Edward Estlin Cummings, born in 1894 and known as E.E. Cummings, was an American poet. He was the second most widely read poet in the United States, following Robert Frost. Cummings gained immense popularity, particularly among younger readers, for his experimental approach to poetry. He pushed the boundaries by experimenting with form, punctuation, spelling, and syntax. His poems often delve into the themes of love, war, and sex, using a simplistic language and disregarding traditional techniques to offer innovative means of poetic expression.
“Somewhere I have never travelled” is a highly acclaimed poem that explores the narrator’s deep connection to his lover. The poem’s title holds a significant romantic meaning, although it may seem complex at first glance. As the speaker delves deeper into the poem, it becomes clear that the title symbolizes the power of the lover’s touch to penetrate every aspect of the narrator’s being.
The speaker’s frequent references to roses and fragility may be viewed as mildly sexist, suggesting that women are delicate and vulnerable. However, the fragility he is alluding to does not imply a lack of strength – physical, mental, or emotional – in his beloved. Rather, he is appreciating the intricacies of her being, which he explores through various levels of interaction and love – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. She is portrayed as fragile because any action he takes has a profound impact on her, resulting in a metaphorical sense of “death and forever” with each breath. The speaker considers any change he produces in her as potentially harmful, as though breaking her.
The idea of “fragility” can also have a powerful effect, as it is “the power of your intense fragility”. In this poem, the notion of frailness/fragility is paradoxical. Despite finding his beloved fragile, the speaker’s emotions and spirit are deeply affected. The quotation “Whose texture compels me with the colour of its countries” refers to her infinite complexity, with many undiscovered aspects the speaker has yet to explore in his love for her. This leads to the concept of “death and forever with each breathing”. Each small action on the speaker’s part, such as breathing, changes his beloved. This causes the death of who she was before his breath, allowing for eternal love. As portrayed in the title “somewhere I have never travelled”, this fragility allows for constantly discovering new regions of love and a new person to love. The phrase “death and forever” captures the speaker’s deep feelings, like a sudden plunge in his heart. His love is profound, full of ache, hope, and wonder.
With his use of diction, E.E. Cummings presents an ambiguous language that allows for multiple interpretations. The gentle yet powerful and passionate meaning expressed through his choice of words effectively mesmerizes the reader, combining vivid imagery with intense language. The entire poem is a metaphor, as the narrator compares their lover’s qualities to those of a rose. Although the word “love” is never explicitly mentioned, the essence of love is eloquently conveyed.
The text highlights constant imagery of nature, such as the opening and closing of flowers, the changing seasons, and references to the sense of touch. It brings attention to the closeness of the lovers and emphasizes their spontaneous nature and preference for intuition and feeling rather than logic. Additionally, the repeated use of the words “close” and “open” signifies the woman’s power over the man who loves her. She has the ability to open him up like spring opens a rose or close him off like snow closes a flower. Once again, the language used invokes images of nature, symbolizing the strength and vitality of their love.
The poem focuses on nature and its connection to the subject, showcasing its serenity, comfort, and beauty. The two lovers do not communicate verbally, but their eyes express their unexplainable emotions, demonstrating the depth of their connection. The poem is structured with five quatrains, with no rhyme evident in the first four but present in the final quatrain. This distinction in structure could serve various purposes, possibly highlighting a difference between the last stanza and the previous four.
The speaker expresses their thoughts on the qualities of their beloved and how they affect them in the first four stanzas. Adverbs and parentheses are used frequently to emphasize certain words or phrases, such as “touching skilfully, mysteriously beautifully, suddenly.” This allows the poet to provide a more precise definition and qualification. The rhyme in the final stanza highlights the poem’s conclusion, where the speaker confesses their love and asserts the impact of everything previously mentioned. The speaker understands that the depth of their beloved’s eyes surpasses that of any roses.
The final line of the final quatrain expresses a profound message that stands out in the entire poem—“nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands”. This line reinforces the poet’s previous statements about how deeply his lover can touch him. One possible interpretation is that the mention of “small hands” is a metaphor commonly associated with incompetence or the inability to achieve much. In this context, the poet may be referring to himself as someone who is helpless in the face of intense and fragile love, highlighting the strong connection he shares with his lover in this poem.
The line “Not even the rain” symbolizes the powerful and delicate nature of rain and its ability to evoke emotions. It can also be interpreted as the speaker’s beloved possessing small hands, while the speaker represents a rose. When it rains, closed roses open without being harmed, just like how the beloved has “opened up” the speaker and made them feel comfortable enough to open up to others.
The rain’s ability to infiltrate every crevice and hole in the ground and touch everything is similar to the person being referred to. This person’s “hands” are so small that they manage to intricately reach every aspect of his life, surpassing even the precision and coverage of rain. In fact, “nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands” that can touch his heart so completely.
This poem possesses a distinctive quality, allowing for numerous interpretations that consistently highlight the speaker’s emotions. The cryptic words and phrases employed lack rational justification, compelling readers to delve deeply in search of concealed connotations. Nevertheless, this poem may be perceived as one of the most accurate linguistic representations of love.
