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.

2. 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
2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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
2. 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,
3. 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.
4. 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,

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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.