Poem Analysis - If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love

Overview: A Dance with Life and Death

Dylan Thomas's "If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love" is a complex exploration of love, fear, and mortality, delivered in his characteristic rich, evocative language. The poem begins with hypothetical scenarios where the speaker claims he would be fearless in the face of life's challenges if touched by love. This confidence gradually erodes as the poem progresses, revealing a deep anxiety about aging, decay, and the ultimate insignificance of human experience. The tone shifts from a hopeful, almost defiant stance to a resigned, and even morbid, contemplation of death. The poem's later sections, especially, are tinged with a raw, visceral awareness of mortality.

The Allure and Illusion of Love

One of the main themes is the power, but also the potential deception, of love. The speaker initially presents love as a shield against fear. In the first three stanzas, phrases like "I would not fear the apple nor the flood" and "I would not fear the gallows nor the axe" suggest that love's influence would render him impervious to the dangers of the world. This idea is conveyed through vivid imagery of earthly struggles contrasted with the initial tickling sensation of love. However, the poem quickly complicates this simplistic view. Stanza four describes love's inability to stave off the effects of time and decay. The speaker acknowledges that love does not prevent the inevitable. The "sweethearting crib" and the "sea of scums" represent the cyclical nature of life and death, against which love offers no real protection. Ultimately, love, in this early depiction, is simply not enough.

Mortality's Grim Tickle

The theme of mortality permeates the poem, deepening from an undercurrent of anxiety to a central focus. The images in the later stanzas become increasingly visceral and disturbing, dwelling on decay and bodily disintegration. The "worm beneath my nail" and the "old man's shank one-marrowed with my bone" are potent symbols of aging and the slow encroachment of death. This shift reflects the speaker's growing awareness of his own impermanence and the futility of resisting the natural processes of decline. The speaker is trying to come to terms with the reality of aging and the inevitability of death, but he finds it much harder to be flippant about this particular "tickle."

The Ambiguous Symbols of Touch and Decay

Recurring symbols and images contribute significantly to the poem's overall impact. The "rub of love," initially presented as a positive, life-affirming force, transforms into something more sinister, represented by images of decay and death. The "thistle in the kiss" suggests that even love is not free from pain or the sting of mortality. Other ambiguous images include the "knobbly ape" that swings along his sex. This crude image seems to stand in contrast to the more idealized images of love in the earlier stanzas. Is it meant to represent a primitive drive underlying all love, a reminder of the body's inherent limitations, or something else entirely? The repeated motif of "tickling" also morphs throughout the poem. It transitions from a pleasant sensation connected with love to a disturbing reminder of the nerve endings sensing death and decay.

Conclusion: A Metaphor for Impermanence

"If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love" is a powerful meditation on the intertwined nature of love, life, and death. The poem begins with a hopeful assertion of love's power to overcome fear, but it gradually descends into a darker contemplation of mortality and decay. The vivid imagery and shifting tone create a sense of unease, reflecting the speaker's struggle to reconcile the beauty and joy of life with the inevitability of death. In the final lines, the speaker proposes that "Man be my metaphor," suggesting that humanity's flawed, transient existence is itself the ultimate symbol of life's complexities. The poem leaves the reader pondering the enduring questions of human existence, with a heightened awareness of the fragility and beauty of life in the face of death.