Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit’s still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

Summary of Barter

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Barter

  1. Assonance:Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Life has loveliness to sell,” and the sound of /o/ in “They are both gone up to the church to pray.”
  2. Consonance:Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Count many a year of strife well lost” and the sound of /n/ in “Scent of pine trees in the rain.”
  3. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

“And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

  1. Epigraph: It is a device used in the form of a poem, quote, or sentence, usually placed in the beginning of the poem to suggest the overall theme of the poem. Sara used this device in the opening line where it is stated as; “Life has loveliness to sell.”
  2. Imagery:Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Sara used imagery in this poem, such as “Spend all you have for loveliness,”, “Count many a year of strife well lost,” and “Give all you have been, or could be.”
  3. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used life as an extended metaphor in the poem to show how it offers wonders to the people.
  4. Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Sara used this device in the first stanza of the poem, where it is stated as;

“And children’s faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.”

  1. Symbolism:Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem uses symbols such as wonder, life, happiness, and loveliness.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Barter

  1. Diction: The poem shows descriptive, formal, and poetic diction.
  2. End Rhyme:End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Sara has used end rhyme in this poem, such as; “up/cup”, “hold/gold” and “cost/lost.”
  3. Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “Life has loveliness to sell” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
  4. Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The verse, “Life has loveliness to sell” is shows the use of a refrain in this poem.
  5. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABCBDD rhyme Scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
  6. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem with each comprising six verses.
  7. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows the use of suggestive, advisory, and positive tones.

Quotes to be Used

The following life quote is useful to count the blessings life offers to human beings.

“Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.”

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