My Voice by Oscar Wilde (1891)
The work explores themes of love, loss, and the passage of time through a reflective and melancholic lens. The speaker reminisces about a past relationship filled with joy and passion, contrasting it with the present state of sorrow and emptiness. The imagery of a ship's sails being furled symbolizes the end of a journey, while the references to weeping and waning beauty highlight the emotional toll of lost happiness. The speaker expresses a sense of betrayal by the fleeting nature of joy, suggesting that the vibrant experiences once shared have now faded into mere memories. The use of musical metaphors, such as the lyre and lute, emphasizes the ephemeral quality of love, likening it to beautiful but transient sounds. The sea, often a symbol of depth and mystery, serves as a backdrop for the speaker's introspection, suggesting that the echoes of past love linger but are ultimately unattainable. As the narrative unfolds, the speaker grapples with the weight of sorrow and the inevitability of ruin, reflecting on how the vibrancy of youth has been overshadowed by grief. The work captures the essence of nostalgia, illustrating how the beauty of past moments can become a source of pain when contrasted with present desolation. The emotional landscape is rich with longing, as the speaker seeks to reconcile the joy once experienced with the sorrow that now defines their existence. Ultimately, the piece serves as a poignant meditation on the complexities of love and the human experience, revealing how deeply intertwined joy and sorrow can be. The exploration of these themes resonates with the universal struggle to find meaning in the face of loss, making the work a timeless reflection on the nature of relationships and the passage of time.
By Oscar Wilde · First published 1891 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Lyric · 141 words
First lines
Within this restless, hurried, modern world We took our hearts' full pleasure -- You and I, And now the white sails of our ship are furled, And spent the lading of our argosy.
Wherefore my cheeks before their time are wan, For very weeping is my gladness fled, Sorrow has paled my young mouth's vermilion, And Ruin draws the curtains of my bed.
But all this crowded life has been to thee No more than lyre, or lute, or subtle spell Of viols, or the music of the sea That sleeps, a mimic echo, in the shell.
What this Textopian page supports
My Voice is listed on Textopian as a poem by Oscar Wilde, dated 1891 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Oscar Wilde
- Date: 1891 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Lyric, Symbolism, Modernism
- Length: 141 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse and employs poetic devices, focusing on emotional expression and aesthetic beauty.
- Romanticism — Themes of love, beauty, and emotional depth align with Romantic ideals, emphasizing personal experience and nature.
- Lyric — The text expresses personal feelings and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Symbolism — The use of imagery and metaphor reflects Symbolist tendencies, conveying deeper meanings through symbols.
Tags
Autobiography · Memoir · Biographical · Literary · Philosophical · Social Commentary · Personal Narrative · Self-Discovery · Coming of Age · Identity Crisis · Existentialism · Human Condition