To Marguerite by Matthew Arnold - Explanation
The poem "To Marguerite" is written by Matthew Arnold, a Victorian poet and critic. The poem highlights the Age in which witness the spread of science and in which the existence of God is under scrutiny and we finds here in the poem, the poet’s disbelief in God. The idea of isolation of people from each other is presented in the form of islands representing human beings. We can infer the poet’s sadness over the too much individualism of people, they want to unite with each other but couldn’t do it due to the modern God who share no sympathy with human beings and shows no mercy on them.
Stanza 1
In the first line, the poet compares human beings as a cluster of isolated islands which are separated by straits and among them lies invisible boundaries and uncontrolled waves. Millions of human beings live alone due to lack of understanding and their contention to only oneself. The people (islands) feel the potential to connect with each other but are aware of the long distance among them.
Stanza 2
In this line, the poet says that during Spring season, the light emitting from the outlined portion of the moon falls on the island and during the starry night, the nightingales sing divinely in the valley and spread its exquisite song from one island to another and across the channels which connect the water bodies. The poet tries to say that although these islands are separated yet the Nightingales and their song reaches the islands and try to unite them.
Stanza 3
The poet says that a hopeless longing lies in the caves in these islands, certainly, they must have wished once to be a part of a large continent in which they can live with other human beings and no one will be lonely and thus they want to join the margins which separate them.
Stanza 4
Their desire which has arisen recently might not survive for long. It is the God who disallow them to achieve their "deep desire". The god who ended the connections people have with each other and set their shores situated far off in the deep, salty and vast sea. Here, the poet expresses his pessimism and disbelief in God.