BSc BA ADP English Notes Poem One Art (Elizabeth Bishop) Reference Context Explanation

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Poem:

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
So many things seem filled with the intent
To be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster
Of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster;
Places and names and where it was you went.
To travel. None of these will bring disaster

I lost my mother's watch. And look; my last, or
Next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
Some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them but it wasn't a disaster.

Even losing you(the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
The art of losing's not too hard to master
Though it may look like (Write it) like disaster.

Elizabeth Bishop:

American poetess. She was born in 1911 and died in 1979.

Elizabeth Bishop's father died when she was an infant and her mother was taken to a mental institution. Painfully aware of death and defeat, she grew up in Nova Scotia and Boston and began to write poems as a schoolgirl before going to Vassar College, New York. 'To a Tree' with its reference to 'tiny tragedies and grotesque grieves', is an extremely assured performance for a girl of sixteen. The mature 'Song' expresses Bishop's feelings of isolation as she measures the distance between herself and others: 'The friends have left, the sea is bare/that was strewn with floating fresh green weeds'. For Bishop life is a gift that always seem joust out of reach. Yes/but.

Idea of Poem:

The tone and the attitude of the poet is mocking, non-serious and frivolous but the underlying message is serious, sane and sensible. The true art of losing should help us to inculcate a spirit of acceptance and resignation. The loss of door keys or loss of an empire should be taken in one's stride with a smiling face and a stout heart. In this way a defeat or disaster loses its bitterness and gives us hope and strength to look head. The most trifling incident and the greatest disaster should be faced without tears. The art of the losing, in fact, means to live life, hoping for the best, and to be ready to face and accept the worst.

Reference: 

These lines have been taken from the poem “One Art” written by Elizabeth Bishop.

Context: 

In this poem the poetess wants to teach us that the art of losing things is necessary to lead a pleasant life. We should not bother, whether things are lost or snatched from us. The loss of door-keys or some other possession should be accepted as a part of life. No loss should disturb us, we should take our defeats and losses lightly.

Explanation: 

Stanza 1 

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
So many things seem filled with the intent
To be lost that their loss is no disaster.

In these lines the poetess wants to teach us an uncommon lesson about losing things. She says that the art of losing things is not difficult to learn. Many things are included or intend to be lost. The loss of these things which we lose everyday, will bring no disaster. Actually, the poetess wants to teach us the art of acceptance and resignation.

Stanza 2 

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster
Of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

In these lines the poetess tells us that we should try to lose something everyday and accept the confusion created by this loss. For example, if we lose door keys, naturally, an hour is spent in trouble. After that we will get used to the loss, or we shall find some solution to the problem. Even then if we try to learn the art of losing things, it is not difficult to master.

Stanza 3 

Then practice losing farther, losing faster;
Places and names and where it was you went.
To travel. None of these will bring disaster

The poetess says, we should try to lose things farther and faster. This practice will habituate you to losing things and you will not feel any trouble. Once you get used to losing things, then forget the names of people with whom you lived and forget the place where you did go and spent some time. Forgetting names and places will not put you in trouble if you have mastered the art of losing.

Stanza 4 

I lost my mother's watch. And look; my last, or
Next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master

In the given lines the poetess cites some personal examples. She says that once she lost the watch given to her by her mother. This watch was very dear to her but its losing did not create any disturbance to her. After that she lost three very dear houses by migrating from one place to another. She lost these houses one after the other. But this did not disturb her. So the art of losing things is not difficult to learn.

Stanza 5 

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
Some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them but it wasn't a disaster.

In these lines, also the poetess quotes some other examples. She says that she lost two dearest cities and more than that she left two very dear rivers and also some property and estate that she owned. In addition, she lost even a whole continent, when she migrated from North America to South America. She says that she remembers all these things but their loss is not a disaster. She means to say that some times even kings have to leave their dominions but this does not bring any devastation.

Stanza 6 

Even losing you(the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
The art of losing's not too hard to master
Though it may look like (Write it) like disaster.

In these lines the poetess concludes her lesson. She says even if we lose our very dear friends, relatives, their most joking voice, their most loved gestures, these do not bring any destruction. She says, perhaps she has not told a lie in this regard. Obviously, the art of losing things is not difficult to learn, although it looks so. But one thing is clear that losing things does not bring any disaster. The poetess wants to teach us that for leading peaceful life, it is necessary to accept the hard realities of life and accept even the worst impact of our losses. It is necessary to take our defeats and failures lightly.

Written By: Asad Hussain