"TO MARGUERITE: CONTINUED"

-Matthew Arnold

(Line by line explanation)

STANZA 1
Line 1
 The poem begins with a metaphor comparing human beings to islands in a vast sea,
separated from one another by the ocean's expanse.
 The speaker begins by agreeing ("Yes!") with the idea that humans are like islands, isolated
in the vast "sea of life".
 The word "enisled" suggests that we are surrounded by an expanse of water which could
symbolise life's challenges and experiences which separates us from one another.
 Yes! We are stored, preserved in the sea of life.

Line 2

 The straits (narrow passages of water) represent the emotional or physical barriers that
exist between people.
 These barriers "echo" or resound and repeat, perhaps the sounds of the missed connections
or the longing to reach others, but ultimately, they serve to keep people apart.

Line 3

 Humans are like isolated "dots" or islands scattered across a limitless and "shoreless"
expanse.
 This "watery wild" emphasizes the vastness and unpredictability of life, which further
separates individuals.

Line 4

 The speaker makes a stark declaration that, despite the millions of people on earth, each
individual lives in isolation or "alone".
 Like isolated dots or islands on this huge shoreless ocean we humans live alone, although he
ironically uses the word "millions".
 It's ironic that we exist in such a huge number but in truth we "live alone".
Line 5

 "Enclasping" means to embrace, hold tight

 Here the islands or people are aware and they feel and know the "enclasping flow" or the
embrace of the sea.
 The sea could represent the pressures and forces of life that surround and isolate them.

Line 6

 The islands/human beings know and understand of these boundaries - their limits.
 They realise how separated and confined they are.
 The word "endless" conveys the sense that these boundaries are so big, so huge, vast and
unbridgeable, impassable and unreachable.

STANZA 2

Line 7

 The moon is often a symbol of reflection and illumination. The moon's light is soft, indirect
and mysterious making it suitable for revealing things that are normally hidden or too
difficult to see during the brightness of day.
 In this context, it could represent moments of introspection or clarity when people become
more aware of their loneliness.
 The "hollows" of the islands are symbolic of people's inner emotional landscapes or hidden,
empty spaces within themselves. The hollows themselves represent the inner emotional
voids that people carry.
 Here, when the moonlight shines onto the hollows of the islands, it can be understood as a
metaphor of introspection where individuals are forced to confront their inner emptiness,
vulnerabilities or deep-seated loneliness.

Line 8

 Matthew Arnold introduces the image of Spring, which symbolises renewal, growth and
hope. Spring is often associated with new beginnings and the reawakening of nature.
 The "balms of spring" are presented as a gentle, restorative force. It implies a soothing and
healing quality, as a balm is something that brings comfort or eases pain.
 For the isolated individuals (the islands with their hollows) these balms represent fleeting
but soothing emotions or experiences - possibly moments of love,hope or the promise of a
connection.
 The balms are symbolic of the brief moments of emotional warmth or optimism.

Line 9

 The poet uses the imagery of "glens" and "starry nights" to evoke feelings of quiet
isolation,beauty and contemplation. (A glen is a narrow and secluded valley often located in
a remote area)
 Within the context of the poem, the glens represent the innermost emotional spaces of
individuals. Perhaps they also represent their private thoughts, hidden feelings and personal
reflections.
 Just as a glen is nestled away, far from the busyness of the outside world, these emotional
"glens" are places where individuals retreat within themselves to reflect, away from the
distractions of external life.
 Glens are not just symbols of isolation, they are also places of natural beauty and tranquility.
The serene and protected atmosphere of a glen allows for moments of reflection and
peace,even amidst solitude.
 The phrase "starry nights" suggests that in these moments of isolation (in their glens),
individuals may look to the stars for comfort and guidance. The stars could perhaps
represent distant, unattainable dreams or the beauty of something larger than themselves.
 They starry sky is a symbol of hope.
Line 10
 Nightingales are famed for their melodious song, which has inspired countless poets to
use them as symbols of transcendence, emotional expression, inspiration and beauty.
 Arnold uses the nightingale's song as a metaphor for moments of emotional upliftment
or connection that interrupt the otherwise persistent sense of isolation of the poem.
 The sound is like a blessing or a gift from the divine.
 In the poem, the islands are depicted as emotionally separated from one another, but
the song of the nightingale offers a brief reprieve/suspension/postponement from this
deep loneliness.

Line 11 & 12

 The poet continues the metaphor of islands as isolated individuals, but here, he
introduces the idea that communication and connection between these isolated
individuals is possible, even if it is fleeting and limited.
 He suggests that something beautiful and meaningful like the song of the nightingale or
the shared emotions between individuals can transcend barriers. It can surpass or go
beyond these barriers.
 The "lovely notes" represent moments where people despite their separation are able
to reach out and connect emotionally or spiritually, much like how the nightingale's
song bridges the silence between the islands.

STANZA 3

Line 13 & 14

 The poet is expressing an intense feeling of yearning or desire, which is so strong that it
feels almost like despair- a sense of deep hopelessness. The phrase "to the farthest
caverns sent" suggests that this powerful emotion is being felt deep inside, reaching the
innermost parts of their soul or being, as if it is travelling to the deepest, most hidden
places within them.
 In simpler terms, the poet is saying that the longing is so overwhelming that it
penetrates every part of their being, even the deepest most unreachable parts.
 It is a metaphor for how consuming and intense this feeling of longing for connection is.

Line 15 & 16

 The poet is conveying the idea that, long ago human beings or the isolated islands were
like two parts of a single connected landmass or continent.
 There was a time when they were deeply connected, but now they have drifted apart.
 Much like how continents were once joined together, so were the islands and now they
have parted ways and have become disconnected.
 However, they still have or preserve the feeling or memory of the unity they once had
with one another.

Line 17 & 18

 The image of a wide watery expanse strengthens the idea that people, like islands, are
emotionally distanced from one another, living their own self-contained world's,
separated by this figurative sea of life.
 "Now around us spreads this watery plain" simply means we are surrounded by the
vastness of the sea or the vastness of life's difficulties and complexity.
 The word "marges" refers to borders or edges particularly the shorelines of islands.
 The poet is expressing a deep yearning for the shores of these metaphorical islands to
come together once more. He desires individuals to connect and come together once
more.

STANZA 4

Line 19 & 20

 This part of the poem questions who or what governs or drives human longing- who is
responsible for the fact that people experience intense emotional desires, symbolised
here as "fire".
 Arnold seems to be asking why humans are made to feel such powerful, burning
longings, especially for connection and fulfillment.
 He highlights the fleeting nature of human desires. Once the "longing's fire" is kindled or
started- once people begin to feel their desires and passions, they are quickly "cool'd" or
diminished.
 In these lines, the poet is expressing a sense of frustration with the short-lived and often
unfulfilled nature of human desires. He questions why human longing is so intense when
it arises but seems destined to quickly cool, fade or go unmet.

Line 21 & 22

 Arnold is asking a rhetorical question here, reflecting on who or what is responsible for
human beings' deepest desires to be futile, vain and pointless.
 By asking "who renders vain", the poet questions why humans are destined to long for
things they cannot attain, as if some force is preventing the fulfillment of these desires.
 In the lines "A God, a God their severance ruled" , Arnold answers his own question,
declaring that it is a god or divine force that rules their severance, meaning it is some
higher power that governs the separation or isolation between people.

Line 23 & 24

 "bade"- command/order
 "betwixt"- an old-fashioned word for 'between'
 "unplumb'd"- unmeasured/unfathomable
 "estranging"- alienating/creating distance
 The poet continues to compare human beings to islands separated by vast bodies of
water. He suggests that a divine force has commanded or caused the "estranging sea" to
exist between them.
 He suggests that this divine power has commanded that something must exist between
the shores of these islands.
 He says that the sea between individuals is vast and immeasurable, representing the
profound emotional and existential distance between people.