Marrysong- Dennis Scott

Dennis Scott is a Jamaican poet who often wrote in the Caribbean

vernacular. This poem is mainly about a close relationship between
a man and a woman, perhaps a marriage and the perplexity a man
faces when it comes to understand the workings of a woman’s mind.
This poem has been written in the third person, from the point of
view of the man. The first line itself gives the reader an insight into
the main theme of the poem. The word ‘learned’ has a deep
connotation to it. It symbolizes the poet’s way of thinking and state
of mind. This line makes it clear to the reader that the poet is
mystified as far as the workings of a woman’s mind is concerned, he
thinks of her as a “project” that he needs to understand. This
increases the involvement of the reader in the poem as he gets a
glimpse of the thought processes of the poet. The words “year after
year” and “seasons” denote the time invested in this relationship.
This makes the reader realize that a lot of time had been devoted to
developing the bond between the poet and his beloved. The poet
has efficaciously used the technique of metaphor for “quarried
hurt”. This has a rich inner meaning to it as it symbolizes her
reactions are based on the past, from the recesses of her mind. A
comparison with a quarry brings up an image of an excavation, to
dig up something belonging to the past. Thus the reader can relate
to her reactions and the poet’s sense of bewilderment to them.
In the next line, ’cool water laughing” the poet has used
personification along with a metaphor to compare the hardness in
her voice to “stones” to provide a rich imagery for her mood swings.
Reading these lines, the reader has a insight into the uncertainty
felt by the poet as he deals with his beloved even sympathizes with
him.
The next four lines are a semantic field of geography with the use of
the words “charted”, “wilderness”, “roads”, “map”, “sea” and the
“shapes of shores”. They all deal with the topography of her mind.
These varied words provide a sense of intrigue, create a sense of
unknowing which make the reader eager to read on further to see
whether the poet has managed to figure her out. Furthermore, the
poet has personified love in the line, “the shadow of her love
shortened and grew” to exaggerate her baffling responses to the
poet. These words suggest to the reader that their relationship has
an element of strife and turmoil in it, which make the reader
empathize for the poet. The words “unexpected hill”, “new country”
and “jaunty helpless journey” are a semantic field of adventurous
travel. They create a daring and exciting setting to the poem and
add to the sense of adventure that the poet is undergoing in his
relationship with his lover. This involves the reader further in the
palpable exhilaration felt by the poet. This makes the reader feel
that the poet is desperate for some peace and tranquility that
makes him feel sorry for him. The poet also uses contrasting words
like “jaunty and helpless” to generate a powerful image that
showcase the poet’s inability in understanding her mercurial mood
swings. This makes the reader relate more and feel compassion for
the poet as it contributes to the reader’s image of the poet as a man
who is completely confused and lost.
In the last three lines the tone or the poem completely changes.
There is an ironical twist in the end, which increases the sense of
enjoyment felt by the reader, on reading the poem. This happens as
it adds a sense of unpredictability as it engages the attention of the
reader. Throughout the poem, the reader has witnessed the sense
of frustration felt by the poet, now in the lines, “Stayed home
increasingly to find his way among the landscapes of her mind”, the
reader feels his sense of peace. “