Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"This Love" by Jacques Prevert is a poignant portrayal of love in its myriad manifestations, ranging from its most joyous highs to its most despairing lows. It captures the contradictory nature of love, a feeling that is "so violent" yet "so fragile," "so tender" yet "so hopeless." Prevert's language is immediate and visceral, creating a sort of emotional panorama that explores both the personal and the universal.

Love, as described in the poem, is paradoxical. It is violent and fragile, yet also tender. The terms used-"beautiful as the day" and "wretched as the weather when the weather is wretched"-illustrate its transformative power and its capacity for both immense joy and immense sorrow. It is "real" but also "ridiculous," fluctuating between self-assurance and fear. Prevert acknowledges the raw human emotions involved in love, not shying away from its darker aspects like gossip and the draining of "colour from their cheeks."

But despite these darker dimensions, the love Prevert speaks of is "still so alive," resilient and enduring. It is "obstinate as a mule," tenacious in its ability to persist despite adversity. The poet conveys that love can be "as cruel as the memory" or "as tender as the memory," indicating that it is the remembrance of love-whether good or bad-that ultimately shapes our emotional landscapes.

The duality and paradoxical nature of love are further emphasized by the poet's use of contrasting imagery and juxtapositions. Love is depicted as both "warm and as alive as the summer" and "as cold as marble." It possesses the delicacy of an infant and the constancy of a plant, ever-growing and ever-present. These contrasts reflect the complex emotional tapestry that constitutes love, revealing its ability to exist in multiple dimensions simultaneously.

Towards the end of the poem, the speaker offers a plea to love. Even though love can bring pain and anguish, it is also the only thing that makes life worth living: "We had only you on this earth." The appeal to love to "stay there" and to "not let us grow cold" suggests the speaker's acknowledgment of love's essential role in human life, even if it is fraught with challenges.

While Prevert's portrayal of love is one of contradictions and complexities, it is precisely this multifaceted nature that makes it relatable. He captures the universality of the human experience, addressing not only "you" and "I," but also "all those who love / And who are loved." The poem becomes a communal experience, a collective understanding of what it means to love and be loved, despite or perhaps because of, its inherent contradictions.

Ultimately, "This Love" serves as both a lamentation and a celebration, a tribute to love's incredible capacity to uplift and devastate, to empower and to debilitate. It captures the enigma that is love, an emotion that is at once simple in its universality and profoundly complex in its individual experience.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...