by distilling

- in the poem it is being used to describe the citrus essences given off by the lemons as a vaporized product specific to summer, released into the air

Figuring (verb): To make a likeness of; depict

- in the poem it is being used to describe how the lemons were being made into different things (custard, pudding, meringue, hollandaise)

Assonance

Salve (noun): a remedial or soothing influence or agency

- in the poem it is being used to describe the narrator going to the lemon tree as a place for him/her to "escape" or "relax" from the heat

"The tree goes on unceasingly" (line 12)

- repetition of the vowel sound "ee" with different spellings

- creates a very sly rhyme that keeps the reader interested and engaged

Additional Elements

End-Stopped

- each line ends without enjambment, therefore "end-stopped"

- continues the poem in a narrative way, makes it sound like more of a story rather than a poem

Imagery

"hundreds of globes in their leathery hides", "to let the soft bursts- essence of citrus", "water and gold brew in the quiet deeps"

- there is a lot of imagery throughout the poem, used in order to enhance the visual beauty of the lemon tree and the change that it endures throughout the seasons

- helps the reader picture the lemon tree themselves

- makes the poem more visually pleasing by containing descriptive diction

Beginning Stanza

Theme

"Not rain, but fine mist

falls from my lemon tree,

a balm of droplets in green shadow" (lines 1-3)

- light pink and light blue indicate slant rhymes, although they are not in the same line

- creates pleasant sound right off the bat

- provides reasoning for title by introducing lemon tree as main topic

"six years now my mother gone to earth" (line 4)

"my hands cup each other the way hers did" (line 21)

- the theme of reminiscing is found throughout the poem, as the narrator is reminiscing the memories of his mother down by this lemon tree

- not only describing the lemon tree throughout the seasons, but describing what it means to the narrator and how it connects to his/her mother

Exposition

Understatement

"But her plans didn't work out" (line 11)

- understating death, making it seem less severe

- contributes to optimistic/peaceful tone of the poem

- initiates respect to his mother and the dead

"Six years now" (line 4)

- gives us background information that the narrator's mother has been dead for six years

- preview to what the poem will be about

- pathos: narrator is reminiscing his mother's life/death

- introduces the narrator as an emotional person, through evoking his/her pathos

- contributes to structure of the poem, the exposition comes in the second stanza instead of first

Not rain, but fine mist

falls from my lemon tree,

a balm of droplets in green shadow.

Six years now my mother gone to earth.

This dew, light as footsteps of the dead.

She often walked out here, craned her neck,

considered the fruit, hundreds of globes

in their leathery hides, figuring on

custard and pudding, meringue and

hollandaise.

But her plans didn't work out.

The tree goes on unceasingly—lemons fall

and fold into earth and begin again—

me, I come here as a salve against heat,

come to languish, to let the soft bursts—

essence of citrus, summer's distillate—

drift into my face and settle. Water and gold

brew in the quiet deeps at the far end

of the season. Leaves swallow the body

of light and the breath of water brims over.

My hands cup each other the way hers did.

Euphemism

"not rain, but fine mist" (line 1)

- fine mist is a more pleasant way of saying rain

- by addressing the above statement directly by adding "but", the author communicates how she wants the poem to be more beautiful than the actual thing

"gone to earth" (line 4)

- a better/nicer way of saying dead

- helps add to the optimistic/peaceful tone that could otherwise be very harsh and depressing if this euphemism was not used

Works Cited

Brandenburg, Jim. Chased by the Light. May 16 2016. http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/.

"Sunset"

"Wilderness Looms Limited Edition"

Brandenburg, Jim. Limited Edition. May 16 2016. http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/.

"Wolf Harmony"

Brandenburg, Jim. Looking for the Summer. May 16 2016. http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/.

"Waterfall"

"Raspberry Drip"

"Touch Me Not"

"Dew Pearls"

"Mystery Creek"

Brandenburg, Jim. Northwoods. May 16 2016. http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/.

"Boathouses of Lake Vermilion"

Brandenburg, Jim. Prairie. May 16 2016. http://www.jimbrandenburg.com/.

"Split Rock Creek State Park"

"Marsha De La O." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.

Marsha de la O, "Under the Lemon Tree". Antidote For Night. Copyright © 2015 by Marsha de la O. BOA Editions, Ltd. May 16 2016.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.

"Trope - Examples and Definition of Trope." Literary Devices. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 May 2016.

Trope

Milieu

"light as footsteps of the dead" (line 5)

- simile, a form of trope

- comparing the dew "light footsteps of the dead"

- creates imagery of gentle dew on the lemon tree

- using "footsteps of the dead" helps to tie into theme of death and reminiscing of poem

"The tree goes on unceasingly- lemons fall and fold into earth and begin again- me, I come here as a salve against heat" (lines 12-14)

- highlights the social environment of the narrator as being somewhere he/she goes annually, to find peace and quiet

- must be a special place, if he/she comes annually

- contributes to the overall setting of the poem, underneath this same lemon tree

- the lemons' home is this tree, for the narrator it is his/her escape

"leaves swallow the body of light" (lines 19-20)

"the breath of water brims over" (line 20)

- both personification, a form of trope

- gives power to two objects of nature: leaves and water

- used to create imagery of the leaves growing with water light and water

- trope is used to make this sound more poetic and beautiful

Under the Lemon Tree

By: Marsha De La O