The poem by Van Jordan reflects the comparison of the female body with different phenomena and things. To reach the necessary figurativeness, the writer makes use of such stylistic devices as a metaphor that manages to convey the mystery of writing a poem. The comparison made by the author highlight the unusual vision of the woman as the main purpose of it is to consecrate her and to elevate her beauty. The main comparison involved in the poem is the identification of the woman with the poem itself.
From the first lines of the verse, we see the author’s gentle attitude to women. Hence, Jordan puts the question: “What better light to write to write by than a woman’s body filled with her spirit and her mother’s wit” (1: 1-3). By this, he sees a woman as the source of inspiration and creativity. The further description reveals the comparison of a woman’s body with the moon and a song. In the next lines, he shows the female superiority over mankind: “that body ….is a song that plays freely in mind that makes a man hum” (2: 4-7). The identification of the woman with nature personifies the innocent beauty that is given from above. In the line “a willow breathing within his ear?” (6:16), the author compares a woman’s hair with the fragile branches of the willow. That metaphor significantly helps the reader to enlarge their imagination and to perceive a veritable picture of female splendor. It not only involves the reader into the greatest mystery of a woman’s world but also helps to cognate a woman’s psychological nature.
In the poem, the writer also touches upon the problems of the relationship between a man and a woman. The last phrase shows the complexity of the expression of love by a man for a woman. Therefore, “he picks up the pen” (7: 22) as if mere words are not perfect enough to address the woman since only a poem can be worth the woman’s approval and deserve her attention. The writer is aware that “she’s never told him that she loves him” since the words are too primitive to express the whole power of love. Only using gestures and view, one could recognize this veritable feeling.
With the help of metaphors, the writer intends to emphasize the enigmatic nature of females whose soul is the labyrinth of hidden and sophisticated thoughts where man is helpless to solve this puzzle. The elevation of women to a divine creature makes her unavailable for a rational perception. From Jordon’s point of view, a metaphorical comparison with a song is rather successful since it renders the depth of the woman’s inner world.
As we can see, the author compares the woman with three things: the song, the poem, and nature. To my mind, these three things could be inherent components of female beauty. The song is her soul, nature is the way she looks, and the poem is the way she loves.