"Passion" appears in Kathleen Raine's first volume of poetry, Stone and Flower (1943). Its speaker meditates on the world outside after experiencing "heartbreak." Wrestling with pain and longing, the speaker hears a mysterious voice from the "sky" telling them that they already have everything they desire. The world is enough in itself, and far from being alone, the speaker is profoundly connected with everything in it. Inspired by this revelation, the speaker has a religious vision of universal "passion" and eternal love. Ultimately, the poem suggests that, painful as heartbreak can be, no one is ever truly alone in the world.

• Read the full text of “Passion”

• “Passion” Summary

• “Passion” Themes

  • 

    Heartbreak and Healing

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-24
  • 

    Unity with Nature and God

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-24

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Passion”

  • Lines 1-6

    Full of desire ...
    ... mortal death, heartbreak.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 7-9

    The language I ...
    ... of the beach.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 10-15

    Then the sky ...
    ... your nature is.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-21

    Lift up your ...
    ... fire of passion.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 22-24

    This world I ...
    ... love and eternity.

    

    

    

    

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• “Passion” Symbols

  • 

    The Conches

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 8-9: “and out of reach / Were Homer’s ghosts, the savage conches of the beach.”
  • 

    The Flower and the Tiger

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 18: “This world you with the flower and with the tiger share.'”

• “Passion” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Anthropomorphism

    

    

    

    

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    Where anthropomorphism appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “the sky wounding me”
    • Lines 2-3: “each tree / Possessing what my soul lacked, tranquillity”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 10-18: “Then the sky spoke to me in language clear, / Familiar as the heart, than love more near. / The sky said to my soul, 'You have what you desire. / 'Know now that you are born along with these / Clouds, winds, and stars, and ever-moving seas / And forest dwellers. This your nature is. / Lift up your heart again without fear, / Sleep in the tomb, or breathe the living air, / This world you with the flower and with the tiger share.'”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Lines 8-9: “and out of reach / Were Homer’s ghosts,”
    • Lines 20-24: “every cell new born / Burned with the holy fire of passion. / This world I saw as on her judgment day / When the war ends, and the sky rolls away, / And all is light, love and eternity.”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Lines 10-11: “Then the sky spoke to me in language clear, / Familiar as the heart, than love more near.”
    • Lines 22-24: “This world I saw as on her judgment day / When the war ends, and the sky rolls away, / And all is light, love and eternity.”

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 1
    • Line 3
    • Line 6
    • Line 9
    • Lines 10-12
    • Line 15
    • Lines 16-18
    • Line 21
    • Lines 23-24

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “the sky”
    • Line 2: “Each,” “each”
    • Line 3: “my soul”
    • Line 7: “language”
    • Line 10: “the sky,” “language”
    • Line 12: “The sky,” “my soul”
    • Line 19: “every”
    • Line 20: “every”
    • Line 23: “the sky”

• “Passion” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Tranquillity
  • Forsook
  • Conches
  • Homer's ghosts
  • Forest dwellers
  • Passion
  • Judgment day
  • The war
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “Possessing what my soul lacked, tranquillity.”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Passion”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Passion” Speaker

• “Passion” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Passion”

• More “Passion” Resources

  • External Resources

    • The Poet's Life — Read a short biography of Kathleen Raine via the Poetry Foundation.

    • More on Raine's Life and Work — Raine's 2003 obituary in the Guardian.

    • The Poet Lectures — Listen to four of Raine's lectures on poetry and the imagination.

    • Raine and Temenos Academy — Information on the spiritual/philosophical academy Raine founded.

    • An Interview with the Poet — Watch a late-life interview with Kathleen Raine.

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