"Morning at the Window" is a short poem by T. S. Eliot, first published in the poet's 1917 collection Prufrock and Other Observations. Looking down on an urban street from a window (perhaps in London, where the poem was written), the speaker hears and sees down-trodden servants cheerlessly going about their morning chores. The air is filled with brown fog (a mark of pollution), through which the speaker catches glimpses of disembodied faces that appear twisted in pain or anguish. Modern city life, in this poem, is marked by stark class inequality, despair, and alienation.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “Morning at the Window”
1They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
2And along the trampled edges of the street
3I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
4Sprouting despondently at area gates.
5The brown waves of fog toss up to me
6Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
7And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
8An aimless smile that hovers in the air
9And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
The Full Text of “Morning at the Window”
1They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
2And along the trampled edges of the street
3I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
4Sprouting despondently at area gates.
5The brown waves of fog toss up to me
6Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
7And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
8An aimless smile that hovers in the air
9And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
-
“Morning at the Window” Summary
-
-
“Morning at the Window” Themes
-
Class, Alienation, and Modern Life
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Morning at the Window”
-
Line 1
They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
-
Lines 2-4
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates. -
Lines 5-6
The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street, -
Lines 7-9
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
-
-
“Morning at the Window” Symbols
-
The Divide Between the Window and the Street
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“Morning at the Window” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Consonance
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Enjambment
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Imagery
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Juxtaposition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“Morning at the Window” 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.
- Trampled
- Sprouting
- Despondently
- Area gates
- Toss up
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Morning at the Window”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Morning at the Window” Speaker
-
-
“Morning at the Window” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Morning at the Window”
-
-
More “Morning at the Window” Resources
-
External Resources
-
London's Russell Square — Learn more about the place that some critics believe inspired the poem's setting.
-
The Poem Out Loud — Hear "Morning at the Window" read by T. S. Eliot himself.
-
Prufrock and Other Observations — Read the entire collection in which "Morning at the Window" appears.
-
T. S. Eliot's Life and Work — Check out a biography of Eliot with links to more of his writings at the Poetry Foundation.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by T. S. Eliot
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
