"While He Told Me" (January-December)

"While He Told Me" is the first poem present in Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds. It describes the moment when she (Olds) found out her that her husband was having an affair. Throughout this poem, symbolic imagery sets the mood of the entire book.

Archetypal weather and light patterns are included in "While He Told Me" to signify the end of the relationship and the beginning of Olds' journey as a divorcee in pursuit of her independence. In line 10, Olds states: "I turned out the light/ he touched my face, then turned away,/ then the dark", the lack of light and darkness symbolizes the end of who they used to be as a couple and the impending separation that they'll face. This archetype of beginnings is continued in line 17: "Near sunrise, behind overcast". One should notice that the sunrise (symbol of a new beginning) is cast over by an overcast which could symbolize anything from her not accepting the truth or the impending depression she is bound to face.

It is necessary to point out the symbolic nature of flowers in this poem. In line 4, the symbolic origin of lilies is that the flower was dedicated to Hera, wife of Zeus who's tales of infidelity are omnipresent throughout ancient Greek history. Meanwhile, the tulips mentioned in line 24 symbolize perfect love; this doesn't make sense until one notes that the tulips are "stretched away from each other extreme in the old vase"; the old vase with the person praying on it symbolizing marriage.

           I chose to analyze this poem to introduce the reader to the many symbolic meanings throughout the entirety of Old's collection. Throughout the rest of the section I would like to bring to attention the amount Old's mentions of clocks, faces (and their juxtaposition to backs), Orion and other stars, and the darkness or nighttime.

             I would also like to mention "Stag's Leap" since this poem is what the collection was named after. Stag's Leap alludes to the choice wine that was Olds' and her  husband's favorite. It is a red wine is a connotation of passion and is normally paired with red meat. In this poem, Old's describes her husband as the stag and plead for him to be careful when he bounds away. This plead summarizes the mood of the first section quite nicely; she grieves for the loss of her marriage while still loving her husband. I would like the reader to consider this poem when reading the rest of the book and how Old's changes through the course of events. I will post about the Winter section promptly.

            -Nicki Clifford