This Is Just To Say
Encyclopedia
"This Is Just To Say" is a famous imagist
poem by William Carlos Williams
.
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
, Williams' poem appears to the reader like a piece of found poetry
. Metrically
, the poem exhibits no regularity of stress
or of syllable
count. Except for lines two and five (each an iamb) and lines eight and nine (each an amphibrach
), no two lines have the same metrical form. The consonance of the letters “Th” in lines two, three, and four, as well the consonance
of the letter “F” in lines eight and nine, and the letter 'S' in lines eleven and twelve give rise to a natural rhythm
when the poem is read aloud.
A conspicuous lack of punctuation
contributes to the poem’s tonal ambiguity. While the second stanza begins with a conjunction
, implying a connection to the first stanza, the third stanza is separated from the first two by the capitalized “Forgive.” In a 1950 interview, John W. Gerber asked the poet what it is that makes "This Is Just To Say" a poem, Williams replied, "In the first place, it's metrically absolutely regular... So, dogmatically speaking, it has to be a poem because it goes that way, don't you see!" Critic Marjorie Perloff
writes, "on the page, the three little quatrains look alike; they have roughly the same physical shape. It is typography
rather than any kind of phonemic recurrence that provides directions for the speaking voice (or for the eye that reads the lines silently) and that teases out the poem's meanings." Additionally, this typographical structure influences any subsequent interpretation on the part of the reader.
and concluding on “so cold,” the poem implies that sweet, fruity taste contrasts the coldness of a human relationship that forbids sharing or forgiveness for a minor breach of etiquette
." The words “Forgive me,” written as a command, emphasize the sense of regret conveyed by the speaker. This desperate need for forgiveness, an obvious admission of forbidden action, immediately followed by Williams’ graphic imagery of the plums suggests this poem could be concerned with the uselessness or self-entrapment of sexual desire.
Another, more straightforward, interpretation is that the writer of the note on the refrigerator seeks to replace the experience of eating the plums with a clear, succinct description--"They were delicious / So sweet and so cold." Forgiveness in the poem depends on the success of the description. This is a good model for the poet's task, as he forsakes actual experience for mere words. The poem will be a success if the reader forgives the poet's transgression.
In another light, the poem was written from Williams to his wife. He ate her plums from the ice box and proceeded to write a small apology in the form of poetry on a napkin.
Imagism
Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. The Imagists rejected the sentiment and discursiveness typical of much Romantic and Victorian poetry. This was in contrast to their contemporaries, the Georgian poets,...
poem by William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
.
Text of the poem
I have eatenthe plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Critical analysis
Written as though it were a note left on an ice boxIce Box
The Ice Box is a 5,010-seat multi-purpose arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was adapted for hockey upon the Lincoln Stars' arrival in 1997. The Ice Box is located at 1800 State Fair Park Drive, on the Nebraska State Fair grounds....
, Williams' poem appears to the reader like a piece of found poetry
Found poetry
Found poetry is a type of poetry created by taking words, phrases, and sometimes whole passages from other sources and reframing them as poetry by making changes in spacing and/or lines , or by altering the text by additions and/or deletions...
. Metrically
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
, the poem exhibits no regularity of stress
Stress (linguistics)
In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. The term is also used for similar patterns of phonetic prominence inside syllables. The word accent is sometimes also used with this sense.The stress placed...
or of syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
count. Except for lines two and five (each an iamb) and lines eight and nine (each an amphibrach
Amphibrach
An amphibrach is a metrical foot used in Latin and Greek prosody. It consists of a long syllable between two short syllables. The word comes from the Greek αμφίβραχυς, amphíbrakhys, "short on both sides"....
), no two lines have the same metrical form. The consonance of the letters “Th” in lines two, three, and four, as well the consonance
Consonance
Consonance is a stylistic device, most commonly used in poetry and songs, characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession, as in "pitter patter" or in "all mammals named Sam are clammy".Consonance should not be confused with assonance, which is the...
of the letter “F” in lines eight and nine, and the letter 'S' in lines eleven and twelve give rise to a natural rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
when the poem is read aloud.
A conspicuous lack of punctuation
Punctuation
Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language, as well as intonation and pauses to be observed when reading aloud.In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences...
contributes to the poem’s tonal ambiguity. While the second stanza begins with a conjunction
Grammatical conjunction
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
, implying a connection to the first stanza, the third stanza is separated from the first two by the capitalized “Forgive.” In a 1950 interview, John W. Gerber asked the poet what it is that makes "This Is Just To Say" a poem, Williams replied, "In the first place, it's metrically absolutely regular... So, dogmatically speaking, it has to be a poem because it goes that way, don't you see!" Critic Marjorie Perloff
Marjorie Perloff
Marjorie Perloff is an Austrian-born U.S. poetry critic.Perloff was born Gabriele Mintz into a secularized Jewish family in Vienna. Faced with Nazi terror, her family emigrated in 1938 when she was six-and-a-half, going first to Zürich and then to the United States, settling in Riverdale, New York...
writes, "on the page, the three little quatrains look alike; they have roughly the same physical shape. It is typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
rather than any kind of phonemic recurrence that provides directions for the speaking voice (or for the eye that reads the lines silently) and that teases out the poem's meanings." Additionally, this typographical structure influences any subsequent interpretation on the part of the reader.
Interpretations
The CliffsNotes analysis states "Building on sibilanceSibilant consonant
A sibilant is a manner of articulation of fricative and affricate consonants, made by directing a stream of air with the tongue towards the sharp edge of the teeth, which are held close together. Examples of sibilants are the consonants at the beginning of the English words sip, zip, ship, chip,...
and concluding on “so cold,” the poem implies that sweet, fruity taste contrasts the coldness of a human relationship that forbids sharing or forgiveness for a minor breach of etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
." The words “Forgive me,” written as a command, emphasize the sense of regret conveyed by the speaker. This desperate need for forgiveness, an obvious admission of forbidden action, immediately followed by Williams’ graphic imagery of the plums suggests this poem could be concerned with the uselessness or self-entrapment of sexual desire.
Another, more straightforward, interpretation is that the writer of the note on the refrigerator seeks to replace the experience of eating the plums with a clear, succinct description--"They were delicious / So sweet and so cold." Forgiveness in the poem depends on the success of the description. This is a good model for the poet's task, as he forsakes actual experience for mere words. The poem will be a success if the reader forgives the poet's transgression.
In another light, the poem was written from Williams to his wife. He ate her plums from the ice box and proceeded to write a small apology in the form of poetry on a napkin.