[اطلق سراب]

Mirror

Whatever I see I swallow immediately

Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.

I am not cruel, only truthful --

The eye of a little god, four-cornered.

Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.

It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long

I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.

Faces and darkness separate us over and over.Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.

She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.

I am important to her. She comes and goes.

Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.

In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman

Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish

الشرح



Mirror
By Sylvia Plath
The meaning of the words:
Silver: material.
Exact: correct.
Preconceptions: idea taken before.
Swallow: eat.
Unmisted: very clear.
Cruel: just.
Meditate: think deeply.
Speckles: spots.
Terrible: horrible.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Paraphrasing:
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
The mirror is talking about itself. It is made of silver and it is honest and it gives the exact image.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
It is says that what ever it sees it never talk about it.
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
It is gives the exact image of any thing and never mix it with any personal feeling like love or hate.
I am not cruel, only truthful —
It is says that it is not bad or cruel but it is only honest and faithful in reflecting the image.
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
The mirror compared it is self with God in seeing the full image from four corners and reflecting it truthfully and clearly.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It spends most of the time looking to the opposite wall and thinking deeply.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
The wall is pink with many spots; the mirror said that it spends long time looking at it.
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers
The mirror says that the wall becomes a part of it is heart, and it is always reflects the light to me just like a candle.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Sometimes faces and darkness separated us when they come in front of me so I can not see it

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
The mirror talks about itself and compare it with a lake as both of them reflect the image when a woman comes and bends over it.
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Woman comes to me looking deeply and searching for her reality and her truth.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
After I give her her truthful image she turns her back to me and lesson to the liars.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
Even of that all I see is her back but I keep reflecting the image truthfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am always honest and faithful but all of what she rewords me is her tears and her nervous and anger.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
I know that I am very important to her because she can not leave me and she keeps coming and going.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness
I wait her every morning because her face is the thing that replaces the darkness of the night.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
She has lost her youth and beauty and now I see her as an old woman.
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
She sees in me an old woman that is rising toward her just like a terrible fish that rises from a lake.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Personification:
I see (eyes)
Swallow (mouth)
Looked (eyes)
Think (mind)
Heart, exact, truthful, and meditate.
phor:
1) The mirror compared itself with a God and the similarity between them that they are both truthful and exact in judging.
2) The mirror compared itself with a lake and the similarity between them that they both reflect the images as they are

Theme:
The poem shows the feelings of a woman who is losing her beauty and getting old and not being able to understand the fact of aging. She does not except her true reflection of the mirror and she tries to ignore the fact but the fact that we can not discriminate and judge by their appearance.
This theme is very clear and exact because it comes from the mirror that is known to be exact and truthful and never have any preconceptions, it just reflect the image as it is without opposite feeling. But it is this same mirror compared to God starts to sympathizes with the women realizing that women losses their beauty. Also the analogy between mirror and the lake bring to mind the myth of Narisus who became found of this reflection on the lake and drown while he wants to become close to the image. The similarity between the women and Narisus the mythical character makes us sympathies with them for losing her beauty rather than criticize her vanity.
Purpose:
The poet wants to show the suffering of women who have to communicate with loosing their beauty. The poet sympathizes with women's vanity. It is not something silly but it is painful to loss the beauty and youth