Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Paul Verlaine's "A Bad Sleeper" explores the complexities and contradictions of love through the motif of sleep, often viewed as a sanctuary of peace and restoration but portrayed here as a fraught and intense realm. The poem captures the emotional ambiguity inherent in the experience of love, where joy and pain, desire and detachment, constantly intermingle.

Verlaine begins by presenting the protagonist as "a bad sleeper," whose restlessness becomes a "joy" for the speaker. This initial contrast of sleeplessness and joy serves as an invitation into a layered narrative. The joy could derive from the speaker's satisfaction in being near the lover, even if that closeness is wrought with tension. There is a sense of intoxicating intimacy, described as "so near to me that I believe he inflames me." The heat and fervor become almost palpable, hinting at both emotional and physical closeness. This is not just proximity; it is an enveloping force that ripples through the speaker's "ravished and trembling body."

However, as the poem progresses, we encounter less harmonious aspects of love. The lover's body is described with conflicting adjectives like "deliriously dreamy," "sudden," "mutinous," "malicious," "stubborn," and "whorish." This bouquet of descriptors captures a multi-faceted, unpredictable individual, with whom love is as volatile as it is passionate. The love described is not merely comforting or simplistic; it has the potential to "pierce my flesh," evoking both vulnerability and an element of danger or discomfort.

But even within this fluctuating emotional landscape, there is an inherent reciprocity. Whether through soothing or engulfing, the love is not one-sided: "And my spirit, out of happiness, will submerge and overwhelm him." The exchange between the lovers may be complex, but it is mutual; they both participate in this intricate dance of emotion and sensation.

The poem ends with a Latin phrase, "Totus in benigno positus!" which can be translated as "Placed entirely in kindness!" The ending evokes a sense of surrender and acceptance. Despite the tumultuous emotions and uncertainties described, there remains a core of tenderness and benevolence. The speaker seems to submit to the complexity of love, embracing it as a paradoxical but precious experience.

In "A Bad Sleeper," Verlaine beautifully portrays the intricate emotions of love as a struggle between proximity and distance, vulnerability and power, joy and discomfort. Through the lens of sleep-a universally sought comfort-the poem uncovers the bewildering depths of human relationships, in all their fascinating contradiction and complexity.