Appreciation of “The Glory of the Garden”

YAN+Li-li

1 General Evaluation

This poem portrays a vivid picture of Englands beautiful scenery， and sets up lovely images of those diligent gardeners. This is a fresh lively poem from a panoramic view. Words are orderly arranged to render a fluent rhythm that makes the whole poem smooth and pleasant. Many things are referred to as reply for writing require.

2 Further Analysis

In this poem， Rudyard kipling presents many details and does name –listing of things closrly related to gardening. A line by line paraphrase will show my views on his writing means.

“Our England is a garden that is full of stately views.” This is a general leading sentence . “Garden and Stately “ are two key words presenting the landscape of England. In the following lines the writer begins his detail-representing. Merely within the first two stanzas are over twenty things concerned， not in chaos， not senseless name-stacking， but proper words orderly arranged one after another like delicate pearls threaded into a necklace. For instance， in the second line of the first stanza， there are five things listed in an order according to their size. “of borders， beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues.” These specially choosed images are functional to stand for the gardening construction of England.

In this poem，some rhetorical methods are also used. In the line “ with statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by”， there is a contrast between “statues “ and “peacocks”， as “statues “ are silence and still while “peacocks” are lively and vigorous. The two reflecting each other add much fun to the poem.

“But the glory of the garden lies in more than meets the eye.” This is a transitional line which functiuons to introduce the second stanza， in which some gardening tools are listed out， indicating that the flowery England is actually contrasted by hard work.

The second stanza contains two contrasts. “old thick laurels “ and “thin red wall come in the first line. The sharp vision contrast of “thick and thin”， and clear color contrast of “red and green”（which is color of the laurels） are good devices to deepen readers impression. Whats more， the contrast between “cold-frames” and “hot-houses” is better.This is a fleeling contrast which builds up upon readers imagration.

The two shrewd rhetorical devices demonstrate the writers talent of writing from a special angel.

In the following stanzas the writer sings high praise for people who “told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise”. Under writers pen， England is like a garden in which every worker takes his responsibility and does his contribution. In such a garden， anyone who sitting in the shade will bhe ashamed of his laziness when others “go out and start their working lives”， because “the glory of the garden occupieth all who come. Even “broken dinner-knives “ are used for “grubbing weeds from grave paths”. This detail shows the noble working ethic of Englishman that they utilize anything they can get to construct their “garden”. Here “broken dinner-knives” is a good image which expresses appropriately the regards and carefulness the gardeners pour into their work.

Stanza six snd seven further state the working situation in the garden. There are no jobs minor or inferior， but always “ some needful jobs thats crying to be done”. As far as one devotes his time and energy to the constructional process， he will find himself “a partner in the glory of the garden”. Since everyone keeps a healthy concept about his work， the garden thus takes on a harminious working atomosphere. Narration of the gardeners takes up half length of his poem， through which the writer builds up images of those honorable men who have devoted much to the construction of England.

In the last stanza the writer breathes out a warm wish：”The glory of the garden it shall never pass away！”

His optimism and patriotism to England shows forth on paper.

3 The poetic beauty of this poem

This poem accompanies with its narration a fluent thythem and regular rhyme. It is a heptameter with four lines of a stanza， in which every two close lines are of the same rhyme. It is like a song that can be delicately sung out， or like a lyric to be properly read and recited.

作者簡介

閆莉莉（1982-），講師，研究方向：英語教育&英美文學。