A Marriage by R.S. Thomas: An In-Depth Analysis

"A Marriage" by R.S. Thomas is a profound exploration of love, time, and mortality. This single-stanza poem of 21 lines captures the entirety of a couple's life together, from their first meeting to their final parting.

The poem opens with a vivid image of the couple's first encounter: "We met / under a shower / of bird-notes." This metaphor sets the tone for the poem's recurring bird imagery and establishes a connection between the couple's love and the natural world.

Highlight: The use of bird imagery throughout the poem symbolizes freedom, grace, and the fleeting nature of life.

As the poem progresses, it swiftly moves through time, reflecting on fifty years of marriage. The line "Fifty years passed, / love's moment" encapsulates the paradoxical nature of time in love – a lifetime together feels like just a moment.

Quote: "She was young; I kissed with my eyes / closed and opened / them on her wrinkles."

This poignant line illustrates the passage of time and the enduring nature of love. The speaker's perception of his wife remains unchanged despite the physical signs of aging.

The poem's structure, with its use of enjambment and flowing lines, mirrors the quick passage of time. This technique allows the poem to cover a lifetime in just a few short lines, emphasizing how swiftly life passes.

Vocabulary: Enjambment - The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.

As the poem reaches its conclusion, it introduces the theme of death. Death is personified, inviting the wife to "the last dance." This metaphor creates a parallel with the couple's first meeting, bookending their life together with dance-like imagery.

Example: The line "Come,' said death, / choosing her as his / partner for / the last dance" personifies death and uses the metaphor of a dance to represent the end of life.

The final lines of the poem are particularly moving:

"And she, / who in life / had done everything / with a bird's grace, / opened her bill now / for the shedding / of one sigh no / heavier than a feather."

This beautiful conclusion returns to the bird imagery, comparing the wife's final breath to the lightness of a feather. It suggests a peaceful, graceful passing, in keeping with how she lived her life.

Definition: Elegiac - Having a mournful or sadly reflective quality, often used in relation to death or loss.

The poem's tone is both celebratory of the couple's love and elegiac in its confrontation with mortality. It presents a detailed analysis of "A Marriage" that touches on themes common in R.S. Thomas's poems about death, while also celebrating the enduring power of love.

This poem analysis of "A Marriage" reveals how Thomas masterfully uses imagery, metaphor, and structure to convey the passage of time and the depth of love in a long-term relationship. It stands as a beautiful testament to enduring love in the face of mortality, making it a standout piece in English poetry.