Whales Weep Not!

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1932

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Like the works of William Wordsworth, Emily Dickenson, and Walt Whitman (an especially important influence), D. H. Lawrence wrote “Whales, Weep Not!” in free verse, an open form which does not adhere to any formal rhythm or metrical scheme. While some of Lawrence’s earlier poems did use more rigid forms, the poet was by and large a vocal proponent of this format. As he wrote in his essay on poetic theory, “The Poetry of the Present,” Lawrence believed,

We can get rid of the stereotyped movements and the old hackneyed associations of sound or sense. We can break down those artificial conduits and canals through which we do so love to force our utterance. We can break the stiff neck of habit.

Lawrence wanted his poetry to feel immediate and of the moment, like a spontaneous flow of thought. He was not overly concerned with perfection or with polishing a perfect piece of prose—or at least, he wanted to project an illusion of carefree spontaneity.

In “Whales Weep Not!”, the flexibility of free verse allows the poem to ebb and flow like the sea itself. Lawrence’s controlled use of punctuation and alternating line lengths both aurally and visually imitates the crashing and receding of waves on the shore. This rocking rhythm, combined with natural pauses in the movement of the poem, also evokes the thrusting, repetitive rhythm of the sex act. Strongly stressed sounds and syllables rush in and press on each other, mimicking intercourse. On a more subtle level, Lawrence uses this pattern of peaks and valleys to reflect not only the movement of the ocean and of sex, but also on the turmoil and mutability of deep water (that is, subconscious human emotion).

It is useful to contrast the lyrical, almost musical qualities of “Whales Weep Not!” to Lawrence’s more mundane and formulaic use of verse in other poems like “Kissing and Horrid Strife” (see Further Reading). While “Whales Weep Not!” revels in animalistic fluidity, transformation, and freedom—as reflected in its carefree form—other poems fixate on the modern lifestyle Lawrence hates: a senseless (literally), reason-dominated existence. They are a useful photo negative to understand the “positive” image in “Whales Weep Not!”.

Repetition (Anaphora/Refrain, Alliteration)

Lawrence mimics and reinforces his poem’s metrical rocking with repetitive phrases and sounds. Easiest to recognize is his use of anaphora, or the repetition of a certain word or phrase; the poem is littered with examples (“on and on,” Line 4; “there they blow, there they blow,” Line 6; “And they rock, and they rock,” Line 8; “And through […], and in […], and roll […],” Lines 10-2; “she is the gay, delighted porpoise […], she is the female tunny-fish,” Lines 43-4). Lawrence also uses alliteration, or words which start with the same letter(s), to similar effect (e.g. “wild white,” Line 6; “tropics tremble,” Line 11; “wonder of whales,” Line 22).

These many forms of repetition also lend a hint of liturgical quality to the poem. Religious rituals like prayers and masses often involve the stock repetition of certain mantras and phrases. Lawrence is certainly interested in inviting this association in the middle portion of the poem, where angels suspended in the sea sanctify the sexual union of the whales. These religious undertones imbue the poem with a sense of timelessness and sacrality.

Color

As a poet interested in gut-punch sensory images, D. H. Lawrence frequently leverages colors (and their psychological undertones) in his works. He is noted for being primarily interested in three colors—green, black, and red—which makes “Whales Weep Not!” an interesting outlier for its focus on blue. As a cool color, blue is a fitting choice for the ocean, which the poet admits in the first stanza is characterized by its coldness. But Lawrence also describes the undersea “bed” of the whales as “deep” blue (Line 14), and there may be invoking the color’s more subliminal, chthonic elements. The other poem in the collection which spotlights blue, “Bavarian Gentrians,” aligns the color closely with darkness and infernality, as the Underworld deities Pluto and Persephone are dimly illuminated in the deepest, black-like blue. By extension, the sea in “Whales Weep Not!” could be understood not only as a vision of heaven, but also of the Underworld—it is both “the waters of / the beginning and the end” (Lines 32-3).

The other color featured in “Whales Weep Not!” is red. Predictably, red and its variants tend to stand for passion in Lawrence’s poetry, particularly the brand of ruthless bestial passion Lawrence detects (and idolizes) in animals. He opens the poem with a slice of red cutting the blueness of the sea; the contrast of the colors emphasizes his superlatives in Line 2. Against a dull, cold, blue backdrop, the hot redness of the color becomes even more pronounced. Here red is tied to blood, recognized in many cultures as the essence of life and vitality.