Venus Transiens (Amy Lowell) by Amy Lowell
The speaker asks whether Venus, rising from the waves on a shell in Botticelli’s vision, could be more beautiful than the beloved. He contrasts Botticelli’s painted rosebuds with his own words, which he scatters around the beloved’s overwhelming loveliness like a veil of silvery mist. To him, the beloved stands suspended in vivid blue air, surrounded by bright winds and walking on sunlight, while the waves that come before her stir the sand at his feet.
By Amy Lowell · First published 1930 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Imagism · 167 words
First lines
Tell me, / Was Venus more beautiful / Than you are, / When she topped / The crinkled waves, / Drifting shoreward / On her plaited shell? / Was Botticelli's vision / Fairer than mine; / And were the painted rosebuds / He tossed his lady, / Of better worth / Than the words I blow about you / To cover your too great loveliness / As with a gauze / Of misted silver?
For me, / You stand poised / In the blue and buoyant air, / Cinctured by bright winds, / Treading the sunlight.
And the waves which precede you / Ripple and stir / The sands at my feet.
What this Textopian page supports
Venus Transiens (Amy Lowell) is listed on Textopian as a poem by Amy Lowell, dated 1930 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Amy Lowell
- Date: 1930 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Imagism, Symbolism, Love Poetry
- Length: 167 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
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- Work identity for Venus Transiens (Amy Lowell) by Amy Lowell
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses personal emotions and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Romanticism — Themes of beauty, nature, and idealized love align with Romantic ideals.
- Imagism — The vivid imagery and focus on precise language reflect the principles of Imagism.
- Symbolism — The use of symbols, such as Venus and nature, conveys deeper meanings beyond the literal.
Tags
poetry · modernism · imagism · nature · love · emotion · sensuality · beauty · transience · feminine · symbolism · introspection