In Judith Viorst's poem, "A Wedding Sonnet For the Next
Generation," the poet's movement pivots or shifts starting on line seven. The first six
lines were allusions to famous sonnets written by Shakespeare, Yeats and Elizabeth
Barrett Browning. The words are not really those of Viorst, but she uses them to draw
the reader's attention to the love poetry of poets of the past. I assume she does this
to point out that things are not the way they once were: today the modern couple is
looking for something other than flowery poetry—they may be looking for something more
"authentic" and personal.
The image with the most clarity,
"And you are writing your own poem," makes me think that the bride (and perhaps also the
groom) is writing her vows. In the past perhaps the bride-and-groom-to-be leaned more
toward using the words of poets of the past, or even contemporary, popular poets. Viorst
notes that "there are poems so fine, so true" out there, and they will help the bride
(or the groom) to express her feelings of love and to present her promises or her
"vows."
However, the author points out that in writing
one's own poem, rather than relying on the words of others, that
the feelings are more genuine because they are unique. The words belong not to men and
women long dead who spoke of those they loved; the words may not
have a "studied" and perfect rhyming pattern or the "correct" number of beats ("scan")
perhaps. Viorst is suggesting that this is not what matters. When a
couple writes their own vows, they are inspired by their unique love for each other. And
while some of the words they choose may be "sublime" like those used in the past by
others, the content will have more meaning for this couple. Rather than lofty promises
and praise of older poems, the words here will echo with a new sincerity: honing in on
things that matter more today, for this "next
generation"...
Respect. Trust. Comfort.
Home.
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