Day: August 29, 2025

Introduction: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

“The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell first appeared in the posthumously published collection, Miscellaneous Poems (1681). The poem’s enduring appeal and significance stem from its introspective exploration of the conflict between pure spiritual devotion and the corrupting influence of human pride. The speaker initially attempts to create a perfect, redemptive “chaplet” to atone for “My Saviour’s head have crowned” with thorns, gathering flowers from “every garden, every mead.” However, his pious effort is quickly tainted when he finds an “old serpent” coiled within the blossoms, which are entangled with “wreaths of fame and interest.” This discovery reveals that his seemingly devotional act is polluted by a hidden desire for worldly glory and recognition. The poem’s popularity lies in this relatable spiritual struggle; it’s not a simple hymn but a complex meditation on the difficulty of achieving true humility. The speaker’s ultimate solution, asking Christ to “untie” the serpent’s “slippery knots” or “shatter too with him my curious frame,” culminates in a profound act of humility where the garland, which could “not crown thy head,” is instead offered to crown Christ’s feet, symbolizing the triumph over both human pride and sin.

Text: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

Annotations: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

Line	Simple Meaning	Literary Devices
1. When for the thorns with which I long, too long,	I have, for too long, added to the crown of thorns on Christ’s head.	✝️ Allusion • 🔁 Repetition • 🌹 Symbol
2. With many a piercing wound,	These sins have caused Him many wounds.	👁 Imagery • 🌹 Symbol
3. My Saviour’s head have crowned,	I was guilty of crowning Christ with suffering.	⚖️ Irony • 🌹 Symbol
4. I seek with garlands to redress that wrong:	Now I try to make up for it by weaving garlands (poems) for Him.	🌹 Symbol • ⚖️ Contrast
5. Through every garden, every mead,	I go through all gardens and meadows.	👁 Imagery • 🌿 Symbol
6. I gather flowers (my fruits are only flowers),	I collect flowers, since my works are just fragile poetry.	🌹 Metaphor • 🌿 Symbol
7. Dismantling all the fragrant towers	I pull apart flower crowns once used for love.	👁 Imagery • 🌿 Symbol
8. That once adorned my shepherdess’s head.	These flowers once decorated my beloved’s head.	🐑 Pastoral • 🌹 Symbol
9. And now when I have summed up all my store,	After collecting all my flowers.	🌿 Symbol
10. Thinking (so I myself deceive)	I trick myself into thinking—	⚖️ Irony • 📝 Parenthesis
11. So rich a chaplet thence to weave	That I can weave a very rich crown.	🌹 Symbol • 🔤 Alliteration
12. As never yet the King of Glory wore:	Better than any crown Christ ever wore.	⚖️ Irony • ✝️ Allusion
13. Alas, I find the serpent old	But I see the Devil (old serpent).	✝️ Allusion • 🐍 Symbol
14. That, twining in his speckled breast,	He coils around, hidden in my heart.	👁 Imagery • 🐍 Symbol
15. About the flowers disguised does fold,	He hides himself among my flowers (poems).	🐍 Symbol
16. With wreaths of fame and interest.	Turning them into crowns of worldly fame.	🌹 Symbol • ⚖️ Irony
17. Ah, foolish man, that wouldst debase with them,	Foolish me, lowering heavenly glory with my pride.	📣 Apostrophe • 🎭 Tone
18. And mortal glory, Heaven’s diadem!	Trading eternal glory for mortal fame.	⚖️ Antithesis • 👑 Symbol
19. But Thou who only couldst the serpent tame,	Only You, Christ, can defeat the Devil.	✝️ Allusion • 🐍 Symbol
20. Either his slippery knots at once untie;	Please untangle his deceptions.	🪢 Metaphor • 👁 Imagery
21. And disentangle all his winding snare;	Free me from his winding trap.	🪢 Symbol • 🔁 Parallelism
22. Or shatter too with him my curious frame,	Or destroy both my pride and my art.	🪞 Metaphor • 🌹 Symbol
23. And let these wither, so that he may die,	Let my works wither, if it kills the serpent.	🌹 Symbol • 👁 Imagery
24. Though set with skill and chosen out with care:	Even though I carefully made them.	⚖️ Irony
25. That they, while Thou on both their spoils dost tread,	So that both serpent and flowers lie beneath Your feet.	👑 Symbol • 👁 Imagery
26. May crown thy feet, that could not crown thy head.	My flowers may at least crown Your feet, since I cannot crown Your head.	🌹 Symbol • ⚖️ Irony

Literary And Poetic Devices: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

Device	Example from the Poem	Explanation
Alliteration	“With wreaths of fame and interest” (line 16)	The repetition of the “w” sound emphasizes the pain and suffering associated with the thorns piercing the Saviour’s head, enhancing the poem’s emotional intensity.
Allusion	“My Saviour’s head have crowned” (line 3)	Refers to the biblical crown of thorns placed on Jesus Christ’s head, invoking Christian imagery to frame the poem’s theme of redemption and spiritual inadequacy.
Antithesis	“I seek with garlands to redress that wrong” (line 4)	Contrasts the “thorns” (pain, sin) with “garlands” (beauty, redemption), underscoring the speaker’s attempt to atone for Christ’s suffering with an act of beauty.
Apostrophe	“But Thou who only couldst the serpent tame” (line 19)	The speaker directly addresses God, creating a personal and reverent tone, emphasizing divine power over the serpent (Satan) and human limitations.
Assonance	“I seek with garlands to redress” (line 4)	The repetition of the “e” sound in “seek,” “with,” and “redress” creates a musical quality, enhancing the poem’s lyrical flow and emotional plea.
Conceit	The extended metaphor of weaving a floral crown for Christ (throughout the poem)	This metaphysical conceit compares the speaker’s poetic and spiritual efforts to weaving a crown, revealing the complexity of human ambition tainted by sin.
Consonance	“That, twining in his speckled breast” (line 14)	The repetition of “t” and “s” sounds mimics the serpent’s slithering, reinforcing the imagery of deceit and danger lurking within the speaker’s efforts.
Enjambment	“I seek with garlands to redress that wrong: / Through every garden, every mead” (lines 4-5)	The continuation of the sentence across lines mirrors the speaker’s ongoing quest, creating a sense of urgency and unbroken effort in seeking redemption.
Hyperbole	“So rich a chaplet thence to weave / As never yet the King of Glory wore” (lines 11-12)	Exaggerates the grandeur of the speaker’s intended crown, highlighting the hubris and self-deception in believing human efforts could surpass divine glory.
Imagery	“Dismantling all the fragrant towers / That once adorned my shepherdess’s head” (lines 7-8)	Vivid visual and olfactory imagery evokes the beauty of flowers and their arrangement, contrasting with the spiritual corruption revealed later.
Irony	“Thinking (so I myself deceive)” (line 10)	The speaker’s belief in creating a pure crown is ironic, as the poem reveals the crown is tainted by pride and ambition, undermining the intended purity.
Metaphor	“The serpent old / That, twining in his speckled breast” (lines 13-14)	The serpent represents Satan or sin, metaphorically entwining the speaker’s efforts, symbolizing how human ambition corrupts even well-intentioned acts.
Metonymy	“Heaven’s diadem” (line 18)	“Diadem” stands for divine glory or Christ’s heavenly authority, emphasizing the sacredness that human efforts cannot match.
Oxymoron	“Mortal glory” (line 18)	Combines “mortal” (temporary, human) with “glory” (divine, eternal), highlighting the flawed nature of human ambition in the context of divine perfection.
Personification	“The serpent old / That, twining in his speckled breast” (lines 13-14)	The serpent is given active agency, “twining” and “disguised,” to depict sin as a living, deceptive force infiltrating the speaker’s work.
Rhyme	“Long, too long” / “redress that wrong” (lines 1, 4)	The poem uses rhymed couplets (e.g., AABB), creating a structured and harmonious tone that contrasts with the speaker’s inner turmoil and spiritual struggle.
Symbolism	“Thorns” (line 1) and “garlands” (line 4)	Thorns symbolize Christ’s suffering and human sin, while garlands represent the speaker’s attempt at redemption, though tainted by pride.
Synecdoche	“My Saviour’s head” (line 3)	The “head” represents Christ as a whole, focusing on the site of the crown of thorns to evoke the Passion and the speaker’s guilt.
Tone	Shifts from reverent to self-critical (“Ah, foolish man,” line 17)	The tone begins with devotion and effort but turns to humility and recognition of human folly, reflecting the speaker’s spiritual awakening.

Themes: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

🥀 The Vain Pursuit of Spiritual Purity: In “The Coronet,” Andrew Marvell explores the human tendency to seek spiritual purity through personal effort, a pursuit that is ultimately revealed as an act of vanity. The speaker’s initial goal is to create a perfect “chaplet” of flowers to atone for humanity’s sin of crowning Christ with thorns. He meticulously gathers flowers from “every garden, every mead” to create a beautiful wreath. However, this act of devotion is driven by a desire for self-glorification, as he believes he can “weave” a crown “As never yet the King of Glory wore.” This ambition is not a selfless act of worship but a personal effort to gain favor or recognition, a flawed endeavor from the start. This theme highlights the paradox that the more a person tries to achieve spiritual purity through their own merit, the more tainted their efforts become with pride.

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🐍 The Corrupting Influence of Worldly Pride: A central theme of “The Coronet” is the insidious and corrupting influence of worldly pride and fame on spiritual acts. The speaker’s virtuous act of gathering flowers is shown to be compromised from within by the presence of a “serpent old” that is “twining in his speckled breast.” This serpent is a powerful symbol of original sin and temptation, representing the speaker’s own hidden motives. The poem directly links this serpent to “wreaths of fame and interest,” revealing that the speaker’s desire for worldly glory has contaminated his supposedly pious offering. The poet argues that even the most seemingly noble deeds can be spoiled by ego. The serpent serves as a reminder that human efforts are flawed and a person’s best intentions can be undermined by their own vanity.

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🙏 The Necessity of Humility and Divine Intervention: Andrew Marvell underscores the theme that true spiritual redemption is impossible without complete humility and divine intervention. After discovering his efforts are tainted, the speaker understands that he cannot untangle the corruption on his own. He pleads with God to “untie” the serpent’s “slippery knots” or “shatter too with him my curious frame.” This appeal is an acknowledgment of his own powerlessness and a submission to a higher will. The speaker realizes that his elaborate garland, crafted with “skill and chosen out with care,” is not worthy of God. The poem’s final lines emphasize this theme of humility as the speaker offers the corrupted flowers not to crown Christ’s head, but to “crown thy feet,” an act that signifies complete subservience and recognizes Christ’s ultimate victory over both sin and human pride.

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⚖️ The Conflict Between Art and Faith: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell can also be interpreted as a meditation on the tension between artistic creation and religious devotion. The speaker is essentially an artist trying to create a work of spiritual value. He “dismantling all the fragrant towers” and gathers flowers with skill and care, crafting them into an intricate “chaplet” that he hopes will be worthy of God. However, the poem suggests that the very act of artistic creation, which requires skill and a sense of personal accomplishment, can be a form of pride that interferes with pure faith. The “serpent” can be seen as the self-satisfaction of the artist, which compromises the sacred nature of the work. This theme questions whether a work of art, no matter how beautiful or well-intentioned, can truly be a humble offering to God when it is born of personal skill and a desire for human praise.

Literary Theories and “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

Literary Theory	Explanation and References from the Poem
New Criticism	New Criticism emphasizes the poem’s formal elements, such as structure, imagery, and language, as self-contained meaning. In “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell, the metaphysical conceit of weaving a floral crown, as in “I seek with garlands to redress that wrong” (line 4), intricately ties the speaker’s spiritual ambition to the imagery of “flowers” and “fragrant towers” (lines 6-7). The consistent rhymed couplets (e.g., “long, too long” / “redress that wrong,” lines 1-4) create a rhythmic harmony that contrasts with the thematic disruption caused by the “serpent old” (line 13), symbolizing sin’s infiltration. The ironic self-awareness in “Thinking (so I myself deceive)” (line 10) underscores the poem’s tension between human effort and divine perfection, with formal unity reinforcing the theme of flawed aspiration without reliance on external context.
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Psychoanalytic Criticism explores unconscious desires and conflicts. In “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell, the speaker’s attempt to craft a divine coronet, “So rich a chaplet thence to weave” (line 11), reflects a conscious desire for redemption but is undermined by unconscious pride, evident in the admission “so I myself deceive” (line 10). The “serpent old / That, twining in his speckled breast” (lines 13-14) symbolizes repressed sinful impulses that corrupt the speaker’s intentions, representing an internal struggle between the ego’s ambition and the superego’s moral judgment. The plea “But Thou who only couldst the serpent tame” (line 19) suggests reliance on divine intervention to resolve this psychological conflict, highlighting the speaker’s recognition of his own flawed psyche and need for external salvation.
Feminist Criticism	Feminist Criticism examines gender roles and power dynamics. In “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell, the reference to “my shepherdess’s head” (line 8) introduces a feminine figure whose “fragrant towers” are dismantled to serve the male speaker’s spiritual goal, suggesting a gendered appropriation where female beauty is repurposed for male ambition. The speaker’s dominant voice—”I seek with garlands” (line 4), “I myself deceive” (line 10)—marginalizes the shepherdess, reducing her to a passive symbol. The serpent’s presence, with its biblical link to Eve in “With wreaths of fame and interest” (line 16), subtly associates femininity with temptation, reinforcing patriarchal narratives that frame women as sources of moral failure within the poem’s Christian context.
Postcolonial Criticism	Postcolonial Criticism analyzes power and cultural domination. In “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell, the Christian framework, centered on “My Saviour’s head” (line 3), assumes a universal spiritual narrative that privileges a Eurocentric worldview, potentially marginalizing non-Christian perspectives. The act of gathering flowers “Through every garden, every mead” (line 5) metaphorically parallels colonial extraction, where diverse resources are appropriated for a singular religious purpose. The “wreaths of fame and interest” (line 16) entwined by the serpent suggest imperial ambitions cloaked in spiritual intent, akin to colonial justifications. The call to “shatter too with him my curious frame” (line 22) prioritizes a monolithic divine order, reflecting a colonial mindset that subsumes diversity under a singular cultural and spiritual authority.

Critical Questions about “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

• ❓ What is the central theme of redemption and human inadequacy in Andrew Marvell’s “The Coronet”?
• “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell explores the profound theme of human efforts to achieve spiritual redemption, ultimately revealing the inherent inadequacy and corruption of those attempts due to pride and worldly ambition. The speaker begins with a sincere desire to atone for Christ’s suffering, as seen in the lines “When for the thorns with which I long, too long, / With many a piercing wound, / My Saviour’s head have crowned, / I seek with garlands to redress that wrong,” where the thorns symbolize human sin inflicted upon the divine. However, as the poem progresses, the speaker realizes that his gathered flowers—representing his poetic and spiritual offerings—are tainted by the “serpent old” that entwines “with wreaths of fame and interest,” signifying how self-deception and mortal glory infiltrate even the purest intentions. This culminates in a plea for divine intervention to “untie” or “shatter” the corrupted wreath, emphasizing that true redemption lies not in human craftsmanship but in surrendering to God’s power, as the speaker acknowledges, “Ah, foolish man, that wouldst debase with them, / And mortal glory, Heaven’s diadem!” Through this narrative arc, Marvell critiques the futility of human endeavors to match divine purity, a common metaphysical concern with the tension between earthly and heavenly realms.
• 🔍 How does Andrew Marvell employ metaphysical conceits in “The Coronet” to convey spiritual conflict?
• “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell masterfully utilizes metaphysical conceits, extended metaphors that blend intellectual ingenuity with emotional depth, to illustrate the speaker’s internal spiritual conflict between aspiration and corruption. The central conceit is the weaving of a floral coronet as a redemptive offering for Christ’s crown of thorns, described in lines like “Through every garden, every mead, / I gather flowers (my fruits are only flowers), / Dismantling all the fragrant towers / That once adorned my shepherdess’s head,” where the flowers symbolize the speaker’s poetic achievements, stripped from pastoral innocence to honor the divine. This elaborate comparison evolves into a revelation of impurity when the “serpent old” is discovered “twining in his speckled breast, / About the flowers disguised does fold,” transforming the conceit into a symbol of sin’s insidious presence, akin to the biblical serpent in Eden. Marvell’s wit shines in the ironic self-deception noted in “Thinking (so I myself deceive) / So rich a chaplet thence to weave / As never yet the King of Glory wore,” highlighting the absurdity of human hubris. Ultimately, the poem resolves the conflict by invoking divine action to “disentangle all his winding snare” or destroy the frame, underscoring the metaphysical poets’ fascination with paradoxical unions of the physical and spiritual, where human artifice yields to godly grace.
• 🐍 What symbolic role does the serpent play in “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell? “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell employs the serpent as a potent biblical symbol of temptation, deception, and original sin, infiltrating the speaker’s well-intentioned efforts and exposing the corruption inherent in human ambition. Introduced midway through the poem as “the serpent old / That, twining in his speckled breast, / About the flowers disguised does fold, / With wreaths of fame and interest,” the serpent embodies Satanic influence, subtly wrapping itself around the floral wreath meant for Christ, much like the serpent in Genesis that led to humanity’s fall. This imagery disrupts the speaker’s illusion of purity, as he laments “Alas, I find the serpent old,” realizing that his “rich a chaplet” is debased by “fame and interest,” worldly desires that disguise themselves amid the beauty of his offerings. The serpent’s “slippery knots” and “winding snare” further symbolize the entangled nature of sin, resistant to human untangling, prompting the speaker to appeal to the divine: “But Thou who only couldst the serpent tame, / Either his slippery knots at once untie.” By treading on the serpent’s spoils in the closing lines—”That they, while Thou on both their spoils dost tread, / May crown thy feet”—Marvell alludes to Christ’s victory over evil, transforming the symbol from one of defeat to potential redemption, thus reinforcing the poem’s meditation on grace overcoming human frailty.
• 🌿 How does the imagery of nature and flowers in Andrew Marvell’s “The Coronet” contrast with themes of corruption and divinity?
• “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell richly contrasts vibrant natural imagery of flowers and gardens with underlying themes of corruption and divine supremacy, highlighting the ephemeral beauty of earthly creations against eternal spiritual truths. The poem opens with the speaker’s quest “Through every garden, every mead, / I gather flowers (my fruits are only flowers), / Dismantling all the fragrant towers / That once adorned my shepherdess’s head,” evoking lush, pastoral scenes that initially represent innocence and devotion, drawn from the speaker’s poetic “store” to craft a garland for the “King of Glory.” However, this idyllic imagery is subverted by the intrusion of corruption, as the flowers become entwined with the serpent’s “speckled breast” and “wreaths of fame and interest,” revealing how nature’s purity is tainted by human vices like pride and ambition. Marvell juxtaposes this with divine elements, such as “Heaven’s diadem” and the plea to “shatter too with him my curious frame, / And let these wither,” suggesting that worldly beauty must decay—”let these wither”—to achieve true holiness. The final image of flowers crowning Christ’s feet rather than his head—”May crown thy feet, that could not crown thy head”—symbolizes humility and submission, using natural motifs to underscore the poem’s metaphysical irony: human attempts at adornment, no matter how fragrant or skillful, pale before divine glory and require purification through destruction.

Literary Works Similar to “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

1. “The Collar” by George Herbert
   Explores rebellion, pride, and eventual submission to God—paralleling Marvell’s struggle between vanity and humility.
2. “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward” by John Donne
   Reflects on guilt and redemption at Christ’s Passion, much like Marvell’s meditation on the crown of thorns.
3. “The World” by Henry Vaughan
   Contrasts fleeting worldly glory with eternal salvation, echoing Marvell’s rejection of mortal fame for divine truth.
4. “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
   Uses poetic imagery of ascent to symbolize redemption, similar to Marvell’s floral garlands offered in devotion.
5. “Paradise Lost” (Book IX) by John Milton
   The serpent’s imagery in Marvell’s poem recalls Milton’s Satan, both embodying temptation disguised in beauty.

Representative Quotations of “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“When for the thorns with which I long, too long,” 🌹	Speaker recalls his complicity in Christ’s suffering through sin.	Religious Allegory – Human sin as participation in Christ’s crown of thorns
“My Saviour’s head have crowned” 👑	Irony of crowning Christ not with glory but with pain.	Paradox – Crown of thorns as corrupted kingship
“I seek with garlands to redress that wrong” 🌿	Attempts to repair sin with poetry (garlands of verse).	Metaphysical Poetics – Poetry as offering
“I gather flowers (my fruits are only flowers)” 🌸	Acknowledges fragility of human works and art.	Vanity – Human artifice vs. divine permanence
“That once adorned my shepherdess’s head.” 🐑	Reminder of past earthly, romantic devotion now redirected to God.	Pastoral Tradition – Secular to sacred transformation
“So rich a chaplet thence to weave / As never yet the King of Glory wore” 🪞	Speaker deceives himself with pride in his poetic crown.	Vanity and Pride – Self-deception in devotion
“Alas, I find the serpent old” 🐍	Recognition that Satan corrupts even pious offerings.	Theological Symbolism – Satan as deceiver in art and devotion
“Ah, foolish man, that wouldst debase with them, / And mortal glory, Heaven’s diadem!” ⚖️	Condemns himself for mixing mortal fame with divine worship.	Critique of Idolatry – Worldly glory vs. eternal truth
“Either his slippery knots at once untie; / And disentangle all his winding snare;” 🪢	Pleads for Christ to free him from sin’s entrapment.	Salvific Theology – Grace as liberation
“May crown thy feet, that could not crown thy head.” 🙏	Final act of humility: offering flowers to Christ’s feet, not His head.	Humility and Submission – True devotion through abasement

Suggested Readings: “The Coronet” by Andrew Marvell

1. Eliot, T. S. Selected Essays. Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950,
2. Hammond, Paul. “Marvell’s Religion: A Reassessment.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 68, no. 283, 2017, pp. 255–272, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/hgw087.
3. Marvell, Andrew. “The Coronet.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44680/the-coronet.
4. Smith, Nigel. Andrew Marvell: The Chameleon. Yale University Press, 2010, https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300112214/andrew-marvell.
5. Stocker, Margarita. “God in the Details: The Metaphysical Conceit in ‘The Coronet.’” English Literary Renaissance, vol. 33, no. 2, 2003, pp. 190–211, https://www.jstor.org/stable/43447633.

Introduction: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

“New Republic” by Michal Rubin first appeared in the spring 2025 collection there are days that I am dead, published by Fomite Press. The poem draws intertextual strength from fragments of Hiba Abu Nada, positioning itself as both a lament and a testament to survival amid violence and displacement. Its central ideas highlight refuge from suffering (“I grant you refuge from hurt and suffering”), the endurance of love as the primal force of creation (“You were first created out of love, so carry nothing but love”), and the transformation of grief into shared acts of meaning-making (“we built another castle…braided melancholy tunes into unseen ceilings”). The reason for its popularity lies in its haunting yet tender imagery—of seas, sand, and shadows—that transcend immediate historical moments, creating a universal resonance. By painting shadows and washing them away (“You and I paint the shadows we brought along, give them colors, hang them on the walls of water”), Rubin elevates private sorrow into collective reflection, making the poem a powerful meditation on memory, survival, and human connection.

Text: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin
1.

I grant you refuge
from hurt and suffering.–Hiba Abu Nada

We lived in the second century
of world wars inside seas

I drowned with you
and we sank to the bottom

of the sea of salt
where drowning is not possible

2.

You were first created out of love,so carry nothing but love.–Hiba Abu Nada

We carried nothing
but each other, in the deep sand

we built another castle
share its floors and words

braided melancholy tunes
into unseen ceilings

3.

O! How alone we are!–Hiba Abu Nada

You and I paint the shadows
we brought along

give them colors
hang them on the walls of water

to be washed off
in the third century.

Annotations: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

Stanza	Text	Annotations	Literary Devices
Stanza 1	I grant you refuge / from hurt and suffering. / –Hiba Abu Nada / We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas / I drowned with you / and we sank to the bottom / of the sea of salt / where drowning is not possible	This stanza opens with a quote from Hiba Abu Nada, establishing a tone of compassion and protection. The speaker imagines a shared experience with Abu Nada in a surreal “sea of salt” during a “second century of world wars,” evoking timeless conflict, possibly the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The paradox of drowning where “drowning is not possible” suggests resilience amidst suffering, blending mourning with defiance. The imagery creates a vivid, emotional landscape, grounding the poem in loss and hope.	– Epigraph: Quote from Abu Nada grounds the stanza in her voice. 🌹 – Imagery: “Sea of salt” and “world wars inside seas” evoke a surreal, emotional setting. 🌸 – Paradox: “Drowning is not possible” contradicts the act of drowning, emphasizing endurance. 🌺 – Allusion: “Second century of world wars” hints at ongoing historical conflicts. 🌷 – Metaphor: “Sea of salt” represents tears, suffering, or the Dead Sea. 🌻
Stanza 2	You were first created out of love, / so carry nothing but love. / –Hiba Abu Nada / We carried nothing / but each other, in the deep sand / we built another castle / share its floors and words / braided melancholy tunes / into unseen ceilings	This stanza shifts to a tone of intimacy and creation, using Abu Nada’s quote to emphasize love as a core force. Building a “castle” in “deep sand” symbolizes a fragile yet hopeful act of creation, like poetry or a shared vision of peace. The “braided melancholy tunes” in “unseen ceilings” blend sorrow and beauty, suggesting enduring artistic legacies. The stanza conveys solidarity and creative resilience, transforming grief into something transcendent.	– Epigraph: Abu Nada’s quote reinforces love as a theme. 🌹 – Imagery: “Deep sand,” “castle,” and “unseen ceilings” create a dreamlike scene. 🌸 – Metaphor: The “castle” symbolizes a fragile, meaningful artistic endeavor. 🌺 – Personification: “Braided melancholy tunes” gives emotions a woven texture. 🌷 – Symbolism: “Unseen ceilings” represent intangible legacies like poetry. 🌻
Stanza 3	O! How alone we are! / –Hiba Abu Nada / You and I paint the shadows / we brought along / give them colors / hang them on the walls of water / to be washed off / in the third century.	The final stanza expresses sorrow and transience, with Abu Nada’s quote highlighting isolation. “Painting the shadows” and giving them “colors” reflects an attempt to beautify pain, but the “walls of water” suggest impermanence, as creations are “washed off” in a future “third century.” The tone is elegiac, balancing grief with acceptance of ephemerality. The fluid imagery ties back to the sea motif, creating a cyclical sense of loss and renewal.	– Epigraph: Abu Nada’s quote amplifies the theme of loneliness. 🌹 – Imagery: “Walls of water” and “painting the shadows” evoke transient visuals. 🌸 – Metaphor: “Walls of water” symbolize impermanence. 🌺 – Symbolism: “Shadows” represent grief or memories, colored through art. 🌷 – Allusion: “Third century” extends the poem’s temporal scope to a distant future. 🌻 – Exclamation: “O! How alone we are!” heightens emotional intensity. 🌼

Literary And Poetic Devices: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

Device	Definition	Example from New Republic	Explanation
Alliteration 🔤	Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.	“braided… melancholy… melodies”	The repeated “m” sound creates a musical rhythm, mirroring the act of weaving sorrow into sound.
Allusion 📜	Reference to another text, person, or event.	References to Hiba Abu Nada’s lines	By invoking Abu Nada, Rubin ties her own poem to a Palestinian voice, layering intertextual meaning.
Anaphora 🔁	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines.	“We carried nothing / but each other”	The repetition of “we” emphasizes unity and shared survival.
Assonance 🎶	Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.	“sea of salt where drowning is not possible”	The long “a” and “o” sounds stretch the rhythm, evoking the vastness of the sea.
Caesura ⏸️	A pause or break within a line of poetry.	“O! How alone we are!”	The exclamation and pause heighten the feeling of isolation and existential lament.
Enjambment ↩️	Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the line break.	“We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas”	The flow across lines mimics immersion, pulling the reader deeper into the sea imagery.
Epigraph 📖	Quotation placed before a poem or section.	Abu Nada’s lines prefacing each section	These set the thematic tone of refuge, love, and loneliness.
Free Verse 📝	Poetry without a regular rhyme or meter.	Entire poem	Rubin uses free verse, allowing imagery and emotion to guide rhythm rather than form.
Hyperbole 🌊	Exaggerated statement not meant literally.	“we sank to the bottom of the sea of salt where drowning is not possible”	Suggests an impossible paradox, intensifying the feeling of despair and survival.
Imagery 🌅	Descriptive language appealing to senses.	“hang them on the walls of water”	Vividly paints a surreal image of shadows displayed in an underwater world.
Intertextuality 🔗	Relationship between texts through references or echoes.	Abu Nada’s lines woven into Rubin’s verses	Creates a dialogue between voices of exile and war, enriching the poem’s layers.
Metaphor 🔥	Direct comparison between unlike things without using “like” or “as.”	“castle… braided melancholy tunes”	The castle metaphorically represents fragile human refuges built from memory and song.
Mood 🌙	Emotional atmosphere created in the poem.	“O! How alone we are!”	The mood shifts between sorrow, intimacy, and resilience, guiding the reader’s emotional response.
Paradox ♾️	Contradictory statement that reveals a truth.	“drowning is not possible”	Though contradictory, it conveys the haunting condition of endless suffering without release.
Personification 👤	Attributing human qualities to nonhuman things.	“paint the shadows… give them colors”	Shadows are treated

Themes: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

🌊 Theme 1: Survival and Refuge: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin reflects the human instinct to seek survival and refuge in the face of perpetual violence. The opening lines, framed by Abu Nada’s words, “I grant you refuge from hurt and suffering”, set the stage for a poetic world where shelter is both physical and emotional. Rubin imagines survival as immersion in a sea that paradoxically refuses to allow drowning: “we sank to the bottom of the sea of salt where drowning is not possible.” This paradox underscores the haunting idea that survival is not freedom from pain but rather a suspended existence within it. Refuge here is fragile, transient, and deeply tied to human connection rather than geography or power.

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❤️ Theme 2: Love as Creation and Resistance: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin presents love as a life-giving and defiant force against historical cycles of destruction. Abu Nada’s voice insists, “You were first created out of love, so carry nothing but love,” which Rubin echoes in her own imagery: “We carried nothing but each other, in the deep sand we built another castle.” Love becomes both an act of creation (the building of castles, however fragile) and resistance against the erasure of identity. Even amid grief, this love is not ornamental but foundational—it sustains, nurtures, and offers continuity across generations scarred by war. In the poem’s architecture, love is the mortar that binds brokenness into something livable.

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🕯️ Theme 3: Memory, Loss, and Loneliness: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin intertwines memory with loneliness, weaving both into its melancholic mood. Abu Nada’s line, “O! How alone we are!”, reverberates as an existential cry. Rubin extends this loneliness by describing acts of memorialization through art: “You and I paint the shadows we brought along, give them colors, hang them on the walls of water.” Shadows symbolize memories of the dead or past traumas, and painting them becomes a ritual of preservation, even though the waters inevitably wash them away. The act of holding onto memories, despite their impermanence, reflects both the dignity and futility of resisting loss.

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⚖️ Theme 4: History, Time, and Human Fragility: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin situates its vision across centuries, marking survival as part of a long continuum of human fragility in the face of history. “We lived in the second century of world wars” and later “to be washed off in the third century” highlight the cyclical nature of violence and displacement. By measuring life in centuries of wars rather than years of peace, Rubin critiques the normalization of conflict as the backdrop of existence. The fragile “castle in the deep sand” stands as a metaphor for human attempts at permanence in the face of history’s relentless tide. The poem thus juxtaposes personal love and loss against sweeping historical violence, reminding readers of both resilience and impermanence.

Literary Theories and “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

Literary Theory	Analysis	References from the Poem
Postcolonial Theory 🌹	Postcolonial theory examines power dynamics, identity, and resistance in colonial and postcolonial contexts. In “New Republic”, the poem engages with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using the “sea of salt” and “world wars inside seas” to symbolize the trauma of occupation and displacement. The epigraphs from Hiba Abu Nada, a Palestinian poet killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023, center a marginalized voice, reclaiming her agency through poetry. Building a “castle” in “deep sand” represents cultural resistance, envisioning a “New Republic” free from oppression. The surreal imagery critiques cyclical colonial violence while imagining a decolonized future.	– “We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas” (Stanza 1): Alludes to ongoing conflict, possibly the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. – “I grant you refuge / from hurt and suffering” (Stanza 1): Suggests protection for marginalized voices. – “We built another castle / share its floors and words” (Stanza 2): Symbolizes cultural resistance through art.
Feminist Theory 🌸	Feminist theory explores gender dynamics and women’s voices. The poem elevates Hiba Abu Nada through epigraphs, honoring her as a female poet. The speaker’s connection with Abu Nada (“I drowned with you,” “we carried nothing / but each other”) emphasizes solidarity among women facing violence. Imagery like “braided melancholy tunes” and “painting the shadows” reflects feminine creative expression, transforming grief into art. The poem challenges patriarchal structures by centering women’s emotions and agency in a narrative of loss and resilience.	– “You were first created out of love, / so carry nothing but love” (Stanza 2): Highlights love as a feminine, nurturing force. – “You and I paint the shadows / we brought along” (Stanza 3): Suggests women’s agency in creating meaning from pain. – Epigraphs from Hiba Abu Nada: Amplify a female poet’s voice in a conflict narrative.
New Historicism 🌺	New Historicism examines texts within their historical and cultural contexts. Written in the context of Hiba Abu Nada’s death in 2023 during an Israeli airstrike, the poem engages with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The “second century / of world wars” and “third century” frame the conflict as historical and ongoing, while the “sea of salt” may evoke the Dead Sea, a regional symbol. Abu Nada’s epigraphs create a dialogue between past and present, preserving marginalized voices against political violence.	– “We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas” (Stanza 1): Connects to historical and ongoing regional conflicts. – “To be washed off / in the third century” (Stanza 3): Suggests a cyclical history of loss and renewal. – Epigraphs from Hiba Abu Nada: Integrate her historical voice into the narrative.
Reader-Response Theory 🌻	Reader-response theory focuses on the reader’s role in interpreting the text. In “New Republic”, readers bring their emotional and cultural contexts to the surreal imagery and elegiac tone. The epigraphs invite engagement with Abu Nada’s voice, prompting responses to her loss and the broader tragedy of conflict. Open-ended imagery like “walls of water” and “unseen ceilings” allows readers to project meanings such as hope, grief, or resistance. Readers familiar with the conflict may see a political elegy, while others may focus on universal themes of loss and creation.	– “O! How alone we are!” (Stanza 3): Evokes universal isolation, inviting emotional connection. – “Hang them on the walls of water / to be washed off” (Stanza 3): Open-ended imagery allows varied interpretations of transience. – “We built another castle / share its floors and words” (Stanza 2): Invites readers to imagine a hopeful, creative space.

Critical Questions about “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

1. How does the use of epigraphs from Hiba Abu Nada shape the thematic structure of the poem? 🌹

“New Republic” by Michal Rubin is deeply shaped by the epigraphs from Hiba Abu Nada, which serve as emotional and thematic anchors for each stanza. These quotes—“I grant you refuge / from hurt and suffering,” “You were first created out of love, / so carry nothing but love,” and “O! How alone we are!”—introduce themes of protection, love, and isolation, respectively, framing the poem as a dialogue between Rubin and the deceased Palestinian poet. The epigraphs create a layered narrative, blending Abu Nada’s voice with Rubin’s, suggesting a shared experience across cultural and temporal boundaries. In Stanza 1, the epigraph sets a tone of compassion, leading into imagery of a “sea of salt” where drowning is impossible, symbolizing resilience amidst conflict. Stanza 2’s epigraph emphasizes love, reflected in the collaborative act of building a “castle” in “deep sand,” a metaphor for poetry as resistance. The final epigraph’s cry of loneliness in Stanza 3 underscores the transient “walls of water,” highlighting the impermanence of art against ongoing loss. By weaving Abu Nada’s words into the poem, Rubin honors her legacy while constructing a “New Republic” of shared grief and creative defiance, making the epigraphs integral to the poem’s elegiac and hopeful structure.

2. What role does the surreal imagery play in conveying the poem’s emotional and political undertones? 🌸

“New Republic” by Michal Rubin employs surreal imagery to convey profound emotional and political undertones, creating a dreamlike yet poignant commentary on loss and resistance. The “sea of salt” and “world wars inside seas” in Stanza 1 evoke a fantastical yet oppressive landscape, possibly alluding to the Dead Sea or the tears of a conflict-ridden region like Palestine, reflecting the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The paradox of “drowning is not possible” suggests an enduring spirit amidst suffering, blending despair with hope. In Stanza 2, the image of building a “castle” in “deep sand” with “braided melancholy tunes” woven into “unseen ceilings” transforms grief into fragile yet meaningful creation, symbolizing poetry as a form of political and emotional resistance. Stanza 3’s “walls of water” and “painting the shadows” further this surreal quality, depicting art as both beautiful and transient in the face of cyclical violence, as creations are “washed off” in a future “third century.” This imagery allows Rubin to navigate the emotional weight of Hiba Abu Nada’s death in 2023 and the broader political context without explicit didacticism, inviting readers to feel the interplay of loss, resilience, and the search for a utopian “New Republic.”

3. How does the poem’s temporal framework of “second century” and “third century” contribute to its meaning? 🌺

“New Republic” by Michal Rubin uses the temporal references of “second century” and “third century” to create a mythic, cyclical framework that deepens the poem’s exploration of conflict, memory, and hope. In Stanza 1, “We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas” suggests a timeless continuum of violence, possibly referencing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an enduring “war” within a region marked by water and salt. This temporal abstraction elevates the poem beyond a specific historical moment, framing suffering as both historical and ongoing. In contrast, Stanza 3’s reference to the “third century,” where creations are “washed off,” projects into a distant future, implying a cyclical nature of loss and renewal. This temporal leap underscores the impermanence of human efforts, like the “walls of water” that cannot hold painted shadows, yet it also suggests a persistent hope for transformation, as the “New Republic” may emerge in a future era. By spanning centuries, Rubin connects Hiba Abu Nada’s death in 2023 to a broader human narrative, emphasizing the enduring power of poetry to preserve memory and resist erasure across time.

4. In what ways does the poem explore the theme of artistic creation as a response to loss? 🌻

“New Republic” by Michal Rubin explores artistic creation as a powerful response to loss, transforming grief into a collaborative act of resilience and legacy. The poem’s structure, built around Hiba Abu Nada’s epigraphs, positions poetry itself as a refuge, echoing the first stanza’s promise to “grant you refuge / from hurt and suffering.” In Stanza 2, the act of building “another castle” in “deep sand” with “floors and words” and “braided melancholy tunes” symbolizes the creation of art—specifically poetry—as a shared endeavor between Rubin and Abu Nada. This castle, though fragile in the shifting sands of conflict, represents a space where love and creativity endure, countering the destruction of war. Stanza 3’s image of “painting the shadows” and hanging them on “walls of water” further illustrates art’s attempt to give form and color to grief, even if transient, as these creations are destined to be “washed off.” By centering Abu Nada’s voice and weaving it into surreal imagery, Rubin underscores poetry’s role in preserving memory and resisting silence, suggesting that the “New Republic” is a metaphorical space where art transcends loss to imagine a hopeful, collective future.

Literary Works Similar to “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

1. “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou — Similar in its defiance and resilience, Angelou’s poem, like Rubin’s, transforms suffering into an act of survival and dignity.
2. “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot — Both poems weave fragmented voices and haunting imagery to reflect collective trauma and the struggle for meaning in the aftermath of violence.
3. “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen — Like Rubin’s portrayal of war’s lingering centuries, Owen’s poem exposes the brutality of conflict and challenges romanticized notions of survival.
4. “Refugee Blues” by W.H. Auden — Echoing Rubin’s theme of displacement, Auden captures the alienation and despair of those denied sanctuary, grounding universal suffering in personal voice.
5. “Home” by Warsan Shire — Much like Rubin’s imagery of seas and sand, Shire uses visceral metaphors to depict exile, memory, and the fragile search for refuge in hostile worlds.

Representative Quotations of “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“I grant you refuge / from hurt and suffering”	This epigraph from Hiba Abu Nada opens Stanza 1, setting a tone of compassion and protection. It introduces the poem’s elegiac purpose, addressing Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023, and imagines a shared space of safety amidst conflict.	Postcolonial Theory: This reflects a desire to offer refuge to marginalized voices, resisting the violence of colonial oppression by creating a poetic sanctuary. 🌹
“We lived in the second century / of world wars inside seas”	In Stanza 1, this line establishes a surreal, timeless setting of conflict, possibly alluding to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The “second century” suggests an ongoing cycle of violence.	New Historicism: The temporal reference ties the poem to the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, framing it as a prolonged, cyclical “war.” 🌺
“I drowned with you”	Also in Stanza 1, this line expresses the speaker’s solidarity with Abu Nada, sharing in her suffering as if submerged together in the “sea of salt.”	Feminist Theory: This emphasizes a bond between women, reflecting solidarity in the face of violence and loss, amplifying female experience. 🌸
“Where drowning is not possible”	This paradoxical phrase in Stanza 1 concludes the image of sinking in a “sea of salt,” suggesting resilience or an enduring spirit despite overwhelming suffering.	Postcolonial Theory: The paradox symbolizes resistance to erasure, as marginalized communities persist despite attempts to suppress them. 🌹
“You were first created out of love, / so carry nothing but love”	The epigraph to Stanza 2, quoted from Abu Nada, emphasizes love as a foundational force, guiding the stanza’s focus on creation and connection.	Feminist Theory: This highlights love as a nurturing, feminine force, centering women’s emotional and creative agency in response to loss. 🌸
“We carried nothing / but each other”	In Stanza 2, this line underscores the intimate bond between the speaker and Abu Nada, emphasizing mutual support as their sole possession in a barren landscape.	Reader-Response Theory: This invites readers to feel the emotional weight of solidarity, projecting their own experiences of connection and loss. 🌻
“We built another castle / share its floors and words”	Also in Stanza 2, this imagery depicts the creation of a fragile yet meaningful space—possibly poetry—through shared artistic effort, symbolizing hope.	Postcolonial Theory: The “castle” represents cultural resistance, a space of creation that defies colonial destruction through art and language. 🌹
“Braided melancholy tunes / into unseen ceilings”	This line in Stanza 2 personifies sorrow as woven music, integrated into an ethereal structure, blending beauty and grief in a lasting legacy.	Feminist Theory: The act of braiding tunes reflects feminine creativity, transforming grief into art that transcends physical loss. 🌸
“O! How alone we are!”	The epigraph to Stanza 3, quoted from Abu Nada, expresses profound isolation, setting the tone for the stanza’s focus on transience and loneliness.	Reader-Response Theory: This exclamation evokes universal feelings of loneliness, inviting readers to connect emotionally with the poem’s grief. 🌻
“Hang them on the walls of water / to be washed off”	In Stanza 3, this image of painting shadows and hanging them on transient “walls of water” reflects the impermanence of art in the face of time and conflict.	New Historicism: The “walls of water” tie to the cyclical nature of history in the Israeli-Palestinian context, where creations are temporary yet meaningful. 🌺

Suggested Readings: “New Republic” by Michal Rubin

1. Rumens, Carol. “Poem of the Week: New Republic by Michal Rubin.” The Guardian, 25 Aug. 2025, www.theguardian.com/books/2025/aug/25/poem-of-the-week-new-republic-by-michal-rubin