Sign Inventory, Week 5

For the Anniversary of My Death
by W. S. Merwin

Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
When the last fires will wave to me
And the silence will set out
Tireless traveler
Like the beam of a lightless star


Then I will no longer
Find myself in life as in a strange garment
Surprised at the earth
And the love of one woman
And the shamelessness of men
As today writing after three days of rain
Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease
And bowing not knowing to what

*There is a difference between the first and second stanza in which the action is different. The first stanza talks "when", but the second one focuses on "then". So, there is a correlation between what will happen and when it actually happens.

*There is no use of punctuation throughout the entire poem that creates an endless feeling.

*The use of the wren bird is an odd choice, since it is considered the king of all birds.

*He mentions that the love of a one women will not be there. The use of "one" seems to have some meaning.

*The only action named was the "shamelessness of men", which is directly in contrast with the love of one women.

*"Life as in a strange garment" suggests that he is not comfortable in life, which would help tie together the shamelessness of men.

*The idea that we pass our anniversary of our death each year is an odd way to draw conclusions about life.

*The contrast between beam and lightless star is an odd combination, because a lightless star, might be considered a black hole.

*The tireless traveler has silence looking for them, could there be a correlation between life and what we have to do? Life as a constant travel is a bleak way to look at things.

*It seems as if the speaker doesn't like rain, since this poem was constructed after watching it rain for three days. Rain as a dark symbol instead as a life giver is a possible connection.