# Simples explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Joyce.

## What happens

The speaker observes a child gathering simple salad leaves in a moonlit garden, singing an Italian folk song. He asks for a waxen ear and a shielded heart to protect himself from her innocent charm, which he compares to the moon's enchantment.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and Mood

The moonlit garden, dew, and radiance create a serene, almost magical mood that contrasts with the speaker's guarded response.

### Memory and Nostalgia

The scene evokes a timeless, idyllic moment, with the child's song and the gathering of simples suggesting a longing for innocence or a past simplicity.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who observes the child and asks for protection from her allure.

### Daughter

The child gathering simples in the garden, singing and embodying innocence.

## Key lines

> O bella bionda, Sei come l’onda!

Oh beautiful blonde, you are like the wave!

_The child sings an Italian folk song comparing a fair-haired beauty to a wave._

> The moon a web of silence weaves In the still garden where a child Gathers the simple salad leaves.

The moon creates a quiet, woven pattern of light in the peaceful garden where a child collects simple salad greens.

_The imagery links the moon's light to a woven web, emphasizing the stillness and the child's innocent activity._

> Be mine, I pray, a waxen ear To shield me from her childish croon And mine a shielded heart for her Who gathers simples of the moon.

Grant me, I ask, an ear made of wax to block out her childish song, and a protected heart against the girl who gathers moonlit herbs.

_The speaker seeks emotional and sensory protection from the child's enchanting but potentially distracting presence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/simples
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters