Thomas Hardy wrote “The Shadow on the Stone” following the death of his wife. The ghost that he mentions was his wife. The poem is about the reality of death and time. The poem’s complex rhyme scheme reflects the poet’s complex feelings. The title reveals how Emma was always a shadow to Hardy. Her soul was a shadow when she was alive. The poem’s stone is white, as opposed to the shadow-colored black. Black might be symbolic of Emma’s last years.

This poem will be analyzed stanza-by-stanza for convenience.

I was at the Druid Stone

The garden is white and lonely, but it broods there.

I stopped to observe the shifting shadows.

It happens at times.

You can swing rhythmically from the tree.

They formed in my imagination

A well-known head or shoulders is a shade.

When she was growing vegetables, Threw there.

A druid is a stone that can be used to develop intuition and psychic wisdom. A stone that was made by ancient Druids is another definition of Druid Stone. These two definitions will apply to the poem. We’ll see later. Hardy is represented by the stone. He often thinks or broods about Emma’s death and writes poetry. He is an artist and a skilled man, and his fans call him flawless. White often refers to perfection and flawlessness. White also symbolizes purity. It could reflect Hardy’s desire or purification of his soul. Although the stone is stunning and powerful, it’s a metaphor to Hardy.

Line three’s alliteration suggests calmness and peace. Hardy is able to see the garden as quiet. Hardy’s trees probably created the shadows. Ironically, he describes the shadow in such a blunt and single line as if it were numbed. Perhaps he does not want to be negative about his wife. He knows that the trees are just as beautiful as his words.

I thought she was behind me.

Yes, I knew her well.

And I replied: “I am certain you are standing by me.

But how do we get on to this old path?

And all that sounded was the leaf falling.

To express sadness and keep your grief in check

I wouldn’t be able to look at the unknown.

I believed that nothing existed.

These are the key words to this stanza: ‘thought’,’sure’. Although he realizes it is an illusion, he still claims that he believes she is there. The second line implies that he is already used to the fact she is dead. This explains the numbness in previous lines. Hardy’s questions are answered by Nature. The only thing that falls from trees are usually dead leaves. Hardy is informed by nature that his wife has died. This shows that Emma lived in the same place as Emma, and is still alive today. It’s safe enough to say that autumn is upon us as the leaves begin falling. The season of death, misery and despair is autumn. This creates a great atmosphere for the poem. The poem’s dilemma is presented in the final lines. Although he realizes it’s not Emma he refuses to accept that fact. He may want to believe Emma is watching over his life. He might not be able to face the truth.

But I was determined to see.

I was not backed by anyone;

But then I thought again: “Nay, but I won’t unvision.”

A shape that, somehow, may exist.

So I continued to walk softly out of the glade.

I left her in the dust, throwing her shade.

As if she were a real apparition

Let my dreams not fade, I will keep my head up.

He wanted to see the truth and be a man. But he refuses to do so. Here are Hardy’s complex and contradictory feelings. He debates whether to check. He eventually decides to stop looking. Hardy came up with the term “unvision” to express a new emotion. He believed there wasn’t a word that could describe his feelings. Unvision could be defined as the destruction of an illusion. Hardy mimics his wife’s behavior and follows her around, throwing her shade. After apparition, the hyphen refers to a pause for thought. He thinks she is an illusion. He thinks that the shadow is a ghost. The shadow is a ghost. He admits it’s not real.

It’s worth noting the sound effects at the end of this line. The sharp ‘d’

The sound of the poet hardening is evident. He is trying to make himself strong, but can’t muster the strength and courage to do so.

elliotjones

Elliot Jones is a 29-year-old middle school teacher and blogger. He has been writing since he was a teenager, and his writings have been featured on various websites and in magazines. He enjoys writing about education, parenting, and lifestyle topics.