Can you help me rephrase some lines of Eliot’s “The Preludes I-II”?
1) The poet is describing what he sees as the winter evening settles down. He also lets the reader smell what he smells, like the odour of the steaks in passageways (a synonym?). It is dinner now. He carefully describes the end of the day as burnt-out ends of smoky days (can you help me rendering the contrast between the adjectives burnt-out and smoky: the fire is not an element of vitality but of death), likening the end of a day to a butt of cigarette. Such an attitude towards evening signifies loneliness and melancholy. Then a rainstorm blows up. “Grimy scraps” indicates the ugliness of the poet’s sorroundings, as do other images in the rest of the stanza. The winter evening is wrapped up in rain and dirt. There is only one cab-horse in the street. The next morning is pervaded by the unpleasant smell of beer.
2)In part II Eliot refers to human beings as shadows (dingy shades), who have been deprived of their human dignity. The metaphor conveys an idea of alienation. The modern town is desolated, swept by the wind, cold, dirt and alienated.
3) How can I rephrase: from the saw-dust trampled street? “newspapers from vacant lots”?
Thanks
passageways is probably referring to hallways
Burnt out would be all gone, nothing left, ended, finished. Smoky would be hazy, still in the process of burning, obscured.
Sawdust trampled, worn out from being used. Newspaper from vacant lots, would be old and probably trash.
1) The poet observes the setting of a winter evening, providing sensory details that evoke the reader's sense of smell, such as the aroma of the steaks in narrow passages. It is now dinner time. The poet carefully depicts the conclusion of the day as burnt-out ends of smoky days, suggesting that the fire lacks vitality and instead connotes death. This comparison likens the end of a day to the extinguished remnants of a cigarette. Such a portrayal of the evening signifies loneliness and melancholy. Shortly after, a rainstorm arises, and the phrase "Grimy scraps" conveys the unsightliness of the poet's surroundings, similar to other images found throughout the stanza. The winter evening becomes enveloped in rain and filth. Only a lone cab-horse can be seen on the deserted street. The following morning is permeated with the unpleasant scent of beer.
2) In the second part, Eliot metaphorically refers to human beings as shadows, or dingy shades, who have been stripped of their human dignity. This metaphor effectively communicates a sense of alienation. The modern town is depicted as desolate, with windswept streets that are cold, dirty, and disconnected from human connection.
3) To rephrase "from the saw-dust trampled street" and "newspapers from vacant lots," you can try the following alternatives:
- "from the street littered with trampled sawdust"
- "newspapers scattered across empty lots"