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Original Poem
Paraphrase
I FEED a flame within, which so torments me
That it both pains my heart, and yet contains me:
Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it,
That I had rather die than once remove it.
Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;
My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.
Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,
But they fall silently, like dew on roses.
Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel,
My heart's the sacrifice, as 'tis the fuel;
And while I suffer this to give him quiet,
My faith rewards my love, though he deny it.
On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me;
While I conceal my love no frown can fright me.
To be more happy I dare not aspire,
Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher.
I push myself, which makes me suffer
They hurt my feelings, but also comforts me
It’s a satisfying thing, and I adore it,
And I would rather lose my life than lose this feeling
The guy that I feel bad for, will never know;
My words will not say, and my eyes will not show.
I will show no emotion,
But I will feel suffering, that won’t be seen.
To keep this feeling from destroying me
My heart is gone, and it builds this feeling;
I feel this way to keep him peace
Knowing that I do this, is the reward I give myself, but I refuse to accept it.
He will be happy, which will enlighten me;
While I hide my true emotion, no bad feeling can stop me.
To be happier, I do not care
Because I cant be any lower, or get any higher.
The theme throughout the poem is that even love can cause the greatest pain of all.
August 9, 1631
Title Revisited
1. The flame represents the poet himself. He explains that no matter how passionate he feels he can never show his true emotion.
2. The term "hidden" is an analogy because when you are hidden you are not found and that’s how he is feeling, not found. His feelings is what is being hidden.
I FEED a flame within, which so torments me
That it both pains my heart, and yet contains me:
Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it,
That I had rather die than once remove it.
Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;
My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.
Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,
But they fall silently, like dew on roses.
Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel,
My heart's the sacrifice, as 'tis the fuel;
And while I suffer this to give him quiet,
My faith rewards my love, though he deny it.
On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me;
While I conceal my love no frown can fright me.
To be more happy I dare not aspire,
Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher.
The author's tone throughout the poem is that he is melancholy
There are no shifts present in the poem. The author is consistent with his feelings and attitude throughout the poem so there are no evident changes.
Visual Art
Readers Response
Critical Perspective
I FEED a flame within, which so torments me
That it both pains my heart, and yet contains me:
'Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it,
That I had rather die than once remove it.
Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;
My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.
Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,
But they fall silently, like dew on roses.
Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel,
My heart's the sacrifice, as 'tis the fuel;
And while I suffer this to give him quiet,
My faith rewards my love, though he deny it.
On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me;
While I conceal my love no frown can fright me.
To be more happy I dare not aspire,
Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher.
In my opinion, I would have to say that the majority of Dryden's poems are because of his gender. He likes to write about his love life and his experiences with women. As a poet developed a lucid professional style, relying essentially on patterns and rhythms of everyday speech.
John Dryden was an interesting poet. He had a way with words that displayed great imagery. The more of his poetry that you read, the more you start to understand the message he is trying to deliver. With that being said I would not advise him to be on the list for next years poets. Although he was a fantastic poet I did not find his poetry as interesting as I was expecting.
Works Cited
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/john-dryden
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/glossaryItem.do?id=8102
http://www.poemhunter.com/search/?q=john+dryden