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Kamis, 28 Januari 2016

Wujudkan Sikap Toleransi Antar Umat Beragama


Toleransi merupakan sebuah konsep yang menggambarkan sikap saling menghormati di antara kelompok-kelompok masyarakat yang berasal dari latar belakang yang berbeda, mulai dari perbedaan suku, etnis, bahasa, gender, jenis kelamin, hingga perbedaan agama.
Dalam sebuah masyarakat, toleransi sering menjadi fenomena yang dapat menimbulkan konflik. Konflik tersebut biasanya terjadi karena ketidakmampuan anggota kelompok masyarakat dalam menerima perbedaan yang ada diantara mereka. Masing-masing anggota kelompok masyarakat merasa bahwa kelompoknyalah yang paling sesuai dengan aturan yang berlaku, sedangkan kelompok yang lainnya dianggap menyeleweng dari aturan yang berlaku dalam masyarakat tersebut.
Islam sebagai agama rahmatan lil’alamin memberikan ajaran tentang aturan toleransi dalam kehidupan masyarakat, terutama toleransi dalam keberagaman agama. Seperti yang dijelaskan dalam QS. Alkafirun ayat 6, yang artinya “untukmu agamamu dan untukku agamaku”. Dalam ayat tersebut digambarkan bahwa islam tidak memaksakan kehendak kepada kelompok lain untuk mengikuti ajaran agama islam.
Selain itu, menurut islam, toleransi tidak hanya terhadap sesama manusia, tetapi juga terhadap binatang, lingkungan, dan alam semesta. Dengan makna troleransi yang begitu luas, maka toleransi antar umat beragama dalam islam memperoleh perhatian penting dan serius. Ia begitu sensitif, mudah memicu konflik sehingga menyedot perhatian besar dalam islam.
Toleransi berasal dari bahasa latin tolerare yang berarti menahan diri, bersikap sabar, membiarkan orang berpendapat lain, dan berhati lapang terhadap orang-orang yang memiliki pendapat berbeda. Dalam bahasa arab, toleransi diistilahkan dengan tasamuh yang berarti membiarkan sesuatu atau membolehkan, mengizinkan, dan saling memudahkan. Toleransi pada dasarnya merupakan sikap yang mengakui kebebasan serta hak-hak yang dianut orang lain.
Toole adalah istilah dalam konteks sosial, budaya dan agama yang berarti sikap atau perbuatan yang melarang adanya diskriminasi terhadap kelompok-kelompok yang berbeda. Sebagai contoh adalah toleransi beragama, dimana penganut mayoritas agama mengizinkan keberadaan agama-agama lain.

Prinsip Toleransi dalam Alqur’an
Nabi Muhamaad SAW sangat menghargai keyakinan dan agama orang lain. Sikap yang toleran ini merupakan gambaran pesan islam terhadap umatnya. Oleh karena itu, toleransi merupakan bagian dari ajaran islam yang harus dikembangkan.
Toleransi pada islam didasarkan pada prinsip-prinsip dasar yang digariskan dalam alqur’an, yaitu :
  1. Tidak ada pemaksaan dalam beragama
Islam adalah agama yang menebarkan perdamaian, persaudaraan, dan persamaan. Oleh karena itu, hal-hal yang dapat memicu lahirnya konflik anta kelompok harus dihindari. Salah satu yang tidak diperkenankan adalah pemaksaan satu kelompok terhadap kelompok lain. Agama bagi islam adalah keyakinan yang harus datang dari kesadaran diri terhadap eksistensi dan kekuasaan Tuhan. Dalam surat Al-Baqarah ayat 256 Allah berfirman yang artinya,
“Tidak ada paksaan untuk (memasuki) agama (Islam); Sesungguhnya telah jelas jalan yang benar daripada jalan yang sesat. karena itu Barangsiapa yang ingkar kepada Thaghut dan beriman kepada Allah, Maka Sesungguhnya ia telah berpegang kepada buhul tali yang Amat kuat yang tidak akan putus. dan Allah Maha mendengar lagi Maha mengetahui.”
  1. Kebebasan memilih dan menentukan keyakinan
Manusia, dalam perspektif islam adalah khalifah di muka bumi yang bebas memilih dan menentukan pilihannya sesuai dengan keinginan hati nuraninya. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Kahfi ayat 29, yang artinya
“Dan katakanlah: "Kebenaran itu datangnya dari Tuhanmu; Maka Barangsiapa yang ingin (beriman) hendaklah ia beriman, dan Barangsiapa yang ingin (kafir) Biarlah ia kafir". Sesungguhnya Kami telah sediakan bagi orang orang zalim itu neraka, yang gejolaknya mengepung mereka. dan jika mereka meminta minum, niscaya mereka akan diberi minum dengan air seperti besi yang mendidih yang menghanguskan muka. Itulah minuman yang paling buruk dan tempat istirahat yang paling jelek.
  1. Tidak melarang untuk bekerjasama dengan orang yang tidak sepaham
Islam mendorong umatnya untuk bekerjasama dalam berbagai segi kehidupan dengan siapa saja, termasuk dengan agama lain sepanjang kerjasama mereka dilakukan untuk kebaikan. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Mumtahanah ayat 8 yang artinya,
Allah tidak melarang kamu untuk berbuat baik dan Berlaku adil terhadap orang-orang yang tiada memerangimu karena agama dan tidak (pula) mengusir kamu dari negerimu. Sesungguhnya Allah menyukai orang-orang yang Berlaku adil.
  1. Mengakui adanya keragaman
Allah SWT menciptakan manusia di muka bumi ini dengan bermacam suku bangsa, ras maupun bahasa. Keragaman ini merupakan sunnatullah yang tidak dapat dihindari dan harus disikapi dengan wajar. Oleh karena itu, hak-hak hidup bagi orang dan pengikut agama yang berbeda harus diberikan secara wajar dan proporsional. Allah berfirman dalam surat Yunus ayat 99 yang artinya,
“Dan Jikalau Tuhanmu menghendaki, tentulah beriman semua orang yang di muka bumi seluruhnya. Maka Apakah kamu (hendak) memaksa manusia supaya mereka menjadi orang-orang yang beriman semuanya?

Sistem Persaudaraan dalam Islam
Persaudaraan dalam islam disebut dengan ukhuwah. Ukhuwah sendiri diartikan sebagai persaudaraan di antara umat manusia. Dalam arti luas, ukhuwah melampaui batas-batas etnik, rasial agama, latar belakang sosial, dan sebagainya. Dengan konsep ukhuwah diharapkan terdapat persaudaraan dan persamaan yang tidak membeda-bedakan umat manusia atas dasar asal-usul, etnis, warna kulit, status sosial, dan sebagainya.
Berdasarkan pemaknaan ukhuwah menurut Al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah, maka ukhuwah dibedakan menjadi empat macam, yaitu :
  1. Ukhuwah Ubudiyah, yaitu persaudaraan antara seluruh makhluk ciptaan Allah. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al’An’am ayat 3 yang artinya,
“Dan Dialah Allah (yang disembah), baik di langit maupun di bumi; Dia mengetahui apa yang kamu rahasiakan dan apa yang kamu lahirkan dan mengetahui (pula) apa yang kamu usahakan.
  1. Ukhuwah Insaniyah, yaitu persaudaraan antara seluruh umat manusia, karena mereka berasal dari ayah ibu yang satu. Firman Allah dalam surat Al-Hujurat ayat 12 yang artinya,
“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, jauhilah kebanyakan purba-sangka (kecurigaan), karena sebagian dari purba-sangka itu dosa. dan janganlah mencari-cari keburukan orang dan janganlah menggunjingkan satu sama lain. Adakah seorang diantara kamu yang suka memakan daging saudaranya yang sudah mati? Maka tentulah kamu merasa jijik kepadanya. dan bertakwalah kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Penerima taubat lagi Maha Penyayang.
  1. Ukhuwah Wathaniyah, yaitu persaudaraan sebangsa dan setanah air. Allah berfirman dalam surat Al-A’raf ayat 65 yang artinya,
“Dan (kami telah mengutus) kepada kaum 'Aad saudara mereka, Hud. ia berkata: "Hai kaumku, sembahlah Allah, sekali-kali tidak ada Tuhan bagimu selain dari-Nya. Maka mengapa kamu tidak bertakwa kepada-Nya?"
  1. Ukhuwah Islamiyah, yaitu persaudaraan intern umat islam. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Ahzab ayat 5 yang artinya,
“Panggilah mereka (anak-anak angkat itu) dengan (memakai) nama bapak-bapak mereka; Itulah yang lebih adil pada sisi Allah, dan jika kamu tidak mengetahui bapak-bapak mereka, Maka (panggilah mereka sebagai) saudara-saudaramu seagama dan maula-maulamu. dan tidak ada dosa atasmu terhadap apa yang kamu khilaf padanya, tetapi (yang ada dosanya) apa yang disengaja oleh hatimu. dan adalah Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.”
Keempat ukhuwah diatas mempunyai kesamaan, yaitu adanya anjuran untuk hidup rukun, saling menghormati, tenggang rasa, solidaritas sosial, dengan mendudukkan pada posisinya masing-masing sesuai dengan ciri khas bentuk ukhuwah yang dilakukan.

Dengan demikian, ntuk mewujudkan kebersamaan dalam pluralitas agama dalam suatu bangsa, diperlukan adanya sikap membina kerukunan dan kebersamaan yang dimulai dari diri sendiri, keluarga, dan masyarakat. Jika dalam komponen-komponen bangsa tersebut sudah terbina sikap kebersamaan, tentu tidak dipungkiri lagi bahwa kehidupan yang rukun dan damai akan terwujud dalam suatu bangsa.

Harmony in Cultural Diversity


Culture is one of reality that cannot be rejected its existence in the life. It is anything which is created by human and implied in daily life. Culture is not about right and wrong, good and bad, or polite and impolite. It is about how something is viewed from its came –the society which have that culture. Culture shows the behavior of society.
Society is the social community which consists of many people with many differences. They come from difference background such as custom, tradition, religion, and perception, etc. They have a lot of diversity in doing everything based on their way.
That differences influence someone’s perception in society. Most of person cannot accept the cultural differences because they think that if something does not appropriate with their culture, they will judge it as the bad culture. This case is caused by ethnocentrism which grows in society. It is about their own perception that their culture is the best culture than others. The effect of this behavior is conflict which appears in society.

In order to decrease the conflict in society, people should have harmony in social life. They should receive the differences culture as the diversity and colorful thing in life. They should have more knowledgeable about their own culture and cross culture. Despite of it, they also should have more understanding about cross culture in order to be cultural-person who can receive and become tolerance person.

Controlling Children Using Computer


Computer and internet are useful as well as powerful. Information about health and safe usage of computer and Internet, especially for children, should be owned by each family. Computer connected to internet is powerful way to socialize with others. It can be good but also bad effect. Recently we hear a lot of children get the advantage of social networking sites but we often see the news about the disadvantage of it for children. Healthy and safety of computer and Internet usage should continue to be campaigned.The role of parent in assisting and directing children in using computer is very necessary. Installation of software monitor such as key logger which has function to watch and note all activities relating to keyboard usage is helpful but not enough to protect children from potential harms. Children tend to hide what they have done in front of the computer to their parent. They see that all of they have done are their privacy and no one may know.

We cannot prevent children from using computer because it is multifunctional. However, many parents worry about what their kids do in front of the computer; whether they are doing homework or even just playing games. Or spending all time to surf internet which is the materials do not fit with his age. There is a tendency, especially teenagers, want to become acquainted with many strangers out side. The lack parental supervision of children's activities is likely to pose a potential danger to them. So, parental monitor against the use of computers needs to be done from time to time.

The Connection of Literature with Modern Life


In this globalization era, all individuals are starting to think modern. The modern’s thoughts arise because as the easy access to a variety of things, such as it’s easy tomove from one place to another place, the easier to connect with others, and easier to get information.In addition, modern thoughts are also due to the influence of various media, such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, etc. In some media were so many elements that are capable of and it's easy to give effect to all aspects of human life. One of the media had a major influence in the life of modern’s people is the television. Television is a thingwhich is give the influence and persuade individuals to act according to his will. Television chosen because most or even all people ever and can access television. This is one of the strategies of modern humans to make a difference to the world. Both changes in the form of positive and negative.
Indonesia is one of the countries with the level of consumption to the electronic media is high. Television is a medium that can not be separated by Indonesian society. This is because the condition as a developing country, the television to be excellent for the community to access information than as a medium of entertainment. Usefulness of television as a medium of entertainment has an important role in the development of Indonesian society. With the attitude of most who simply accept without filter, Indonesian society is the true consumer target.
In television, there are many shows that have a variety of effects, both negative and positive effects. One of the impressions that are very popular in Indonesia is a sinetron. Sinetron is one of the impressions that shows the reality of people's lives. Nevertheless sinetronimpressed suggests a life too dramatized. With this impression as the sinetrontoo many negative impacts than positive impacts. With the sinetronof modern humans can easily affect the lifestyle of Indonesia. Besides modern humans is behind sinetronconsumers do not pay attention. Sometimes, there are children who do not know that they are also sinetronconsumers.
In addition to sinetron, the children’sprogram in television also have the impact by things that did not deserve. In some television program for children are negatively impact the individual child. There was also the impression of real children is not appropriate given the impression to the kids.
In addition to sinetron, advertising also influences the lifestyle of Indonesia society. Advertising is an appropriate means to spice up the Indonesian society to follow new things. With the attractively packaged ad, Indonesian society will easily be affected regardless of the impact resulting from the product being advertised. Such as, food and drink fast. The product does provide facilities for people to eat. But they do not see the effects of these products.

Sinetron and advertisement, as well as program in television is one kind of literature. It can be concluded that the literature can affect people's lives and can change the life of the world. So, we can say that literature shapes the world.

I have a Rendezvous with Death by Alan Seeger (Poem Analysis)

I have a Rendezvous with Death
Alan Seeger


I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air-
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath-
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flower appear.

God knows ‘twere better to be deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.

  1. Type of Poetry
The poem I have a Rendezvous with Death is a narrative poem. It because that poem tell the reader about someone’s experience who has the meeting with the death. It showed by the repitition of the sentence ‘I have a Rendezvous with Death’ till four times. In addition, from the first line till the end line telling about the process of his/her meeting with death. Until the latest line he/she said that he/she shouldn’t fail his/her rendezvous with the death.

  1. Connotation and Denotation
    1. Connotation
    • When Spring comes back with rustling shade
      • rustling shade    : the protection, safe.
    • When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
      • blue days    : happiness
      • fair    : quiet
    • And lead me into his dark land
      • dark land        : hell
    • Where love throbs out in blissful sleep
      • blissful sleep    : death
    1. Denotation
No.
Words
Meaning
1.
Rendezvous
Meet at an arranged time and place.
2.
Death
End of life; state of being dead.
3.
Dispute
Question whether something is true and valid.
4.
Barricade
Barrier of objects built to block a stree=t, etc.
5.
Come back
Return
6.
Blossom
A flower or a mass of flowers, especially on a fruit tree or bush.
7.
Fill
Become or make something full of something.
8.
Bring back
To return something/somebody.
9.
Lead
Go with or in front of a person or an animal to show the way.
10.
Close
(Cause something to) shut.
11.
Quench
Put out a fire.
12.
Pass
To be given to another person after first belonging to somebody else, especially after the first person has died.
13.
Scarred
To spoil the appearance of something.
14.
Slope
Area of land that is part of a mountain or hill.
15.
Battered
Out of shape because of old age, great use, etc.
16.
Hill
Area of high land, not as high as a mountain.
17.
Come round
Become conscious again.
18.
Meadow-flowers
The field of flowers grass.
19.
Know
Realize, understand or be aware of something.
20.
Deep
Far down or in something.
21.
Pillowed
Rest something, especially your head, on an object.
22.
Silk
(material made from) fine, soft thread produced by silkworms.
23.
Scented
Give something a particular, pleasant smell.
24.
Pulse
Regular beating of the arteries as the blood is plumped through them.
25.
Breath
Air taken into and sent out of the lungs.
26.
Hushed
Silence
27.
Awakening
Act of realizing something.
28.
Midnight
12 o’clock in the middle of night.
29.
Flaming town
The violent town
30.
Trips
Journey to a place and back again, especially for pleasure.
31.
Pledged word
Serious promise.
32.
True
Not straight or in the correct position.
33.
Fail
Not do something.

  1. Imagery
I have a rendezvous with Death            Kinesthetic Imagery
At some disputed barricade,                Organic Imagery
When Spring comes back with rustling shade    Organic Imagery
And apple-blossoms fill the air-            Olfactory Imagery
I have a rendezvous with Death            Kinesthetic Imagery
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.        Organic Imagery

It may be he shall take my hand            Organic Imagery
And lead me into his dark land            Organic Imagery
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        Organic Imagery
It may be I shall pass him still.            Organic Imagery
I have a rendezvous with Death            Kinesthetic Imagery
On some scarred slope of battered hill,        Organic Imagery
When Spring comes round again this year        Organic Imagery
And the first meadow-flower appear.            Visual Imagery

God knows ‘twere better to be deep            Organic Imagery
Pillowed in silk and scented down,            Organic Imagery
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,        Organic Imagery
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,        Organic Imagery
Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .        Organic Imagery
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death            Kinesthetic Imagery
At midnight in some flaming town,            Visual Imagery
When Spring trips north again this year,        Organic Imagery
And I to my pledged word am true,            Organic Imagery
I shall not fail that rendezvous.            Organic Imagery

  1. Figurative Language
    • It may be he shall take my hand         (Personification)
There is only one figurative language in that poem. That is the 7th line (It may be he shall take my hand). In that sentence, the word he represents of the death. In addition, the word death is the nonhuman/thing and get the human’s attributes (It may be he shall take my hand). And for the next line (8th line) the sentence also represents about the abilyty of death to lead him/her (the speaker) into the death’s dark land.

  1. Musical Devices
    1. Alliteration
    • When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
    • And lead me into his dark land
    • On some scarred slope of battered hill,
    • And the first meadow-flowers appear.
    • God knows ‘twere better to be deep
    1. Assonance
    • When Spring comes back with rustling shade
    • When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
    • It may be he shall take my hand
    • And close my eyes and quench my breath-
    • It may be I shall pass him still.
    • Pillowed in silk and scented down,
    • Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,
    • At midnight in some flaming town,
    • When Spring trips north again this year,
    1. Consonance
    • At some disputed barricade,
    • When Spring comes back with rustling shade
    • And lead me into his dark land
    • It may be I shall pass him still.
    • On some scarred slope of battered hill,
    • Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .
    • I shall not fail that rendezvous.
    1. Combination
    1. Rhyme (Assonance-Consonance)
      • Internal Rhyme
        • When Spring comes back with rustling shade
      • End Rhyme
I have a rendezvous with Death                a
At some disputed barricade,                b
When Spring comes back with rustling shade        b
And apple-blossoms fill the air-                c
I have a rendezvous with Death                a
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.        c

It may be he shall take my hand                a
And lead me into his dark land                a
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        b
It may be I shall pass him still.                 c
I have a rendezvous with Death                b
On some scarred slope of battered hill,             c
When Spring comes round again this year        d
And the first meadow-flower appear.             d

God knows ‘twere better to be deep            a
Pillowed in silk and scented down,             b
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,             a
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,         c
Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .             d
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death            c
At midnight in some flaming town,             b
When Spring trips north again this year,             d
And I to my pledged word am true,             e
I shall not fail that rendezvous.                f
  • Approximate
    • At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
  • And apple-blossoms fill the air-
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
  • It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
  • And close my eyes and quench my breath-
I have a rendezvous with Death
  • It may be I shall pass him still.
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
  • When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear.
  • God knows ‘twere better to be deep
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,
  • Pillowed in silk and scented down,
At midnight in someflaming town,
  • Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .
When Spring trips north again this year,
  1. Refrain
  • I have a rendezvous with Death        (1st line)
I have a rendezvous with Death        (5th line)
I have a rendezvous with Death        (11th line)
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death        (20th line)
  • At some disputed barricade,            (2nd line)
At midnight in some flaming town,        (21st line)
  • At some disputed barricade,            (2nd line)
On some scarred slope of battered hill    (12th line)
At midnight in some flaming town,        (21st line)
  • When Spring comes back with rustling shade    (3rd line)
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.    (6th line)
When Spring comes round again this year        (13th line)
When Spring trips north again this year,        (22nd line)
  • When Spring comes back with rustling shade    (3rd line)
When Spring comes round again this year        (13th line)
  • And apple-blossoms fill the air-            (4th line)
And lead me into his dark land            (8th line)
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        (9th line)
And the first meadow-flowers appear.        (14th line)
And I to my pledged word am true,            (23th line)
  • When Spring brings back blue days and fair.        (6th line)
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        (9th line)
Pillowed in silk and scented down,            (16th line)
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,        (18th line)
  • It may be he shall take my hand    (7th line)
It may be I shall pass him still.    (10th line)
  • It may be he shall take my hand            (7th line)
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        (9th line)
And I to my pledged word am true,            (23th line)
  • It may be I shall pass him still.        (10th line)
And I to my pledged word am true,        (23th line)
I shall not fail that rendezvous        (24th line)
  • When Spring comes round again this year        (13th line)
When Spring trips north again this year,        (22nd line)
  • Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,    (17th line)
Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .    (19th line)
  • Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,        (18th line)

  1. Rhythm and Meter

This poem have 24 lines and 3 stanza so this poem called by Triplet.


^ / ^ /    ^ /     ^ /
I have | a ren|dezvous | with Death            Iambic Tetrameter

^ / ^ / ^ / ^ /
At some | disput|ed bar|ricade,            Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^     /    ^ / ^ /
When Spring | comes back | with rustl|ing shade    Iambic Tetrameter

^ / ^ /     ^     / ^ /
And ap|ple-blos|soms fill | the air-            Iambic Tetrameter

^ / ^ /    ^ /     ^ /
I have | a ren|dezvous | with Death            Iambic Tetrameter

^     /     ^     /    ^ /     ^    /
When Spring | brings back | blue days | and fair.    Iambic Tetrameter



^ /     ^ /     ^    / ^     /
It may | be he | shall take | my hand            Iambic Tetrameter
^ /     ^    / ^ /     ^    /
And lead | me in|to his | dark land            Iambic Tetrameter

^    / ^     /    ^ /     ^     /
And close | my eyes | and quench | my breath-    Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^ /    ^ /     ^     /
It may | be I | shall pass | him still.            Iambic Tetrameter

^ / ^ /    ^ /     ^ /
I have | a ren|dezvous | with Death            Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^     /     ^ /     ^     /
On some | scarred slope | of bat|tered hill,        Iambic Tetrameter

^     /     ^     /    ^ /    ^ /
When Spring | comes round | again | this year    Iambic Tetrameter

^ ^ /     ^ ^ / ^     ^ /
And the first | meadow-flo|wer appear.        Anapestic Trimeter


^    ^ /     ^ ^ / ^ ^ /
God knows ‘t|were better | to be deep            Anapestic Trimeter

^ /     ^ /     ^     / ^     /
Pillowed | in silk | and scent|ed down,        Iambic Tetrameter

^     /     ^ /     ^ /     ^    /
Where love | throbs out | in bliss|ful sleep,        Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^     /     ^ /     ^ /
Pulse nigh | to pulse, | and breath | to breath,        Iambic Tetrameter

^     /     ^ / ^ /    ^ /
Where hushed | awa|kenings | are dear . . .        Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^ /     ^ /     ^     /
But I’ve | a ren|dezvous | with Death            Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^ /     ^     / ^     /
At mid|night in | some flam|ing town,            Iambic Tetrameter

^     /     ^    / ^    / ^     /
When Spring | trips north | again | this year,        Iambic Tetrameter

^ /    ^ /     ^     /     ^ /
And I | to my | pledged word | am true,        Iambic Tetrameter

^ /     ^ /     ^ /     ^ /
I shall | not fail | that ren|dezvous.            Iambic Tetrameter

  1. Tone and Theme
    • Tone
I have a rendezvous with Death                frightened
At some disputed barricade,                frightened
When Spring comes back with rustling shade        calm
And apple-blossoms fill the air-                calm
I have a rendezvous with Death                frightened
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.        calm

It may be he shall take my hand                frightened
And lead me into his dark land                frightened
And close my eyes and quench my breath-        frightened
It may be I shall pass him still.                frightened
I have a rendezvous with Death                frightened
On some scarred slope of battered hill,            frightened
When Spring comes round again this year        calm
And the first meadow-flower appear.            calm

God knows ‘twere better to be deep            calm
Pillowed in silk and scented down,            calm
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,            calm
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,        calm
Where hushed awakenings are dear . . .            calm
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death            frightened
At midnight in some flaming town,            frightened
When Spring trips north again this year,            calm
And I to my pledged word am true,            calm
I shall not fail that rendezvous.                calm

  • Theme

The theme of that poem is death. It showed in some lines and presented by repetition of the sentence I have a randezvous with death.