T. S. Eliot and the Extended Chiasmus

Today’s Quote is a short poem by T. S. Eliot. It is the closest I have come to finding an embodiment of internal mirroring, or of the so called chiasmus.

A chiasmus, pronounced /kʌɪˈazməs/, from the Greek word meaning crossing or diagonal arrangement, is a figure of speech that inverts the word order of two parallel structures.

At its simplest and silliest it adds no meaning:

He dreams of success, and of success he dreams.

(Although, there are examples where this special case of chiasmus, also sometimes called antimetabole, is made to work to splendid effect; an oft-cited example is John F. Kennedy’s United Nations Speech in 1961, when he said: Mankind must put an end to war — or war will put an end to mankind. It’s clever, and it’s not something you come up with on the spot.)

Beyond the simplest inversion, chiasmus can use parallel word pairs to add meaning:

Loving is a celebration of life, just as living is a celebration of love.

Or it can pun on different meanings of a word:

The novel must be written, but also the writing must be novel.

At its most advanced, an extended chiasmus can invert ideas and images on a larger scale. Here is the poem; see if you can spot a chiasmus or two.

Eyes That Last I Saw in Tears by T. S. Eliot

Eyes that last I saw in tears
Through division
Here in death’s dream kingdom
The golden vision reappears
I see the eyes but not the tears
This is my affliction

This is my affliction
Eyes I shall not see again
Eyes of decision
Eyes I shall not see unless
At the door of death’s other kingdom
Where, as in this,
The eyes outlast a little while
A little while outlast the tears
And hold us in derision.

What makes the Quote quiver?

Clever, imperfect symmetry that allows for a sense of progression from one side to the other.

Here are a few instances of chiasmus that I noticed.

I see the eyes but not the tears
This is my affliction

This is my affliction
Eyes I shall not see again

Conceptually: he sees the eyes, this is his affliction, then he says this is his affliction that he shall not see the eyes again. Also, in terms of word order: I see — eyes vs eyes — I see.

Next:

The eyes outlast a little while
A little while outlast the tears

The word order implies the symmetry, considering eyes and tears to be related.

There are a couple of other places where chiasmus could be argued, locally, but on a grand scale, the whole poem is mirror symmetric in a quirky, wonky way across the line break. The poem starts with Eyes that last I saw in tears, and ends with the idea that the eyes may be seen again (holding us in derision). In the first stanza, there’s deaths’ dream kingdom, in the second, death’s other kingdom.

I will not foist on you an interpretation of the poem, but, for a moment, think about those eyes, whose eyes are those? The eyes of a lover, a friend, of a conscience, of a deity? Privately, I am guided by the observation that I dominates throughout the poem, only for us to appear in the final line. What do you make of that?

What is at the core of the Quote?

Chiasmus, alliteration, rhyme, anaphora.

Alliteration and rhyme are best seen in the nouns used:

Eyes, tears, vision, division and decision and derision, death’s dream kingdom and door of death’s other kingdom, affliction and while.

Anaphora is the figure in which the same words begins consecutive clauses (in this case eyes).

All four images today cut from a photo by delfi de la Rua.

Reading & Listening Recommendations

1. Collected Poems 1909–1962, T. S. Eliot. Because how could you not.
2. T. S. Eliot reads his The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock on SoundCloud. Because it’s only 4 minutes 34 seconds, and it’s him reading it. It’s an experience.
3. A detailed biography and bibliography of T. S. Eliot found on poetryfoundation.com. Because, to quote Northrop Frye (the same way he is quoted in the biography): “A thorough knowledge of Eliot is compulsory for anyone interested in contemporary literature. Whether he is liked or disliked is of no importance, but he must be read.”

Originally published on Wordpress

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