Poetry · Chapter
Swedes explained
The poem contrasts the uncovering of a swede pile in winter with the discovery of a Pharaoh's tomb, finding the humble agricultural scene more tender and gorgeous than ancient treasures.
What happens
The poem contrasts the uncovering of a swede pile in winter with the discovery of a Pharaoh's tomb, finding the humble agricultural scene more tender and gorgeous than ancient treasures. The swedes, with their curled fronds of white, gold, and purple, are revealed by the removal of a clay roof, and the sight is described as a dream of Winter as sweet as Spring.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Seasons
The swede pile in winter is depicted as a vibrant, tender-gorgeous sight, contrasting with the cold and dripping season.
The Cycle of Life and Death
The uncovered swedes are described as a 'dream of Winter, sweet as Spring,' linking the dormant season to the promise of renewal, while the Pharaoh lies dreamless and long-dead.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker observes the swede pile and draws a comparison to a Pharaoh's tomb.
Key passages
“They have taken the gable from the roof of clay On the long swede pile. They have let in the sun To the white and gold and purple of curled fronds Unsunned.”
Someone has removed the clay roof from the long pile of swedes, allowing sunlight to reach the previously hidden white, gold, and purple curled leaves.
Describes the physical act of uncovering the swede pile and the revelation of its colors.
“It is a sight more tender-gorgeous At the wood-corner where Winter moans and drips Than when, in the Valley of the Tombs of Kings, A boy crawls down into a Pharaoh’s tomb And, first of Christian men, beholds the mummy, God and monkey, chariot and throne and vase, Blue pottery, alabaster, and gold.”
This scene at the edge of the woods, with winter moaning and dripping, is more delicately beautiful than a boy discovering a Pharaoh's tomb filled with treasures.
The speaker elevates the humble winter sight above the grandeur of an archaeological discovery.
“But dreamless long-dead Amen-hotep lies. This is a dream of Winter, sweet as Spring.”
The long-dead Pharaoh Amen-hotep lies without dreams, while the swede pile is like a winter dream as sweet as spring.
Contrasts the lifelessness of the ancient mummy with the living, dreamlike quality of the winter scene.