Poem Analysis - Thy Fingers Make Early Flowers Of

An Ode to Fleeting Beauty: Introduction

E.E. Cummings' "Thy Fingers Make Early Flowers Of" is a delicate and sensual exploration of beauty, love, and mortality. The poem reads as a tender, almost reverent, observation of a beloved. While the tone is initially celebratory and filled with light, a subtle undercurrent of melancholy and awareness of life's brevity pervades the piece. The mood shifts slightly in the final stanza, introducing a confrontation with death, which ultimately reinforces the preciousness of the present moment and the power of love.

The Fragility of Beauty and Love

One of the central themes of the poem is the fragility of beauty and love. This is primarily developed through the recurring motif of fleeting imagery, particularly the "early flowers." Flowers, especially "early" ones, symbolize freshness, vitality, and the beginning of something beautiful, but also hint at their ephemeral nature. The line "(though love be a day)" is repeated, emphasizing the transient nature of love. Even as the speaker celebrates the beauty of the beloved, he acknowledges that it, like a day, will eventually pass. This awareness does not diminish the value of the experience, but rather heightens it.

Mortality's Gentle Reminder

The theme of mortality is subtly woven into the poem and becomes more pronounced in the final stanza. The speaker directly invokes "Death," framing it as something potentially desirable ("rich beyond wishing") if it involves union with the beloved. However, this is juxtaposed with the fear of "missing" this union. The conditional nature of the stanza ("if this thou catch, else missing") highlights the precariousness of life and love. The concluding line, "(though love be a day and life be nothing, it shall not stop kissing)," is a defiant assertion that even in the face of death, the act of love, the celebration of beauty, will endure. The poem grapples with the awareness that both love and life are limited, and so much more precious.

Kissing: A Symbol of Enduring Love

The act of "kissing" functions as a potent symbol throughout the poem. It appears in connection with the beloved's eyes ("thy moist eyes are at kisses playing") and culminates in the defiant final line. Kissing represents intimacy, connection, and the active expression of love. The fact that the eyes are "at kisses playing" suggests a playful and flirtatious quality to the relationship. However, the enduring image of kissing, even in the face of death, transforms it into a symbol of resilience and defiance. It becomes the act that transcends the limitations of time and mortality, becoming a physical and spiritual act of unity.

A Celebration of the Ephemeral: Conclusion

In conclusion, "Thy Fingers Make Early Flowers Of" is a multi-layered poem that celebrates beauty and love while acknowledging the inevitability of mortality. Cummings masterfully uses vivid imagery and recurring motifs, particularly the "early flowers" and the act of "kissing," to explore these themes. The poem encourages the reader to appreciate the present moment and find joy in the fleeting beauty of life and love. Its enduring power lies in its ability to remind us of the fragility of existence and, paradoxically, the enduring strength of human connection.