Poem Analysis - Once Below A Time

Introduction: A Surreal Journey of Identity

Dylan Thomas's "Once Below A Time" plunges the reader into a fantastical and often bewildering exploration of identity, creation, and societal constraints. The poem’s tone oscillates between whimsical absurdity and a melancholic yearning for a simpler existence. It’s a surreal journey through symbolic landscapes and fragmented narratives, marked by a relentless barrage of inventive imagery. The initial exuberance gradually gives way to a sense of weariness and a desire for quietude, indicating a profound shift in the speaker's perspective.

The Burden of Conformity and the Struggle for Self-Expression

One prominent theme in the poem is the struggle against societal expectations and the burden of conformity. The initial stanzas depict the speaker as a manufactured being, a "Cut-to-measure flesh bit" and "Suit for a serial sum," suggesting a life dictated by external forces and economic pressures. The imagery of "love torn breeches and blistered jacket" highlights the painful consequences of adhering to these constraints. The speaker's subsequent rebellion, manifested in actions like astoundishing "the sitting tailors" and setting "back the clock faced tailors," underscores a desire to break free from these imposed limitations and assert his individuality, even if through chaotic and unconventional means. This fight is a metaphor for the artist's struggle to maintain authenticity in a world that demands conformity.

Creation, Deception, and the Artist's Role

The theme of creation, particularly artistic creation, is woven throughout the poem. The tailors, who initially represent societal conformity, also become symbolic of the artist or creator. The speaker describes his origins within this created world ("grottoes I worked with birds") but later challenges and subverts its established order. The second stanza introduces the "idol tailor's eyes" and the "cloud perched tailors' master," suggesting a controlling force behind creation, potentially divine or artistic. The speaker's belief in his "maker," only to be "deceived," hints at the potential for disappointment and disillusionment in the creative process. The "boy of common thread" and "bright pretender" may symbolize the artist's inherent artifice, the act of creating illusions to reveal deeper truths.

Mortality and the Yearning for Peace

Underneath the poem's fantastical imagery lies a profound meditation on mortality and a yearning for peace. The lines "My silly suit, hardly yet suffered for, Around some coffin carrying/Birdman or told ghost I hung" suggest a preoccupation with death and the fleeting nature of existence. The subsequent imagery of drowning in "readymade handy water" and the desire to "lie down, lie down and live/As quiet as a bone" further emphasizes this theme. The final lines, with their stark simplicity, contrast sharply with the earlier exuberance, indicating a surrender to the inevitability of death and a longing for respite from the struggles of life. The speaker’s desire to become “as quiet as a bone” signifies an escape from the constant pressures and performances that defined his existence.

Symbolic Landscapes and the Meaning of Transformation

Recurring symbols like the "ashpit," "sea," and "earth" contribute significantly to the poem's overall message. The "ashpit" represents a place of discarded remnants, a reflection of the speaker's perceived worthlessness within the societal framework. The "sea" symbolizes a source of both creation and destruction, a vast unknown where the speaker undergoes transformative experiences. The "earth," particularly the "kangaroo foot of the earth" and "lubber crust of Wales," represents the solid, grounded reality from which the speaker originates. The recurring image of clothing, from the "suit" to the "shark mask" to the "cherry capped dangler," symbolizes the various roles and identities the speaker adopts throughout his life. These garments are not merely superficial; they represent the performed selves that obscure the true essence of the individual. The poem’s ambiguity invites questions about the true nature of transformation: Is it a genuine evolution or merely a series of adopted disguises?

Conclusion: A Quiet Surrender

"Once Below A Time" is a complex and multi-layered poem that explores the themes of conformity, creation, mortality, and the search for identity. Through its surreal imagery and shifting tones, the poem charts a journey from an initial state of manufactured existence to a final acceptance of mortality and a yearning for peace. Ultimately, the poem suggests that the struggle for self-expression, though fraught with challenges and disillusionment, is an essential aspect of the human experience. The concluding lines offer a quiet yet powerful statement about the desire to escape the chaos of life and find solace in the stillness of death, indicating a profound shift from flamboyant rebellion to a quiet acceptance.