Fields of Gold by Sting Poetic Technique Analysis
You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we walk in fields of gold So she took her love For to gaze awhile Upon the fields of barley In his arms she fell as her hair came down Among the fields of gold Will you stay with me, will you be my love Among the fields of barley We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky As we lie in fields of gold See the west wind move like a lover so Upon the fields of barley Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth Among the fields of gold I never made promises lightly And there have been some that I've broken But I swear in the days still left We'll walk in fields of gold We'll walk in fields of gold Many years have passed since those summer days Among the fields of barley See the children run as the sun goes down Among the fields of gold You'll remember me when the west wind moves Upon the fields of barley You can tell the sun in his jealous sky When we walked in fields of gold When we walked in fields of gold When we walked in fields of gold |
If any song is a wizard that makes us become a part of numerous stories, songs using imagery are Dumbledores. One of these songs that use imagery brilliantly to create a picture in the reader’s/listener’s mind is Fields of Gold by Sting. To begin with, the melody and the lyrics complement each other in a way that even this aspect can be classified as “imagery”. The melody helps the listener realize what a peaceful atmosphere there is at the described setting. Although the melody and rhythm help discover the beauty of the scene with feelings, the actual treasure of literary imagery is provided with the lyrics of the song, in a way, a poem. The song in general is referring to death and leaving a lover behind. The first verse, “You’ll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley” clearly shows that the narrator is now gone and is telling the woman that the west wind will remind her of him. Here, “the west wind” and “fields of barley” are spectacular imagery used to depict a scene in the reader’s conscious. Hearing the sound and maybe even feeling the soft breeze brush your cheeks as you read the lines (imagining you are in the setting) add so much to the atmosphere of the song since it makes the reader a part of the poem and doesn’t let him/her simply remain as the audience. The imagery of “fields of barley” gives the poem a beautiful touch; the poet makes it possible for the background to be fully explored and hung up as a painting on the wall of the reader’s mind. Continuing the journey of swirling between the verses, we now come to the third stanza, to the line: “We’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky”. The extremity of the love that is shared is shown with the fact that when the two are together, they even forget the existence of the glorious sun. The imagistic description of the sky in which the sun lays with the word “jealous” also indicates the compelling bond between the lovers; even the heavens (sky) admire them. The last verse of the line “As we lie in fields of gold” can be seen as a repetition of “fields of barley”, however, a powerful metaphor for the color (“gold” in order to describe shining, bright yellow) has been used and it contributes to the mind-illustration enchantingly. The fourth stanza is a bit different from the others since it aims to tell a story of what is happening rather than only describing the scenery. In the first line, the “west wind” that we remember from the first line appears again; this time likened to a “lover”. The wind moving like a lover simile/personification aims to highlight how the wind bundles up the two together. The lover-like wind may also be caressing their faces with a sweet breeze. The story part is only seen in one line but it is so easy for the listener to picture the scene with the words “Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth.” Saying “mouth” instead of “lips” makes the scene occur more passionate. Finally, the last stanza again starts with a reference to the past, again using imagery with the “summer days” and a repetition “fields of barley”. In this stanza, it is clear that the narrator has passed away and is referring to the life without him with a small story-like description of what is going on: “See the children run as the sun goes down/Among the fields of gold.” The reader can even hear the joyful sounds of little kids playing and running in the sunset when these lines are combined with the beautiful tune of the song. The song ends with a few repetitions of the line “When we walked in fields of gold.” Again, the “fields of gold” imagery highlights the peacefulness of the “past” time and atmosphere the two lovers had together. The stunning use of imagery definitely adds a lot to the meaning of the song. Without the reader being able to get into the story and illustrate the images of scenery in their minds, the song would not be able to make such a wonderful and touching effect. |