May Afternoon
The poem explores the theme of nostalgia and longing for a past time and place. The speaker describes a serene and idyllic afternoon scene, evoking a sense of tranquility and peacefulness. However, this atmosphere is juxtaposed with the speaker's inner turmoil and melancholy, as they reflect on the passing of time and the loss of youthful innocence.
By Carlos Drummond de Andrade · First published 1951 · Genre: Poetry, Existentialism, Modernism · 360 words
First lines
Like primitive men who devoutly hold on to the lower jawbone of their dead, so I hold you, May afternoon, when fires were redly consuming the earth and a far more devastating, unseen flameraged quietly under my comic features and left all across the burning ground, disjecta membra, my soul's condemned, still throbbing pieces, which never before or after revealed such fruitless nobility.
But primitive men appeal to their relic for health and rain, a good harvest, the enemy's defeat, this or that miracle.
What this Textopian page supports
May Afternoon is listed on Textopian as a poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, dated 1951 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Carlos Drummond de Andrade
- Date: 1951 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Existentialism, Modernism, Romanticism, Philosophical Fiction
- Length: 360 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Poetry — The text is highly lyrical, with a focus on imagery, emotion, and metaphor.
- Existentialism — Themes of existential crisis, the passage of time, and the search for meaning are prevalent.
- Modernism — The writing style and themes reflect modernist concerns with fragmentation and the inner self.
- Romanticism — There is an emphasis on individual emotion and the sublime, particularly in relation to nature and love.
Tags
Brazilian Literature · Poetry · Modernism · Stream-of-Consciousness · Free Verse · Experimental · Lyrical · Introspective · Philosophical · Psychological Insight · Self-Discovery · Memory