Thursday, September 23, 2010

Symbolism

THE DANCE OF DEATH
by: Charles Baudelaire
Carrying bouquet, and handkerchief and gloves,
Proud of her height as when she lived, she moves
With all the careless and high-stepping grace,
And the extravagant courtesan's thin face.
 
Was slimmer waist e'er in a ball-room wooed?
Her floating robe, in royal amplitude,
Falls in deep folds around a dry foot, shod
With a bright flower-like shoe that gems the sod.
 
The swarms that hum about her collar-bones
As the lascivious streams caress the stones,
Conceal from every scornful jest that flies,
Her gloomy beauty; and her fathomless eyes
 
Are made of shade and void; with flowery sprays
Her skull is wreathed artistically, and sways,
Feeble and weak, on her frail vertebrae.
O charm of nothing decked in folly! they
 
Who laugh and name you a Caricature,
They see not, they whom flesh and blood allure,
The nameless grace of every bleached, bare bone,
That is most dear to me, tall skeleton!
 
http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/the_dance_of_death.html




Symbols                      Denotations

Bouquet:                    Collection of flowers.
Handkerchief:           Small cloth for wiping the nose.
Gloves:                       Covering for the hand with sheaths for the fingers.
Proud:                        Feeling or causing pride.
Careless:                     Not paying enough attention.
Grace:                        Beauty of form.
Extravagant:              Someone wasteful.
Courtesan:                 Prostitute
Waist:                         body part between the ribs and the thigh.
Ball-room:                  Large room for social dances.
Robe:                          Long loose outer garment.
Royal:                         Of a monarch, kingdom.
Deep:                          Extending far down.
Bright:                        Shining full.
Flower:                       A plant that grows for it blossoms.
Shoe:                          Outer covering for the foot.
Gem:                          Precious stone.
Swarms:                     Colony of bees.
Collar-bone:               The clavicle, the top bony part of the shoulder.
Streams:                     Small River.
Stones:                        Solid nonmetallic mineral matter.
Scornful:                    To refuse.
Flies:                           Move through the air using wings.
Beauty:                       Pleasing quality as in looks.
Fathomless:                Very deep.
Shade:                         Partial light cut by darkness.
Void:                           Empty.
Skull:                          Bony frame work of the head.
Wreathed:                  A circular band of flower.
Artistically:                Of art or artist.
Sway:                          Swing from side to side.
Feeble:                        Very weak or sick.
Frail:                           Having delicate health.
Charm:                       A power of pleasing or attracting.
Folly:                          Lack of understanding or sense.
Laugh:                        To express pleasure.
Caricature:                A picture description of a person.
Flesh:                          Humankind, muscular and fatty tissue.
Blood:                         The fluid that circulate in the principal vascular system of human.
Nameless:                   Having no name.
Bleached:                   To make lighter or whiter in color.
Bone:                          One of the structures composing the skeleton of a vertebrate.
Tall:                            Great height.
Skeleton:                            The bones of a human or an animal consider as a whole.

Symbols                      Connotation

Bouquet:                    Ready to attract.                    
Handkerchief:           Very decent person    
Gloves:                       High-class woman in public.
Proud:                        Self Confidence.
Careless:                     Calm and relaxed.
High-stepping grace: Peaceful.
Extravagant:              Well constructed.
Courtesan                  Gold digger.
Slimmer waist:           Very sexy.                               .
Ball-room:                  Target place to attract rich men.
Floating Robe:           Ancient style of dress for women of importance.                              .
Royal amplitude:       Available only to the high ranks.                    .
Deep fold:                  Hidden agenda.                                  .
Dry Foot:                   Walking around.                                 .
Bright flower-like:     Expensive shoes.                     .
Gem:                           Lights up the floor.                             .
Swarms:                     All the men trying to reach her.
Collar-bone:               Trying to look at her breast                  
Lascivious streams:   A setup road or trap.               .
Stones:                        Ready to embrace.
Scornful jest:             Gossips, jealousy or haters.                 .
Flies:                           Less important people.
Gloomy Beauty:        Inside beauty.
Fathomless eyes:        Cannot be evaluated.
Shade and void:         Very cheap.                             .
Skull is wreathed:      Description of a princess.                                .
Artistically:                A beautiful imagination.
Sway:                          Going nowhere.
Feeble:                        Helpless.
Frail vertebrae:         Confused person.                                .
Charm:                       Hoping for something good to happen.
Decked in folly:         No one seems to care.             .
Laugh:                        Hypocrites.
Caricature:                Funny looking.
Flesh:                          Men.
Blood:                         Love
Nameless:                   to search for.              
Bleached:                   Pretending.
Bare bone:                 Ordinary people.                                 .
Tall Skeleton:            Strong man or a handsome guy.                    

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