Four Quartets

Synopsis

'That crown which he set on his lifetime's effort.' Ted Hughes

Four Quartets is the culminating achievement of T. S. Eliot's career as a poet. This edition is based on the design made by Giovanni Mardersteig for his letterpress edition of 1960 and marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of its first publication in the UK by Faber & Faber in 1944.

'Throughout these poems there is also the invention of new rhythms, of unimagined possibilities in the movement of language . . . He is perhaps more original and inventive in rhythm than any other poet in English.' Delmore Schwartz

'The most original contribution to poetry that has been made in our time.' Edwin Muir

Summary

Chapter 1: Burnt Norton

* Explores themes of time, memory, and the search for meaning in a fragmented world.
* Real example: The opening lines describe the ruins of Burnt Norton, a manor house destroyed by fire, symbolizing the erosion of history and the need for renewal.

Chapter 2: East Coker

* Delves into the history and significance of the poet's ancestral home in East Coker, England.
* Real example: The poem references the Four Quartets (the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water) as symbols of interconnectedness and the cyclical nature of time.

Chapter 3: The Dry Salvages

* Examines the relationship between the human experience and the natural world, particularly the sea.
* Real example: The opening stanza describes the "dry salvages," a rocky shoal off the coast of Massachusetts, evoking a sense of barrenness and isolation.

Chapter 4: Little Gidding

* Explores themes of faith, redemption, and the power of words.
* Real example: The poem concludes with the berühmten words, "The end is where we start from," suggesting the cyclical nature of time and the possibility of finding meaning in the present.

Chapter 5: Burnt Norton (revisited)

* A reprise of Chapter 1, offering a more resolved and hopeful perspective on the themes of time, meaning, and human connection.
* Real example: The poem ends with the lines, "Quick now, here, now, always — / A condition of complete simplicity / (Costing not less than everything)," emphasizing the importance of living in the present moment.

Chapter 6: East Coker (revisited)

* Explores the theme of humility and the need to accept our limitations.
* Real example: The poem references the following lines from the Bible: "For in him we live and move and have our being," acknowledging our dependence on a higher power.

Chapter 7: The Dry Salvages (revisited)

* Examines the relationship between time and eternity, suggesting that the two are somehow connected.
* Real example: The poem quotes the words of Saint John of the Cross: "Where there is no why, there is no wherefore," implying that the search for meaning is ultimately futile.

Chapter 8: Little Gidding (revisited)

* Explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the transformative power of art.
* Real example: The poem references the "children of fire," who represent those who are willing to embrace suffering and sacrifice for the greater good.