Poem Analysis - Death Sonnet

A Lament for a Lost One

Gabriela Mistral's "Death Sonnet" is a powerful expression of grief, love, and defiance in the face of death. The poem opens with sorrow and a sense of injustice, as the speaker reclaims the body of a loved one from a cold, impersonal space. It then shifts to a tone of tenderness and protectiveness, depicting the act of burial as a gentle, maternal act. The poem concludes with a hint of dark satisfaction, as the speaker asserts her enduring connection to the deceased, even in death. The poem is a sonnet, but does not follow all the standard rhyme schemes and structures, which supports the raw emotion and rebellious nature of the speaker.

Maternal Love and Mortality

One of the central themes of the poem is the enduring power of maternal love. This is evident in the lines where the speaker describes caring for the deceased's body "with a mother's sweet care for her napping child." The act of placing the body in the earth becomes a nurturing gesture, transforming the grave into a "soft cradle." This imagery challenges the traditional, fearful perception of death, presenting it instead as a return to a state of peaceful slumber. Another key theme is mortality, the poem squarely tackles this by illustrating how the speaker must return the body "to the sunny, poor earth." This underscores the inevitability of death and the shared fate of all humans. The fact that she is going to "sleep in it and dream on the same pillow" further solidifies this idea.

Reclaiming the Narrative: A Fight Against Impersonality

Another prominent theme in "Death Sonnet" is the speaker's desire to reclaim ownership over the narrative of death. The opening lines, "From the icy niche where men placed you," suggest a feeling of alienation and a rejection of societal rituals surrounding death. The speaker seeks to personalize the act of burial, transforming it into a private, intimate moment between herself and the deceased. By taking control of the burial, she is in essence rejecting the cold, impersonal treatment the body received from "men." This theme builds up to the last lines, where the speaker sings "my lovely revenge", which further pushes back against the societal norms of how death should be handled.

Symbolic Earth and Moon: Elements of Comfort and Separation

The poem is rich with evocative imagery. The "icy niche" symbolizes the cold, sterile nature of death rituals imposed by society, devoid of personal connection or warmth. This contrasts sharply with the "sunny, poor earth," which represents a return to nature, a place of comfort and acceptance. The recurring image of the earth as a cradle underscores the idea of death as a peaceful rest. Furthermore, the "moon's airy and blue powder" symbolizes distance, but also a sense of ethereal beauty. The line "what is left of you is a prisoner" can be interpreted as the last piece of the deceased, forever under the moon's protection.

Final defiance

In conclusion, "Death Sonnet" is a profound meditation on love, loss, and the defiant assertion of personal connection in the face of death. Mistral uses vivid imagery and a shifting tone to explore the complexities of grief and the desire to reclaim agency over the experience of death. The final lines of the poem, where the speaker claims her "lovely revenge" by ensuring that "no hand will reach into the obscure depth / to argue with me over your handful of bones," suggest a lasting commitment to protect and honor the memory of the deceased, a testament to the enduring power of love that transcends even death.