Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Voice" is a poem by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1912. The poem reflects on the memory of a lost love, and explores the themes of grief, loss, and the passage of time.

The poem is structured as a series of five stanzas, each of which describes a different aspect of the speaker's experience. In the first stanza, the speaker describes hearing the voice of his lost love in the wind, suggesting that her memory continues to haunt him even after her death.

In the second stanza, the speaker reflects on the memories of his lost love, and suggests that they are like a ghostly presence that lingers on long after her death.

In the third stanza, the speaker reflects on the pain and grief of losing a loved one, and suggests that even the passage of time cannot completely heal the wounds of loss.

In the fourth stanza, the speaker imagines a conversation with his lost love, and suggests that her memory continues to provide him with comfort and solace even after her death.

In the final stanza, the speaker reflects on the inevitability of death and the passage of time, and suggests that even the memory of his lost love will eventually fade away.

Overall, "The Voice" is a powerful and moving poem that explores the themes of grief, loss, and the passage of time. Through his use of vivid language and imagery, Hardy creates a sense of the haunting and persistent nature of memory, and offers a poignant meditation on the enduring power of love and the impact of loss on the human experience.

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