Short Nalysis of Oscar Wilde's “Sonnet on Hearing the Dies Irae Sung in the Sistine Chapel”

Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet from the Victorian era and very famous representative of Aestheticism, composed various fictions, plays and a lot of poetry. This short discourse deals with his “Sonnet on hearing the Dies Irae Sung in the Sistine Chapel.”
The sonnet is a typical Italian or Petrarchan style sonnet divided into an octave (two quatrains) and a sestet (two tercets). The rhyming pattern is very regular as well. The octave rhymes a-b-b-a, a-c-c-a and the sestet rhymes d-e-f, d-e-f. Also, considering the literal content of the sonnet, it is divided into the two previously named parts.
The speaker is not named in the poem. We know that the person speaks about his or her experience in the Sistine Chapel listening to the Dies Irae, which translates to Day of Wrath or Judgment day. The addressee of the poem is god. That is explicitly illustrated in the first verse, when the speaker addresses the lord (“Nay, Lord, not thus!”).
The sonnet draws a comparison between the terrors that are to be expected on the Day of Wrath and numerous symbols und images representing live, love and happiness. The speaker says that fear and terror don’t help to understand god himself or his importance to humankind any better than the beautiful and optimistic things in life.
The speaker’s tone is optimistic and joyful but also to some extent earnest. The mood that is thence created is a mixture of thoughtfulness and happiness.
In the first stanza he addresses god saying “Nay, Lord, not thus!” (Wilde, l. 1) challenging him to do things differently. That is strengthened by the break created by the exclamation mark. Other than that the meter is consistent throughout the first stanza (iambic pentameter). Following the address there is an asyndeton consisting of three symbols. White lilies, olive-groves and doves are well known symbols for peace, especially in Christianity. Therefore he tells god that humankind can learn way more about “live and love” (Wilde, l. 3) by experiencing a peaceful and happy environment rather than “red flame and thundering” (Wilde, l. 4), a metaphorical term for punishment, torture and war and a reference to hell.
The second stanza also works with symbolism. Considering that the bird is a symbol for freedom, but is still somewhat determined to rest and let go, the
“One who had no place of rest” (Wilde, l. 7), meaning god, is called restless and bustling.
The image that dominates the first two stanzas is the spring. It stands for the beginning and tells the addressee to rest and not place terror and punishment on mankind. The sestet on the other hand begins with the words “Come rather on some autumn afternoon” (Wilde, l. 9). That autumn afternoon is a metaphorical expression in contrast to the spring from the first stanza. It stands for a point that is very near to the actual end. In the sestet he describes the late autumn afternoon throughout positively. The speaker is talking about red and brown leaves (Wilde, l. 10), about “the splendid fulness of the moon” (Wilde, l. 12) and about “rows of golden sheaves” (Wilde, l. 13). By using warm colors to describe the landscape and pointing out the gorgeous full moon he creates a romantic and peaceful atmosphere. And it is then, that he says to god: “And reap Thy harvest: we have waited long.” (Wilde, l. 14). Like in the first verse of the sonnet there is a break after the second foot, this time created through a colon after “harvest”. The last verse makes clear that it is now time for god to look at what he has created and achieved and to take it, because it is now time.
Furthermore the last two stanzas are connected by a run-on line and they are a rhetorical device in themselves. The last stanza is a parallelism to the third stanza considering the similarities in form, expression, rhyme scheme, meter (iambic pentameter), vocabulary and the imagery used. The main theme of those two stanzas is the description of the autumn afternoon, mentioned.
On the on hand the poem illustrates the contrast between “red flame and thundering” and a peaceful, love-filled life. On the other hand it shows the journey of man or mankind from the beginning (spring) to the evening of one’s life (autumn afternoon).
Oscar Wilde, who was a very famous representative for a movement called aestheticism, which values aesthetic principles over social or moral themes, provides with this sonnet a lot of beautiful symbols, sensuous imagery and suggestion without any didactic purpose. Therefore this sonnet says that life should be more like art; colorful, happy and never cruel or sad.
Bibliography
Wilde, Oscar. “Sonnet on hearing the Dies Irae Sung in the Sistine Chapel”.
Sloan, John. 2003. Oscar Wilde. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bibliography: Wilde, Oscar. “Sonnet on hearing the Dies Irae Sung in the Sistine Chapel”. Sloan, John. 2003. Oscar Wilde. Oxford: Oxford University Press.