Octavio Paz- As one listens to the rain

Octavio Paz

(http://www.poemas.de/octavio-paz.jpg)

Born on March 31st, 1914- April 19th, 1998, From Mexico .

-He participated in the second international congress of anti-fascist writers.

-Is one of the Founders of the journal ‘Taller’ ( workshop )

-Entered the Mexican diplomatic service and was sent to France, to write his independent study of Mexican identity, the labyrinth of solitude.

-He was appointed the Mexican ambassador of India and held on to that position from 1962-1968

-Throughout his career he moved back and forth in politics and literature.

-Octavio Paz wrote more than 30 books and poetry collections. He published his first poetry

book at age 19, called the Luna Silvestre.

http://www.biography.com/people/octavio-paz-9435456

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Octavio-Paz

 As one listens to the rain, By Octavio (Paz Http://allpoetry.com/As-One-Listens-To-The-Rain-)

Summary

The speaker talks in first person and seems to be human when he mentions simple things such as, "entering my forehead" and "all five senses awake" and compares himself to rain, to "listen to me as one listens to the rain." In my opinion he seems to talking to a loved/female character seen by the words choice, such as “you are you and your body of steam, you and your face of night, you and your hair, unhurried lightning.” By experience when you hear the rain you acknowledge it and you know it’s there without needing to focus or see it, which is what I believe the author is trying to get through from the poem; however at the end of the poem the speaker is teary as he repeats to "listen to me as one listens to the rain."

Imagery/Figurative Language

Throughout the poem there is a lot of repetition such as “listen to me as one listens to the rain.” Octavio includes plenty of metaphors, in the 15th line he compares rain to light footsteps, “it's raining, light footsteps” giving the poem a lighter touch and comparing himself to something soft, since he compares himself to the rain. “steam rises and walks away, night unfolds and looks at me” this part of the poem compares steam going away as a human and night appearing as if in look for him. The metaphors go along with the contradiction pattern, how the speaker is rain and how other elements of nature are human alike in a way. The poem contends a lot of imagery such as “ eyes open inward", “ wet asphalt is shining, steam rises and walks away, night unfolds and looks at me” most of the imagery contradicts with itself, which makes the poem a bit more complicated, but gets the message straight to the point.

Tone

With the repetition of the quote “ listen to me as one listens to the rain”  it gives the poem a stronger tone, sort of in a begging,  wanting or in lust, but gets lighter and in a admiring or compassionate feel when the speaker begins to describe the loved one.  Until he asks/pleads one last time to "listen to me as one listens to the rain" and ends with him in discontent and in tears.

Theme

The poem doesn’t really have a deep message, but a sad story of someone who’s yearning for a loved one, in my opinion a female, and she’s not really listening or he wishes to know here more,depends on how you interpret it, and he wishes to have that connection with the person, like how one listens to rain and acknowledges its existence with no need to see it or hear it but by feeling.

After thoughts

After looking through the poem a thousand times, one can interpret the poem many ways and the one thing that stick out the most is the fact that he’s talking to a loved one. Whom he wishes for them to understand him but certain quotes in the poem stick out the fact that he can’t have them or was playing him in a way, the quote “ you are you and your body of steam.” The loved person is there but not complete and he wishes to know them more or to have more of them in a way that they’ll listen to them as if he were rain. “you cross the street and enter my forehead.” This quote makes it seem more likes it’s a lover or someone they lust for but can’t have, because they seem to be leaving them and yet when they “ cross the street” the lover enters their forehead (in other words, their thoughts) and it ends with “footsteps of water across my eyes, listen to me as one listens to the rain.” The Speaker is once again left and discontent knowing he can’t have this mystery person.