Question

Summer, an excerpt

by Amy Lowell

Some men there are who find in nature all
Their inspiration, hers the sympathy
Which spurs them on to any great endeavor,
To them the fields and woods are closest friends,
And they hold dear communion with the hills;
The voice of waters soothes them with its fall,
And the great winds bring healing in their sound.
To them a city is a prison house
Where pent up human forces labour and strive,
Where beauty dwells not, driven forth by man;
But where in winter they must live until
Summer gives back the spaces of the hills.
To me it is not so. I love the earth
And all the gifts of her so lavish hand:
Sunshine and flowers, rivers and rushing winds,
Thick branches swaying in a winter storm,
And moonlight playing in a boat's wide wake;
But more than these, and much, ah, how much more,
I love the very human heart of man.
Above me spreads the hot, blue mid-day sky,
Far down the hillside lies the sleeping lake
Lazily reflecting back the sun,
And scarcely ruffled by the little breeze
Which wanders idly through the nodding ferns.
The blue crest of the distant mountain, tops
The green crest of the hill on which I sit;
And it is summer, glorious, deep-toned summer,
The very crown of nature's changing year
When all her surging life is at its full.
To me alone it is a time of pause,
A void and silent space between two worlds,
When inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps,
Gathering strength for efforts yet to come.

Read this line from "Summer":

To me alone it is a time of pause,
A void and silent space between two worlds

The word alone can be read several ways in this text. Which line from the poem helps suggest one way to read it?

Answer 1

The word 'alone' in Amy Lowell's 'Summer' poem indicates the poet's unique experience of summer being a pause, a contrast to the general view of summer's vitality.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking for help understanding how the word 'alone' is used in the excerpt from the poem 'Summer' by Amy Lowell. To interpret the word 'alone' in the line 'To me alone it is a time of pause,' we can look at another line from the poem, 'And it is summer, glorious, deep-toned summer,' which contrasts the poet's feelings of solitude and pause during summer with the vibrant and active season experienced by others. This suggests that the poet feels isolated in her experience of the summer being a time of pause, which is different from the typical association of summer with activity and growth. Therefore, 'alone' indicates the unique perspective or experience the poet has in comparison to others.

Answer 2

The word alone can be read several ways this is suggested by "To me alone..." she is stating that only in her opinion it is a time or pause. Hope this helps!