Symbolist Poetry Movement: Reflection

The Symbolism poetry movement was a French poetry movement that attempted to express the feelings of everyday reality. This movement went against naturalism and realism that had come before. Symbolism instead delved into spirituality, the imagination, and dreams. Strong emotions were emphasized and poems were written in freer verse than they had been previously. Symbolism interprets everyday experiences in interesting ways in order to capture its reality and true feelings. After reading several symbolist poems it is clear that the poets delve into the ordinary and find its meaning rather than writing about the ideal. One way the poets accomplish this is through their imaginative word choices. Another aspect that stands out is the use of rhyme in all the poems. Stéphane Mallarmé uses interesting word choices and combinations to enrich his poems. In “Sea-Wind” he creates the line, “ancient gardens mirrored in the eyes.” In “Moonlight” Paul Verlaine also uses creative word choices, to describe moonlight he uses the phrase “lovely melancholy light.” In Verlaine’s “Like city’s rain, my heart…” he expresses his own emotions by comparing them to the rain. Verlaine is inventive in his poem “For Charles Baudelaire” as he addresses Charles Baudelaire who is another Symbolist poet. Baudelaire gets at unique ideas in his poetry. In “Beauty” he explores death within beauty. In “The Dance of Death” he contrasts death with life to evoke the feelings of death. In “The Eyes of Beauty” he uses strong imagery to convey his thoughts and his lost ability to love. Arthur Rimbaud also uses imagery in his poem “Ophelia” as he evokes the feelings of her drowning. In “Dance of the Hanged Men” Rimbaud ironically uses a playful tone to discuss the dead. Laforgue’s poem “Harlequins (they have principles)” uses a style different from many of the other poems. He includes parts of a conversation within his poem. Each of the Symbolist poems I read express emotions in unique, powerful ways. They focus on the mood and are mainly concerned with the feelings their poems evoke.