A Semantic Analysis of An Ode to Death: A Poem By Daud Kamal

Shah Fahad Shah (Mphil 1st year)

Sindh University Jamshoro

2k18-Eng-13

Introduction:

Language without meaning is meaningless, to understand language we need to know meaning

of words. we also must know the meanings of words combine into phrase sentence meaning. We
must interpret the meaning of utterance in the context in which they are made.

Babatunde(1995) explains that word semantics is the study of semantics is derived from Greek
verb which means to signify. Semantics is the study of the meaning that channel the expressions,
codes and experiences via language.(Madhia Sarwer 2016). For instance if we say 'Rat eats cat'
this sentence syntactically appears to be correct but functionally this sentence is wrong, in the
field of semantics the meaning of above sentence seems to be vague. Babatunde (1995) asserts
that 'Semantics convey meanings but also nature of meaning, For Example if I say 'Humpty
dumpty set on wall' rhythmic expressions appear in our voice which give a particular meaning
leading to an idea of someone who is sitting on wall.

Semantics analyze how language work and how meaning is been understood via different ways.
In same way this research is based on Daud Kamal's (1935– 1987) poetry "Ode to death". Daud
Kamal (1935– 1987) was a Pakistani writer and scholar, from Peshawar city. His sonnets were
recorded for the Library of Congress in the Unitied States. His composing style is profoundly
affected by the Imagists. "Poetry for him was Yeats and Pound" reviewed by his daughter
Fatima. Be that as it may, he was an unquenchable peruser of verse, "I have never observed one
appreciate perusing others' lyrics as much as he did," shared his little girl.

Daud Kamal's Ode to death is one of the famous poem which has different layers of meaning in
each lines. Though the language is simple but consist of different ideas and meaning. The Poem
is well versed and full of imagism. Conrad Aiken says that “Your ode to death is in the lifting of
a single eyebrow. Lift it and see”. In this research I will analyze this poem through leech's
perspective of seven layers of semantic meaning.

Kamal has displayed 'Death' as the important subject of this poem. The conviction of death is
displayed by vulnerability of time, rot and decay. 'Passing' in this sonnet is mirroring the
unfathomable length of time. It additionally reflects differentiation of soul and body. 'Rest' and
'Quiet' in this lyric presents obliviousness and passing separately. (The Identity of Yeats, 1954:
156)

This kind of representative focus and symbolism empowers Kamal to review the enthusiasm of
the peruser by deflecting his verses from getting to be overwhelming or unnecessarily nostalgic.
Symbolism and imagery all contribute in accomplishing the coveted impact of adjust and
shortness. The tight representative development and symbolism in verses is likewise fundamental
to the mind-set of Kamal's verse. They magnify the sonnet alongside giving a wonderful
encasement to the sublimity of profound surging musings. For Kamal's symbolism, utilizing
Pound's words, resembles a vortex, from which, and through which, and into which, thoughts are
always hurrying.

Critical Overview:

In this research, firstly I have given a critical overview of the poem in order to understand the
poem more deeply and clearly.

Ode to death is outstanding amongst other poems of Daud Kamal. This poem is about a
definitive reality of death and it is composed in an exceptionally excellent manner. He has
utilized images and symbolism splendidly he has additionally given correlation in it. Its dialect is
extremely basic however the way in which he has passed on a more profound idea of general
interests is outstanding. There are three noteworthy topics in it initially is a definitive reality of
death, second is vulnerability of life and third is endless eternal life. One thing which is
extremely fascinating about this lyric is that he has included two citations of two distinctive
American yet contemporary artists, in the first place consistently. In the opening lines of the
ballad he has cited Conrad Aiken:

Your ode to death is in lifting

of a single eyebrow. lift it and see.

This first citation demonstrates that there is almost no separation between man's life and demise.
The account of man's life end precisely when, demise get a handle on him in its arms. It occurs
inside seconds and it requires even much little investment than lifting of an eyebrow. How
minute is remove between a man and demise.

Death is more than a certain, says E.E Cummings,

But the clocks go on ticking as before

At that point he takes the citation of E.E Cummings that: Death is more than a certain. Death is
an extreme the truth, it's sure and verifiable actuality. Nobody can escape from its grasp. There is
a saying of Owen Meredith that:

There is nothing certain in a man’s life that he must lose it.

Almost certainly that everybody encounters to die multi day, however it's in like manner a reality
that time bears no impact with the end of a spirit. Nobody can bite the dust with the sadness of
his friends and family demise, finally he need to come towards his standard life. As the needles
of clock tick constantly for anybody same is the situation with individuals they take constantly
breath with the passing of their beloveds.

And in every particle of carbon-dust

There lives a diamond dreams.

In the event that we comprehend the synthetic creation of a precious stone it's comprised of
carbon. In any case, it isn't important that each atom of carbon dust turns into a constituent of the
jewel or precious stone itself.

On the off chance that there kick the bucket an awesome noble of a nation and a poor hobo of a
similar country, what improvement is in the middle of both. The last goal of both is grave. There
is an Italian saying that: When the amusement is finished, the ruler and pawn go into a similar
box.
I have sat by your bedside and felt

your sinking pulse. Are the hair and bones

really indestructible and how long

does it take for the eyes

to dissolve in the grave?

It's a discussion amongst artist and a man who will bite the dust. To express the vulnerability of
life artist deliver to a man, that is on a deathbed and says I am holding your sinking heartbeat and
feeling you taking final gasp. Ordinarily it is viewed as that hair and bones of body remained
long while all body parts disintegrated soon. So he requests an inquiry here that how much time
your hair and bone will take to break up in the grave and do I too live alive till that time. Do I
have the absurdity of my own life that to what extent I live. It's an exceptionally pleasant citation
of Euripides about the vulnerability of life: No one can certainly say that he will live tomorrow.

Two streams mingle in a forgotten river,

Between the eye and tear,

In this verse the writer needs to state that, the Existence of individuals is the blend of soul and
body, and these two components blend into the extravagances and shades of life. The word 'two
streams "utilized as a part of these lines which implies that, the human spirit and human body
and which "blend into the overlooked waterway" of world. The connection amongst life and
demise resembles the connection between an eye and tear. In the bustling life individuals
overlook demise will come as quickly as removes spill out of eye. Nobody realizes that when
tears will start to move outside the eye comparatively, nobody realizes that when demise will
come yet it will without a doubt happen.

There is an archipelago of naked rocks

Only sleep and silence there,

No anchorage for grief.

Presently the Daud Kamal introducing the state of grave after death, there is a quietness, and
interminable rest in the gathering of islands. The quietness in the island in writing is the image of
risk and furthermore demonstrates the quietness of death in light of the fact that there are no
more hardships of life. All things considered Daud Kamal here presents the Islamic perspective
about the interminable eternal life. He says this is a position of barrel exposed rocks, and there is
no space of distress, it is free from all trails. Inconveniences, distresses of life. In the last he
says:

But let bygones be gones

Who was the deceiver and who the deceived

Was I on a floating island?

And were you on the shore,

Which one of move away.

These lines are about the inclination which a man feels when demise happens and artist has
express all these inclination flawlessly. He says that I am feeling that my life is moving far from
me. Demise as a pitiless beast is overwhelming my life. I can feel however can't do any do
anything since I am sad. The artist is communicating worriers feeling of man. The writer says
that nobody knows; either life is backstabber or passing or which one of them will mislead or
both are offering trick to each other. Daud kamal is making an inquiry to life that either on
coasting Island or you was on a shore very one knows who moves away he is talking with life
that it is possible that you moved far from me or I drew close to death.
Theoretical Framework:

Each stanza carries a different experience of life which I will analyze with the help of Geoffrey
Leeches idea of seven sorts of meanings named as Denotative , Connotative, Collocative,
Affective, Stylistic, Thematic and Reflective (1974). Leech's idea of communication carries
different social, psychological, thematic and conceptual aspect. Because for leech words are
arbitrary but they have different meaning and these meaning can only be understood in society.
The theoretical framework of Leech's (1974:23) is as follows:

1
Leech, Geofry: Semantics (1974:23)
Analysis of An Ode to Death:

An ode to death is a poem by Daud Kamal about the ultimate reality of life and death. The
meanings and signs used by poet in this poem can be analyzed semantically, under seven types
of meanings gave by Leech . (Madhia Sarwer 2016)

Conceptual or Denotative Meaning:

Poem Ode to death in its title denotes the meaning that, Daud Kamal is addressing to the death
in poetic way. The concept of death is very near to poet. Poet has tried to express his life's
journey from start to the end of life. It denotes the experience of life which is expressed simply.
The words in this poem are full of image's and give picturesque glimpses. The word like 'Island,
diamond dream, archipelago and thunderbolt' create a different images in mind of a reader.

Connotative and social Meaning :

According to Leech (1974: 12-26) connotative meaning is the communicative value an

expression has by virtue of what it refers to, over and above its purely conceptual content. It will
be clear if we are talking about connotation, we are in fact talking about the “real word
experience”. The poem is also referred with the real life experiences of poet. The Poem is the
expression of the experiences of the life which poet has gained, an Ode to death opens up with
the idea:

Death is more than certain, says e.e Cummings,

But the clocks go on ticking as before

Poet starts with the quotation of Cummings that death is an un-denying fact which has to occur
sooner or later. But writer thinks about the experiences that he has been gone through are, life is
like valuable things, which we see passes like a pendulum swings.

And in every particle of carbon dust

There lives a diamond dream
How many galaxies yet to be explored-

How many seeds in the pomegranate of time?

Here galaxies symbolize one‘ dreams and desires. Regarding the second image, it is related to
the seeds of the pomegranate. Here the poet uses the seeds of pomegranate to stand for the
countless dreams that one has in life. Like the numberless seeds inside a pomegranate, there are
many numberless dreams and desires that are yet to be explored. Again, the seeds of
pomegranate symbolize one‘s dreams and ambitions.

Further Poet connects diamond with essence of existence for which every person strife for.
According to the poet we are actors thrown into this world without script and that script will be
made by man to perform. For getting the script of life according to poet many galaxies are yet to
be explored, man do many things in the life to reach the level of excellence, to reach the apex of
the success and to get the nectar out of pomegranate of time.

Man has to do many thing in the life so many galaxies he/she needs to explore thousand of
galaxies but the time is very short. In the next lines:

The pine tree blasted by last year’s Thunderbolt

And the burn out match stick in my ashtray

Look so terribly alike

I have sat by your bedside and felt Your sinking pulse.

The poet tried to compare two things as big and small creature very intelligently. poet expresses
his ideas between huge pine tree which was ruined by thunder last year and a small stick which
he burnt in his ashtray. Poet here becomes very pessimist and shows that the end of both is same,
both has to taste the flavor of death. It show when the time comes everyone will die no matter
how rich or poor, small or big he is. Poet also showed the process of after-death.

He says Does it take for the eyes

To dissolve in the grave?

There is an Italian proverb related to that: "When the game is over, the king and pawn go into the
same box".2 In the next line:
2
https://italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6855/the-chess-proverb/6858
Quando finisce la partita, i pedoni, le torri, i cavalli, i vescovi, i due re e le due regine tutti vanno nello stesso
scatolo. Original Proverb.
I have sat by your bedside and felt 
your sinking pulse.

Considering the very social meaning of the poem, poet changes his mood toward a conversation
with a man who is about to die. Poet hold the sinking of the pulse of a man and can feel him
leaving this world.

Collocative Meaning:

Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquire s on account of the meanings
of the words, which tends to occur in its environment. (Leech 1974-17). Words like Diamond
dream, naked rocks, floating island and archipelago share the common ground in the meaning
but may be distinguished in different ways.

Affective meaning
Affective meaning is a sort of meaning which  an effect the personal feeling of speakers,
including his/her attitude to the listener, or his/her attitude to something he/she talking about.

The effective meaning relates to the account of poet that how he get affected, when his beloved
is leaving him.

'I have sat by your bedside and felt'

Poet felt the absence of his beloved, his mood become passive, he mourns inside and he start to
feeling the need of his beloved around his neck. As he says in the following line:

'I have felt your absence around my neck'

Furthermore we see an Ode to death I found a great affection of the experiences of the poet, like
he feel and get affection from the past as forgotten river. He says:

Two streams mingle in a forgotten river,

Between the eye and tear,

Stylistic Meaning:
 Stylistic meaning is that which a piece of language conveys about the circumstances of its use.
The style of this poem seems very simple and true experience of everyone's life (death) is
depicted. Many believes His writing style is deeply influenced by the imagists. “Poetry for him
was of Yeats and Pounds”. The social states of language and utilization the concept of death and
experiences of life are the significant notion in analysis of stylistics. In a very unique way,
Kamal makes utilization of the dramatic monologue, a long bit of exchange by one character that
uncovers the character's internal sentiments, to record his own feelings and clashing encounters
about death. He fights that man's distraction with materialistic life blinds him to the unyielding
of death. He additionally guarantees that individuals indicate intuitive affinity to trick
themselves, regardless of their consciousness of the inability of death. Once more, the
sensational monologue shows itself in the accompanying lines in which the writer shows up as a
character engaged with a discourse.

Thematic Meaning:

Thematic meaning of this poem leads to 'death'. Death is the main and most fundamental
concept of this poem. The certainty of death lies everywhere and everyone has to taste its flavor.
As in the words of Martin Heidegger(1962). "Daisen dies as well as he exist".

Moreover, what adds to the writer's sentiment of disappointment is his winding up meandering in
a timberland of images. Who will go into a woodland and not get lost?' one marvels. The
utilization of the two words island and woodland mirror the writer's inclination towards his own
particular lived encounters. He resembles somebody betrayed on a remote island or in a huge
backwoods. Here and there the artist discovers comfort even in the most exceedingly bad
encounters which he once experienced. Finally, he grapples with a definitive reality of life and
demise. He has in the long run come to understand that the appreciated individuals who have
withdrawn can't have returned to life once more

Reflective Meaning:
 I found the reflection of the poet towards the death is eternal and convinced.

But let bygones be gones

Who was the deceiver and who the deceived

Was I on a floating island?

And were you on the shore,

Which one of move away.

These lines are about the inclination which a man feels when passing happens and artist has
express all these inclination perfectly. He says that I am feeling that my life is moving far from
me. Passing as a pitiless beast is inundating my life. I can feel however can't do any do anything
since I am sad. Daud kamal is making an inquiry to life that either on drifting Island or you was
on a shore quite one knows who moves away he is bantering with life that possibly you moved
far from me or I drew close to death.

Conclusion:

In this research it is reasoned that "An Ode to Death" by Daud Kamal is a ode about the sureness
of death. In the entire ode poet peruses occurring of death. Entire Poem spins around the opening
verse of sonnet that is "Death is more than certain". In the last he has individual emotions as he
was engaged with morally degenerate propensities.

References:
Babatunde, S. T. (1995). An Introduction to Meaning in English as a Second Language.
Unpublished Manuscript.

Leech Geofry (1974). Semantic the study of Meaning. Penguin Books.

Sarwar Madhia (2016) A Semantic Analysis of An Ode to Death: A Poem By Daud Kamal.
European Academic Research.

https://italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6855/the-chess-proverb/6858

Ellmann, Richard. The Identity of Yeats. Faber and Faber, 1983.