Poem: The Silken Tent ( Line by line understanding)

LINE BY LINE  ANALYSIS :

Line 1:

     The poem commences with the pronoun 'She' that may be taken as the poet's beloved representing the whole woman folk. The poet basically draws an analogy between the woman and a silken tent. He says that she is as a silken tent. The word 'silken' shows the gentleness and softness of the woman and tent indicates that she is a protector in the field i.e the cruel world. The line actually conveys the message that 'a woman is a pleasant refuge in the coldness of the world like a silken tent'.

Line 2:

    In the second line, the setting of the 'midday' is revealed in the sunny summer. Moreover, there is breeze which creates a pleasant picture in the mind of the reader. It's a connotation of good time.

Line 3:

  The first three lines are written using the technique of enjambment i.e; a single thought is continued as a comma is placed after the third line. So the poet says that when the sunny summer breeze stirs the tent the dew drops are dried and the ropes of the tent surrender i.e; loosen.

Line 4:

 'So that' in the beginning of the line shows that due to the loosening of the ropes, it gently moves. This illustrates that in the pleasant times, a woman is free to move, free to fly.

Line 5:

 The 'central cedar pole' is the one which holds the tent and it gives support to the whole tent. This means that all the functions that the tent performs depends upon this pole that is 'central' in its position. 

Line 6:

 In the next line the poet describes the attributes of the pole that it is 'pinnacle to heavenward' i.e; it is as high as touching the heavens. This describes the strength of the central pole. 

Line 7: 

 In this line, the poet reveals that what the central pole actually is. He says that it is the 'sureness of the soul' i.e; the faith of the woman that is holding her or the silken tent. He is illustrating the importance of the soul. It can also be taken as a symbol of women's importance that she is the center of the world holding the silken tent in this cruel world.

Line 8:

 In this line, the word 'seems' is self-explanatory. It indicates that apparently the tent or the woman  seems to be free. It doesn't seem to be tied to any 'single cord'. But the word 'seems' shows that reality is vice versa.

Line 9:

  In the very next line, the poet elaborates the above said idea. He explains that although she is not strictly bound, she is loosely held. This notion paradoxically alludes to the woman's freedom within confinement.

Line 10:

These cords that are holding a woman are actually ''silken ties of love and thought'' i.e; the relationships around her are holding her. A woman apart from all her relations is a human, an independent human.But what always compel her to offer sacrifices is her ties of love for her relatives and the thought of their betterment. And these ties are 'countless' which indicate that every relation around her either as a daughter or a sister or a mother or a wife, demands certain duties from her. While the word 'silken' indicates that these ties are so soft that she is not aware of these ties.

Line 11:

 The poet is applauding the women folk in this beautiful line that she is held by the silken ties  to everything around her. All her duties all her relations bound her.

Line 12:

  She is unmindful to this confinement. This bondage will appear as soon as it is stretched even slightly. This explains that although these ties are silken in nature but when they are stretched or tighten, they are painful.

Line 13:

 The word ''capriciousness'' is the key word in this line as well as in this poem.  The  unpredictable nature of the summer air is the teacher informing her about the bondage. As in the summer air, the tent has to face harsh conditions, in the same way a woman becomes aware of her crippling freedom only in the bad times. Summer air is a connotation for hard times and capriciousness refers to its unreliability. In this line the poet is saying that when bad time will come, she would become aware of these silken ties.

Line 14:

 In the last line, the poet emphasizes that the slightest bondage would be revealed only when a tough situation will occur. As the poet is talking about her beloved, so according to one interpretation, he is praising her. He is may be trying to allude that she could not fulfill their love demands because she is bound but he doesn't seem to be angry instead he respects her and accolades her dignity.

                                            What makes this poem unique is that a woman is being praised not for her beauty but for her strength and devotion. It also highlights her importance that she gives a refuge by bearing all the troubles. And it's also a love poem describing the love that the poet feels for her and the pain that they have to bear in this love affair due to the countless silken ties to which she is bound.