this presentation was made for my poetry class. it contains information about the transitional period, William Collins, the poem "Ode to Evening", themes of the poem and the figures of speech.

1. Presented by: Rania Al-Ghamdi

2. Transitional Period (1750-1798)
It was called the age of transition, because the drift of poetry of this period
was towards Romanticism.
It developed during the last decades of the 18th century and it was a reaction
against Classicism.
• Important literary figures of this age:
1. Thomas Gray
2. Oliver Goldsmith
3. William Collins

3. The main characteristics of the transitional period:
• Poetry was no longer concerned with “wit” but with simple feelings and
nature.
• Poetry was pervaded by a melancholic tone and was often associated
with meditation on death.
• Poets were melancholic and seek for solitude. Their thoughts were
directed towards death, or the fear of death, suicide and graves.

4. “Ode to Evening”

5. • (December 25, 1721 -- June 12, 1759).
• William Collins was born in Chichester, England, where his father served
as mayor.
• He is regarded as one of the most skilled lyric poets of the 18th century.
• Collins’s style is formally Neoclassical but represents the themes of the
Romantic period.
Author Biography

6. • His treatment of the individual experience and the descriptions of
emotion influenced his peers as well as the next generation of
writers.
• Collins’s mental health began to fail during the final decade of his life,
and his writing suffered as a result.
Author Biography
Cont.

7. “Ode to Evening”
If aught of oaten stop or pastoral song
May hope, chaste Eve, to soothe thy modest ear,
Like thy own solemn springs,
Thy springs, and dying gales,
O nymph reserved, while now the bright-haired
sun
Sits in yon western tent, whose cloudy skirts,
With brede ethereal wove,
O'erhang his wavy bed:
Now air is hushed, save where the weak-eyed bat
With short shrill shriek flits by on leathern wing,
Or where the beetle winds
His small but sullen horn,
As oft he rises 'midst the twilight path,
Against the pilgrim borne in heedless hum:
Now teach me, maid composed,
To breathe some softened strain,
Whose numbers stealing through thy dark'ning
vale
May not unseemly with its stillness suit,
As, musing slow, I hail
Thy genial loved return!
For when thy folding-star arising shows
His paly circlet, at his warning lamp
The fragrant hours, and elves
Who slept in buds the day,
And many a nymph who wreathes her brows
with sedge
And sheds the fresh'ning dew, and lovelier still,
The pensive pleasures sweet
Prepare thy shadowy car.
Then let me rove some wild and heathy scene,
Or find some ruin 'midst its dreary dells,
Whose walls more awful nod
By thy religious gleams.

8. Or if chill blust'ring winds or driving rain
Prevent my willing feet, be mine the hut
That from the mountain's side
Views wilds and swelling floods
And hamlets brown and dim-discovered spires,
And hears their simple bell, and marks o'er all
Thy dewy fingers draw
The gradual dusky veil.
While Spring shall pour his showers, as oft he wont,
And bathe thy breathing tresses, meekest Eve;
While Summer loves to sport
Beneath thy lingering light;
While sallow Autumn fills thy lap with leaves;
Or Winter, yelling through the troublous air,
Affrights thy shrinking train
And rudely rends thy robes;
So long, regardful of thy quiet rule,
Shall fancy, friendship, science, smiling peace,
Thy gentlest influence own,
And love thy favourite name!

9. Themes of the Poem
Nature
“Ode to Evening” is a nature poem, one of those often considered a prelude to
the Romantic movement. Collins’s ode promotes scenic nature, in contrast to
the neoclassical emphasis upon human nature.
It even hints at the sublime in the section describing the mountain storm and the
view from the hut as well as in the images at the end of the poem.
Nevertheless, just as evening is neither day nor night, this poem is neither fully
pre-Romantic nor conventionally neoclassical. It is transitional, subtle, and
generally quiet.

10. Melancholy
The poem Ode to Evening exemplifies melancholy poetry. The speaker of
the poem describes beautiful images of springs, valleys, the sun and the
evening star in the first half of the poem, creating an almost dreamlike
world. Mentioning the sun which “sits in yon western tent” and evening
star “arising shows His paly circlet” here implies a passage of time, from
day to night. The speaker then talks of returning to the simplicity of rural
life.
Also, the idea of time passing by is further emphasized by the mention of
the four seasons by the speaker in the poem.
The speaker then goes on to talk about longing for the mountain side and
villages.

12. Line 1-8
If aught of oaten stop or pastoral song
May hope, chaste Eve, to soothe thy
modest ear,
Like thy own solemn springs,
Thy springs, and dying gales,
O nymph reserved, while now the
bright-haired sun
Sits in yon western tent, whose
cloudy skirts,
With brede ethereal wove,
O'erhang his wavy bed:
Explication
the speaker opens this poem by
expressing his hope to find a
musical instrument or pastoral
song that “soothes” Eve’s modest
ear” as time has come for her
arrival after the sunset which is
drawn in a beautiful image of a
bright haired man withdraw into
his western tent.

13. Line 9-14
Now air is hushed, save where the
weak-eyed bat
With short shrill shriek flits by on
leathern wing,
Or where the beetle winds
His small but sullen horn,
As oft he rises 'midst the twilight
path,
Against the pilgrim borne in
heedless hum:
Explication
Here is a description of the peaceful
atmosphere that is found during
evening which only few sounds
disturb its quietness, such as the
sound caused by bats’ wings
when they flit or the “heedless
hum” of beetles.

14. Line 15-20
Now teach me, maid composed,
To breathe some softened strain,
Whose numbers stealing through
thy dark'ning vale
May not unseemly with its
stillness suit,
As, musing slow, I hail
Thy genial loved return!
Explication
the speaker asks to be taught some
soft songs, which sneak through
the dark veil of Eve and do not
disturb her quiet mood.

15. Line 21-28
For when thy folding-star arising
shows
His paly circlet, at his warning lamp
The fragrant hours, and elves
Who slept in buds the day,
And many a nymph who wreathes
her brows with sedge
And sheds the fresh'ning dew, and
lovelier still,
The pensive pleasures sweet
Prepare thy shadowy car.
Explication
the speaker combines many images
to describe the scene of Eve’s
arrival.
The evening stars are shown and its
light awakens Elves who sleep all
day in flowers and nymphs who
shed the evening dew. The
atmosphere is scented with
flower’s fragrance and finally the
“pensive pleasure” of waiting the
evening.

16. Line 29-32
Then let me rove some wild and
heathy scene,
Or find some ruin 'midst its dreary
dells,
Whose walls more awful nod
By thy religious gleams.
Explication
the speaker describes the time
before the evening as cold and
he refers to the statics lakes as a
time for invocation and
relaxation.

17. Line 33-37
Or if chill blust'ring winds or driving
rain
Prevent my willing feet, be mine the
hut
That from the mountain's side
Views wilds and swelling floods
And hamlets brown and dim-
discovered spires,
Explication
It is a description of the outrageous
side of the beautiful evening that
have heavy rain and stormy wind.
These characteristics prevent the
speaker from going back to his
cottage which is next to the
mountain and from following the
beautiful time of the evening.
the speaker used synecdoche in “my
willing feet “ to refer to himself.

18. Line 38-40
And hears their simple bell, and
marks o'er all
Thy dewy fingers draw
The gradual dusky veil.
Explication
the speaker describes the falling of
the night as dewy fingers that
start drawing a new picture of
the night by removing the dusk’s
lines slowly.

19. Line 41-47
While Spring shall pour his showers,
as oft he wont,
And bathe thy breathing tresses,
meekest Eve;
While Summer loves to sport
Beneath thy lingering light;
While sallow Autumn fills thy lap
with leaves;
Or Winter, yelling through the
troublous air,
Affrights thy shrinking train
Explication
This is a description of the evening
through every season.
Starting with spring which will wet the
evening with rain, moving to summer
which will play under the evening
light. Then, to autumn with its falling
yellow leaves, and finally he moves to
winter which will make the evening
shiver because of its intense chilly air.

20. Line 48-52
And rudely rends thy robes;
So long, regardful of thy quiet rule,
Shall fancy, friendship, science,
smiling peace,
Thy gentlest influence own,
And love thy favourite name!
Explication
This is about the positive effects of the
evening time on humans. Evening
becomes, not only a time of the
day, but also a state of mind that
feeds poets in their writing,
friendships and knowledge.

22.  Metaphors:
A metaphor is a means of comparing things that are essentially unlike. The comparison is
implied and the figurative term is substituted for or identified with the literal term.
• “May hope, chaste Eve, to soothe thy modest ear” (line 2)
the speaker here compares the eve to a virtuous and pure human being.
• “O nymph reserved, while now the bright-haired sun
Sits in yon western tent, whose cloudy skirts,
With brede ethereal wove, O'erhang his wavy bed’’ (line 5-9)
the speaker here compares the sun to a male who has a bright hair.
• “Sits in yon western tent, whose cloudy skirts.” (line 6)
the speaker here compares the skirt that the sun is wearing to a cloud.

23.  Personification:
Personification is giving the attributes of human being to an animal, an object, or a
concept.
• “O nymph reserved, while now the bright-haired sun” (line 5)
the speaker here personifies the evening as a ‘nymph reserved’ meaning a beautiful
modest female.
In ‘bright-haired sun’ he personifies the sun as a male who has bright hair.

24. Cont.
• “Sits in yon western tent” (line 6)
the speaker personifies the sun as a person who can sit.
• “Or if chill blust'ring winds or driving rain” (line 33)
He personifies the rain as a person who drives.
• “Thy dewy fingers draw” (line 40)
the speaker personifies the evening as a person who draws with his fingers.
• “And bathe thy breathing tresses, meekest Eve;” (line 42)
In ‘breathing tresses’ the speaker personifies the evening’s braids as a person who
breathes.
Also in ‘meekest Eve’, he personifies the evening as a quiet, gentle female.

25. Cont.
• “While Spring shall pour his showers, as oft he wont,
And bathe thy breathing tresses, meekest Eve;
While Summer loves to sport
Beneath thy lingering light;
While sallow Autumn fills thy lap with leaves;
Or Winter, yelling through the troublous air” (Line 42-47)
the speaker here personifies the spring as a person who pours and bathes, summer as a
person who loves sports, autumn as a person who fills and winter as a person who yells.
• “Shall Fancy, Friendship, Science, Smiling peace” (Line 51)
This is a case of personification because Fancy, Friendship, Science, and
Smiling peace are all referred to as people.
By Fancy he means poets, Friendship friends, Sciencemen of learning,
Smiling peace lovers of peace

26.  Imagery:
Imagery is the representation through language of sense experience.
1) Visual imagery: It’s an image that represents a mental picture.
• “His small […] horn.” (line 13)
This line contains an image that appeal to our sense of sight and it represents a shape.
• “Whose numbers stealing through thy dark'ning vale.” (Line 17)
• “The gradual dusky veil.” (line 41)
These two lines contain an image that appeal to our sense of sight and it represents a
color.
• “His paly circlet” (line 21)
This line contains an image that appeal to our sense of sight and it represents a motion.

27. Cont.
2) Olfactory imagery: It is an image that represents smell.
• “The fragrant Hours, and elves.” (Line 23)
The image here appeals to our sense of smelling and it represents a scent.
3) Auditory imagery: It is an image that represents sound.
• “Now air is hushed, save where the weak-eyed bat” (line9)
The image here appeals to our sense of hearing and it represents a sound.

28.  Synecdoche:
Synecdoche is the use of a part as the whole.
OR
 Metanomy:
It is the use of something closely related for the thing actually meant.
• “Prevent my willing feet.” (Line 34)
the speaker here uses a part of the body (feet) as the whole body. Feet
here stands for the whole person.

29.  Apostrophe:
Apostrophe is addressing someone absent or dead or something
nonhuman as if that person/thing were present and alive and could reply
to what’s being said.
• “If aught of oaten stop or pastoral song
May hope, chaste Eve, to soothe thy modest ear,
Like thy own solemn springs,
Thy springs, and dying gales’’
this is a case of apostrophe because the abstract entity is addressed as a
person or entity. The speaker here addresses the evening as Eve.

30. Alliteration:
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound.
• “With short shrill shriek” (Line 10)
Alliteration is used in the repetition of the sh- sound

31.  Paradox:
Paradox is an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true.
• “The pensive pleasures sweet.” (Line27)
This is a case of paradox because the two words are opposites.
‘pensive’ is having the appearance of deep melancholic thinking while
‘pleasure’ is the feeling of happy enjoyment.

33. References:
• https://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/the-age-of-transition-a-step-
towards-romantic-movement-in-literature-romanticism/
• https://rosariomariocapalbo.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/the-18th-century-neoclassicism-
the-augustan-age-the-transition-pre-romantic-age/
• http://neoenglishsystem.blogspot.com/2010/12/precursors-of-romantic-revival-or.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_R2OnWxhjY&t=220s
• https://impracticalcriticism.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/william-collins-ode-to-evening/
• https://www.enotes.com/topics/ode-evening
• https://www.slideshare.net/sharifabahri/41-transitional-period-ode-to-evening
• https://www.academia.edu/20398964/Pre-
Romanticism_in_William_Collinss_Poetry?auto=download