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Rereading the poem offers up other images too, such as "If you are the profaned city / I am the rain of consecration" (Paz). Here, the relationship between the positive first line and the opposing second line seems to change. The first line has become the "problem" line and the second line the "solution" line, and the relationship is transposed, just as power and leadership can change from time to time in any relationship. Rereading this poem brings out even more complexities and underlying meanings in the poem, so it is easy to see why Paz was such a fan of rereading his and others works.
Finally, this poem seems to be about the natural world and complex relationships, but it is really a poem about life and how a person lives their life. It shows that relationships, like life, can be complex and difficult, but that they can be exhilarating, too. The language of the poem moves the poem in a full circle, just like the passing of a day, and it brings closure to the poem and the reader. It is beautiful and haunting in a way, and it is a little frightening and garish, too. The author clearly knows how to use the English language effectively, which is an important aspect of poetry, which has to get a message across in a much smaller space than a short story or novel does. He uses very vivid images in the poem to stir the reader and make them think. For example, he writes, "If you are the...
Immediately, the image of a sunbeam, "cutting" an orange open becomes real to the reader, and that is a good example of how he paints vivid images with his language and context.
In conclusion, this is a poem fully in motion and synchronized with life and the many complexities of life. It is easy to see how Paz won a Nobel Prize for Literature with writing like this, because it is beautiful, troubling, and lyrical at the same time. It conveys motion effectively, and it shows that even during the best parts of life, something different always lies around the corner. This is important because it shows how powerful and moving a well-written poem can be, and how it can stay in the mind of the reader long after they have finished reading the poem. It is an excellent example of what makes a good poem, and it is quite easy to see why Paz won a Nobel Prize. The quality and depth of his work is certainly remarkable and entertaining at the same time.
References
Paz, Octavio. "Motion/Moviento." NobelPrize.org. 2009. 11 May 2009.
<http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1990/paz-poetry.html>.
Quiroga, Jose. Understanding Octavio Paz. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1999.
Wegner, Hart. "Of Carbon Flies, Hieroglyphics, and Body Texts: A Fond Farewell to the Word." West Virginia University Philological Papers (2000): 1+.
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