Shivpreet Singh

In the book Journal of a Solitude, the poet May Sarton once wrote that “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is richness of self.”

Poems can be companions when you are alone. In his poem, The Day is Done, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow invites a poem to soothe his feelings, and in turns soothes anyone who reads his words:

Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.

The following poems soothe my feelings:

Tagore - Jodi Tor Dak Shune

Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,

Êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo re.

Jodi keu kôtha na kôe, ore ore o ôbhaga,

Jodi shôbai thake mukh firaee shôbai kôre bhôe---

Tôbe pôran khule

O tui mukh fuţe tor moner kôtha êkla bôlo re.

Jodi shôbai fire jae, ore ore o ôbhaga,

Jodi gôhon pôthe jabar kale keu fire na chae---

Tôbe pôther kãţa

O tui rôktomakha chôrontôle êkla dôlo re.

Jodi alo na dhôre, ore ore o ôbhaga,

Jodi jhôŗ-badole ãdhar rate duar dêe ghôre---

Tôbe bojranôle

Apon buker pãjor jalie nie êkla jôlo re.

Tagore's English translation

If they answer not to thy call walk alone,

If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,

O thou unlucky one,

open thy mind and speak out alone.

If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,

O thou unlucky one,

trample the thorns under thy tread,

and along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,

O thou unlucky one,

with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart

and let it burn alone.

William Stafford - Royalty in Desperation

A Story That Could Be True

If you were exchanged in the cradle and

your real mother died

without ever telling the story

then no one knows your name,

and somewhere in the world

your father is lost and needs you

but you are far away.

He can never find

how true you are, how ready.

When the great wind comes

and the robberies of the rain

you stand on the corner shivering.

The people who go by—

you wonder at their calm.

They miss the whisper that runs

any day in your mind,

“Who are you really, wanderer?”—

and the answer you have to give

no matter how dark and cold

the world around you is:

“Maybe I’m a king.”

- William Stafford

Guru Arjan - Bhinni Rainariye

The night is beautiful

but everyone is asleep

Still, the saints are awake

they are awake day and night

to see the stars twinkling in the sky

and in the dewdrops on petals and sepals

Song by Adrienne Rich

Song

“You’re wondering if I’m lonely;
OK then, yes, I’m lonely
as a plane rides lonely and level
on its radio beam, aiming
across the Rockies
for the blue-strung aisles
of an airfield on the ocean

You want to ask, am I lonely?
Well, of course, lonely
as a woman driving across country
day after day, leaving behind
mile after mile
little towns she might have stopped
and lived and died in, lonely

If I’m lonely
it must be the loneliness
of waking first, of breathing
dawn’s first cold breath on the city
of being the one awake
in a house wrapped in sleep

If I’m lonely
it’s with the rowboat ice-fast on the shore
in the last red light of the year
that knows what it is, that knows it’s neither
ice nor mud nor winter light
but wood, with a gift for burning”

—Adrienne Rich

Unto my books - Emily Dickinson

Unto my books so good to turn
Far ends of tired days;
It half endears the abstinence,
And pain is missed in praise.

As flavors cheer retarded guests
With banquetings to be,
So spices stimulate the time
Till my small library.

It may be wilderness without,
Far feet of failing men,
But holiday excludes the night,
And it is bells within.

I thank these Kinsmen of the Shelf;
Their countenances bland
Enamour in prospective,
And satisfy, obtained.

- Emily Dickinson

Acquainted with the Night - Robert Frost

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;

And further still at an unearthly height,

One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been one acquainted with the night.

- Robert Frost

The one thing I probably have common with other introverts is that we love being alone. So despite all the restrictions of the pandemic, hasn't it truly been a wonderful year where we haven't had to make social obligations? I think so! I have had a lot of time to read at beautiful poetry like the one by Adrienne Rich here. Happy to be secluded in what Emily Dickinson would call her Kinsmen of the Shelf.

Song

“You’re wondering if I’m lonely;
OK then, yes, I’m lonely
as a plane rides lonely and level
on its radio beam, aiming
across the Rockies
for the blue-strung aisles
of an airfield on the ocean

You want to ask, am I lonely?
Well, of course, lonely
as a woman driving across country
day after day, leaving behind
mile after mile
little towns she might have stopped
and lived and died in, lonely

If I’m lonely
it must be the loneliness
of waking first, of breathing
dawn’s first cold breath on the city
of being the one awake
in a house wrapped in sleep

If I’m lonely
it’s with the rowboat ice-fast on the shore
in the last red light of the year
that knows what it is, that knows it’s neither
ice nor mud nor winter light
but wood, with a gift for burning”

—Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich (May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century.

https://itisalwayssunrisesomewhere.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/the-liberation-of-loneliness/

The Liberation of Loneliness:

An Analysis of Unconventional Connotations in Adrienne Rich’s “Song”

Connotations contribute to our perception and use of a word. They are the overtones that words have acquired over time. “Loneliness,” the subject of Adrienne Rich’s poem “Song,” has a well-established, but limited network of overtones. Its connotations are centered on a set of undesirable feelings: depression, confusion, and isolation. However, the speaker in Rich’s poem defines loneliness in a way that rids it of these conventional connotations. She concedes to being lonely, conventionally only in the aspect that she is alone, but then instead of relating loneliness to its usual connotations the speaker re-appropriates loneliness by associating it to the independence and self-awareness she feels. Through a series of specific and interconnected images, she reveals that her loneliness, and the qualities that accompany it, are a permanent part of her being.

Rich employs similes of travel in the first two stanzas of her poem to illustrate how the speaker finds freedom and purpose in her loneliness. She admits to being lonely, but only under the condition that it is “lonely as a plane” and “as a woman driving across country” (2; 9). Both of these similes compare loneliness to traveling, which is suggestive of movement and freedom, as emphasized by the large distances covered by the plane and the woman. The plane is also described as flying “level/on its radio beam” (3-4). It is stable and guided by its own signal. Secondly, it is “aiming…for… an airfield on the ocean” (4-7). It is purposeful; it has a specific direction and goal. The woman on the other hand is not described as going towards something, but “leaving behind… little towns she might have stopped/and lived and died in” (11-14). As she goes forward, the woman forsakes settled existence, indicating that she has no ties to and no dependence on these towns for her livelihood. She is autonomous. Accordingly, through the use of these two similes, the speaker specifies what her loneliness is like. While the conventional connotation suggests that loneliness can be oppressive, here the speaker establishes loneliness as being free, secure, motivated, and self-sufficient.

The following two stanzas build on the speaker’s personal definition of loneliness. The author’s use of metaphors and personification show how self-aware the speaker feels in her loneliness. She describes the loneliness of being awake “in a house wrapped in sleep” (20). In reality, sleep cannot physically wrap something. Thus, this metaphor transforms sleep into something tangible and implies that everything within the confines of the house is bound by sleep. But the speaker, despite being in the house, opposes herself to this constraint, and is instead awake and perceptive. Her objective is well defined, and even if she is within the house she is not restricted by it. Moreover, a house cannot sleep. Instead of individualizing each inhabitant of the house, she personifies the house. This strengthens her opposition with regards to the other inhabitants because they are not individualized, but she is. She can separate herself from an entity, while the other inhabitants cannot, suggesting that her loneliness is accompanied by the power of choice.

Whereas she opposes herself with the house she also says that she is lonely “with the rowboat ice-fast on the shore” (22). The speaker unites her loneliness to an object that is “ice-fast” and hence un-wavering in its state. She furthers this comparison by personifying the boat, saying that it “knows what it is…it’s neither/ice nor mud nor winter light/but wood” (24-26). Her loneliness makes her aware of her boundaries. She knows what she is not, and what she is composed of. Hence, her relationship to her environment is unambiguous. Additionally, the boat has “a gift for burning” (26). A gift in this sense is a talent or a skill. The boat’s aptitude for burning is what sets it apart and, thus, defines it. The ice, the mud, and the winter light cannot burn, but the wood can. This potential to burn is linked to the images of fire and light which are suggestive of intensity, passion, and life. The speaker’s loneliness, therefore, is a source of all this energy. Furthermore, this talent acquires an almost rebellious attitude when it is compared to the winter setting that surrounds the boat. Winter is a season of cold, death, and harsh conditions, quite the opposite of burning and the images it evokes. The speaker’s careful delineation of the boat’s position and composition shows that her loneliness defies the natural order of things. It is not just well-established, but imposing. As a result, loneliness in this poem is empowering; it does not carry any of its usual connotations of depression and confusion.

To strengthen this unconventional definition of loneliness, Rich not only repeats the word “lonely” throughout the poem, but several other words as well. First of all, the word “lonely” is used at least once in every stanza. Consequently, the images presented in each stanza have one thing in common: they are all related to loneliness, and thus to each other. Other repetitions are also found in each stanza serving to link their own connotations to the speaker’s loneliness. Repetition not only emphasizes the words themselves, but emphasizes their relation to the word “lonely” because the reader is more likely to remember a word that is repeated. To begin, the repetition of “across” in the first and second stanza implies that her loneliness knows no limits (5; 10). In the second stanza, the repetitions “day after day” and “mile after mile” implies her loneliness is not temporary, but a permanent condition (11; 12). The placement of “first” alongside “lonely” in the third stanza emphasizes the singular and superior aspect of her loneliness (17; 18). Someone who is “first” is a pioneer or a champion. Thus, her loneliness is exceptional. In the same stanza, “breath” and “breathing” appear (17; 18). This repetition connects loneliness to one of the conditions of being alive. Finally, the repetition of “that knows” in the last stanza stresses how her loneliness makes her self-aware because when one knows one understands (24). The repetition of all these words alongside the word “lonely” unites them, giving the poem a sense of continuity and helping to create the speaker’s unconventional definition of loneliness.

The speaker’s loneliness is not transitory, but part of her identity. Her loneliness is not sad or secluding, but empowering and enduring. By endowing “loneliness” with unconventional connotations, its connotative power is enriched. Rich makes us realize that words are mutable and not clearly defined. They carry their historical overtones, but no specifications and can, therefore, only be well-defined with respect to a linguistic environment. Much like the row-boat in this poem is defined by its surroundings; loneliness takes its shape from the context of the poem. It is as if we meet loneliness in person, but instead of confirming our expectations, we are awed by its new dimensions.

Interestingly, on Valentine's day someone shared a poem of despair by Charles Bukowski: Alone with Everybody. A very interesting poem about the truth of humanity. First the poem, and then I'll share some of my comments and some from others.

Alone with Everybody by Charles Bukowski

the flesh covers the bone

and they put a mind

in there and

sometimes a soul,

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

and nobody finds the

one

but keep

looking

crawling in and out

of beds.

flesh covers

the bone and the

flesh searches

for more than

flesh.

there's no chance

at all:

we are all trapped

by a singular

fate.

nobody ever finds

the one.

the city dumps fill

the junkyards fill

the madhouses fill

the hospitals fill

the graveyards fill

nothing else

fills.

My Notes

The title and feeling of the poem reminds me of a sher from a Jagjit Singh Ghazal:

Har Taraf Har Jagah Beshumaar Aadmi

Phir Bhi Tanhaayion Ka Shikaar Aadmi

In every direction, in every place, there is man.

Even then, loneliness hunts this man!

Full Ghazal: Har Taraf Har Jagah

Bukowski in his lamentations reminds me of the Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi and also Guru Tegh Bahadur. For example here is Shiv Kumar Batalvi's ghazal

ਤੂੰ ਵਿਦਾ ਹੋਇਉਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਦਿਲ ਤੇ ਉਦਾਸੀ ਛਾ ਗਈ

ਪੀੜ ਦਿਲ ਦੀ ਬੂੰਦ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਅੱਖੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਗਈ

When you left, loneliness overcame my heart

And the pain of my heart became tears in my eyes

ਦੂਰ ਤਕ ਮੇਰੀ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਤੇਰੀ ਪੈੜ ਚੁੰਮਦੀ ਰਹੀ

ਫੇਰ ਤੇਰੀ ਪੈੜ ਰਾਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਮਿੱਟੀ ਖਾ ਗਈ

ਤੁਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸੀ ਤੇਰੇ ਜੋਬਨ ਤੇ ਬਹਾਰ

ਤੁਰਨ ਪਿੱਛੋਂ ਵੇਖਿਆ ਕਿ ਹਰ ਕਲੀ ਕੁਮਲਾ ਗਈ

ਉਸ ਦਿਨ ਪਿੱਛੋਂ ਅਸਾਂ ਨਾ ਬੋਲਿਆ ਨਾ ਵੇਖਿਆ

ਇਹ ਜ਼ਬਾਂ ਖਾਮੋਸ਼ ਹੋ ਗਈ ਤੇ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਪਥਰਾ ਗਈ

ਇਸ਼ਕ ਨੂੰ ਸੌਗਾਤ ਜਿਹੜੀ ਪੀੜ ਸੈਂ ਤੂੰ ਦੇ ਗਿਉਂ

ਅੰਤ ਉਹੀਉ ਪੀੜ 'ਸ਼ਿਵ' ਨੂੰ ਖਾਂਦੀ ਖਾਂਦੀ ਖਾ ਗਈ

Others' Analysis on Alone with Everybody

The ending of Alone with Everybody is certainly interesting. The speaker is clearly searching to fill a void that he feels in his life. This void, he believes, is the lack of a person to share his life with. He loses hope that the void can be filled. He has never seen this void filled in someone’s life, and he has certainly never felt it filled in his own. He feels empty and desolate. So he lists the things that he has seen filled: dumps, junkyards, madhouses, hospitals, and graveyards, but not the human heart. He concludes, “nothing else fills”. And so he ends his poem with the same feeling of utter meaninglessness with which it began. Though he is surrounded by people, he feels alone. He feels he is nothing but bone covered by flesh, with a mind that “they” gave him as an after-thought. He believes he may or may not have a soul, and he feels hopeless at the prospect of filling the void in his heart.

Charles Bukowski’s poetry is often associated with by references to alcohol, sex, and perpetual sadness. In his poem “Alone with Everybody,” Bukowski addresses all three topics. This freeform poem describes the pain that comes with trying to find “the one” romantic partner to be with for eternity, and how no one will ever truly find this person, despite so many attempts. The title itself states that each of us is destined to be “alone,” or unhappy in a relationship. In yet another poem where “Bukowski writes with no apologies from the frayed edge of society” (Kessler). The tone of this poem is just as cynical and sad as one could expect from any Bukowski work, but still tells an honest truth about the romanticization of finding “the one” and how these unrealistic expectations sets one up for disappointment.

The speaker opens by reducing people to “flesh” and “bone,” (line 1) mere animals with instincts to find one another. He goes on to say that “they” (line 2) made the idea that there is “sometimes a soul” (line 4) in us. The speaker is clearly cynical of the idea that humans have anything more than just a skeleton in us- it is clear that the speaker believes that a soul is a human construct. In addition, the speaker is so pessimistic of human emotions that he/she describes then by their skin and skeletons instead. By reducing people to nothing but a physical body, the speaker is proving a point about how finding love is not what people think it is. This is a cynical way of seeing humans’ desire to find love and romance, only to be expected by

Bukowski, a writer with a “loner persona” (Economou). The speaker goes on to explain in lines 5-8 how people’s sadness and utter loneliness can be expressed through different outlets.

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

Here, it is clear how women who are expected to remain cool, calm, and collected are likely to lose themselves in an angry burst, while men who often suppress their feelings will drink their sadness away. Even the word choice in how the speaker explains their violent coping mechanisms is vital here- a “vase” (line 6) tends to be feminine, as it is a household item used to hold flowers. The men “drink” (line 7) because alcohol is a way to internalize their pain, another form of escapism. These raw descriptions of how heartbroken people employ different forms of self-destruction to deal with their pain add to the bleak tone of the poem.

In the next line, the speaker explains how people are constantly searching for their soulmate despite so many failed attempts at doing so, how they are constantly “crawling in and out / of beds” (lines 13-14) in search for someone to love them. The metaphor of humans being mere “flesh” comes back into play because humans are always looking for another body to fulfill their need. The people are “crawling” as if they are wounded, though in this case the speaker is insinuating that this is emotional pain they are struggling with. These people are desperate for affection and relief, a person to call their own or at least a place to escape. Bukowski uses this poem to suggest that people are defeated and depressed from heartbreak

Then, the speaker makes a daring statement that every human has the same destiny of loneliness- that “no one ever finds / the one” (lines 25-26). This controversial negative opinion of romance sets the theme for the entire poem. This is also where the title is so revealing; “Alone With Everybody” refers to how each person will end up alone, but everybody is together in having this destiny.

The last few lines go on to say that although “junkyards” (line 28) and cemeteries and “hospitals” (line 30) might fill up with garbage and humans, this is all that will be filled. The speaker chooses to use these places as examples because they are the opposite of the romance he/she is so critical of. These are places that are full of despair and sadness, which is the the negative reality the speaker is highlighting. When it comes down to people’s desire to be with someone else, to feel less lonely and “fill” the void inside them, this will never come. The speaker’s view is that people will always be alone, no matter how hard they try.

Charles Bukowski’s poetry leaves readers with a sense of familiar sadness. In his poem “Alone with Everybody,” Bukowski does not disappoint. This freeform poem describes the pain that comes with trying to find “the one” romantic partner to be with for eternity, and how no one will ever truly find this person, despite so many attempts. Throughout these lines, Bukowski uses specific word choices and metaphors to maintain a theme of hopelessness and loneliness.

Surrender of the Singer of Oneness

Ja Tu Mere Val Hai - The Form of Pauris

Ja Tu Mere Val Hai - Meaning/Translation

Chords for Shabad

Ja Tu Mere Val Hai - Lyrics

Gurbani Lyrics and Alternative Translations

Tagore - Jodi Tor Dak Shune

Tagore's English translation

William Stafford - Royalty in Desperation

A Story That Could Be True

Guru Arjan - Bhinni Rainariye

Song by Adrienne Rich

Unto my books - Emily Dickinson

Acquainted with the Night - Robert Frost

Alone with Everybody by Charles Bukowski

My Notes

Others' Analysis on Alone with Everybody

SHIVPREET SINGH

Related Posts

Popular - 30 days

Blog Archive

Message

Twitter