Poetry Analysis: A Loving-Cup Song by Oliver Wendell Holmes

Katie and I analyzed the poem "A Loving-Cup Song" by Oliver Wendell Holmes. I personally liked the poem, although it was also a little difficult to understand. Katie and I thought of what the literal meanings to each of the sentences was, although it was hard to pick the sentences out as there were many semicolons and three word sentences. However, the literal meanings are as follows:

• Come gather the wood.
• The fire will burn again.
• The summer is over.
• Pass the cup around and tell stories and memories.
  Give me a flower to pin onto my shirt.
• He likes flowers and they remind him of the boys.
• Spring is coming from under the snow.
• They do not think that life will be as fun as it is in the winter.
• They know that it will still be fun, and life is not a task.
• Life is about love and filling each others cups.

Figuratively, the poem means much more. Holmes uses mainly personification in this poem to make the love and memories shared between people to be in this giant cup. It reminded me a bit of America being called the "Great American Melting Pot." However, this poem is dealing with family, and uses the metaphor of the changing of the seasons to represent people aging and getting older. However, that is just what I believe the changing from winter to spring is symbolizing. Usually, spring is thought of as being the rebirth as all the flowers come into bloom and all the little baby birds hatch. Therefore, I made that connection between the changing of the seasons to mean that people are aging and getting older, but they get a chance to start over new.

A figurative meaning that I thought of as I was reading the poem a third time was that Holmes was trying to get a meaning of love and life. Clearly, because he says, "till life and love are spent" a couple of times. I think Holmes is saying that we haven't lived life to the fullest until we have lived and loved as much as we can. We should therefore live our lives like it could be our last and share our love with as many people as we can, in all types of ways.

I did enjoy reading this poem, and that is what I got from it about love and life and a loving cup.