Suffering is a long and arduous process in "Remembrance," and it can't always be controlled. But when it comes to memory, suffering can be eased by not indulging in memory's "rapturous pain." Suffering, just like memory, is also susceptible to time, though, which means the speaker can't always anticipate the kind of changes that will occur. It's all part of the "world's tide" pulling her along, bringing new desires and providing a more experienced perspective on that "Sweet Love of youth."
Questions About Suffering
- What does the speaker mean when she speaks about "drinking deep of that divinest anguish"? How can anguish be divine?
- How does the poem's meter contribute to the speaker's mood of suffering? Are there any particular metrical deviations that add to this feeling?
- Why is suffering depicted as a kind of drug that induces rapture? Why would someone want to indulge in such a feeling?
- How does the speaker use the seasons to reflect her suffering? Do we ever get the feeling that we're stuck in that cold December?
Chew on This
Suffering is a kind of indulgence in "Remembrance," which one can "drink deep" because of one's own memory.
The seasons change in "Remembrance," but we get the feeling that the speaker remains in a sort of eternal December that's cold and painful because of memory's "rapturous pain."