A Semio-poetic Analysis: « Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit » by Verlaine
Poetic language is distinguished from other types of expression by its discontinuous and elliptical syntax as well as by its unusual and metaphorical content. While practical language has an essentially informative and communicative function, poetical language is not primarily concerned with communication. Although this creative language is used in other fields such as advertising and politics, its use in poetry has a dominant artistic function, therefore autonomous. Moreover, a poetic text deviates from prose in several respects. This is why a poem cannot be analyzed in the same way as other types of texts are analyzed. This article aims to analyze from a formal and semantic point of view a poem by Paul Verlaine, “Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit”. To show the rhythmic organization of the poem, the analysis begins with the level of the form with the provisions of rhymes, the metric system, alliteration, assonance, homonymy, paronymy. This formal analysis leads to the semantic and notional level with parasynonyms, oppositions (spatial, thymic, temporal, nature / culture, others / I). This is followed by the analysis of all the referential relationships between the words or syntagms of poetry. Also, at the content level, the status and place of the /I/ are presented on the basis of the above. This poem composed of four stanzas is divided into two sequences: the three stanzas describe the outer space with all its euphoric elements while in the last stanza, the /I/ which appears in its inner universe, is cut off from the open space, which is entirely dysphoric.
Une analyse sémio-poétique : « Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit » de Verlaine
Le langage poétique se distingue d’autres types d’expression par sa syntaxe discontinue et elliptique ainsi que par son contenu inhabituel et métaphorique. Tandis que le langage pratique a une fonction essentiellement informative et communicative, le souci du langage poétique n’est pas prioritairement la communication. Quoique ce langage créatif soit utilisé dans d’autres domaines comme la publicité et la politique, son usage dans la poésie a une fonction dominante artistique, donc autonome. Par ailleurs un texte poétique s’éloigne de la prose à plusieurs égards. C’est la raison pour laquelle un poème ne peut être analysé comme on analyse d’autres types de textes. Cet article vise à analyser du point de vue formelle et sémantique un poème de Paul Verlaine, « Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit ». Pour montrer l’organisation rythmique du poème, l’analyse commence par le niveau de la forme avec les dispositions des rimes, le système métrique, l’allitération, l’assonance, l’homonymie, la paronymie. Cette analyse formelle débouche sur le niveau sémantique et notionnel avec des parasynonymes, les oppositions (spatiale, thymique, temporelle, nature/culture, les autres/je). Ce qui suit par l’analyse de tous les rapports référentiels entre les mots ou syntagmes de la poésie. Toujours au niveau du contenu, l’état et la place du /JE/ sont présentés en partant de ce qui précède. Ce poème composé de quatre quatrains est divisé en deux séquences : les trois strophes décrivent l’espace extérieur avec tous ses éléments euphoriques alors que dans la dernière strophe, c’est le /JE/ qui apparait dans son univers intérieur, coupé de l’espace ouvert, qui est entièrement dysphorique.
Unlike practical and ordinary language, the syntax of poetic language is discontinuous and elliptical. While the objective of practical language is to ensure communication, poetic language aims to create a certain effect on the recipient through an esthetic expression. Besides, poetry is opposed to prose which is linear, by its textual structure and by its rhythm. In other words, in poetry, the sound form takes precedence over the meaning. In this regard, Malherbe and Valéry equated prose with walking and poetry with dance.
This article aims to make a semio-poetic analysis of the poem by Paul Verlaine: «Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit « published in the collection Sagesse (1881). In terms of form, this fixed-form poem has remarkable regularity. In the arrangement of rhymes, the disposition of male and female rhymes as well as the richness of the rhymes, we observe a crossed form. As for the metric system, the crossed form is noted by verses of 8 syllables followed by verses of 4 syllables, from the beginning to the end of the poem. The reiterations of the signifier are carried out by a strong occurrence of several consonants (alliteration) and vowels (assonance). On the one hand, these phonemic reiterations assure the rhythm, on the other hand, they give clues to the content of the poem. Among the 57 words that make up the poem, there are also several homonyms and paronyms.
In terms of meaning, this poem can be divided into two sequences: the first 3 stanzas describe the outside world euphorized by all its constituent elements, while the last stanza is reserved for the inside world where the poetic subject is found. Still at the level of meaning, there are some reiterations of the signified (3 parasynonyms) and several repetitions of the same signs. What is particularly noteworthy is that this poem by Verlaine contains many semantic and notional oppositions. The first opposition emerges between the outdoor space and the indoor space. This spatial opposition is linked to the tyhmic opposition because the outer space presents itself as euphoric while the inner space is entirely dysphoric. The third opposition is temporal: the past is linked to the youth of the poetic subject (“qu’as-tu fait […] de ta jeunesse?”), while the present time expresses the end of youth, and both have dysphoric value. Another notional opposition is established between nature and culture: the number of cultural elements in the poem is almost double that of natural elements. Between the others and the poetic subject, there is a final opposition. All these 5 oppositions, which are linked to each other, have been shown in tables and have been explained by elements taken from the text. In addition, the network of semantic and semiotic relationships between different signs of the text ensures the relevance carried out by associative fields. Thus, several signs and syntagms are linked by echoing each other. This relational network has been shown and explained by common semes: “berce - chante” (/rhythm/) ; “tinte - chante - rumeur” (/hearing sense/); “plainte - pleurant” (/dysphoria/); “cloche” - /église/ - “Dieu” (/religion/) ; “calme - berce - doucement - simple - tranquille - paisible” (/euphoria/) ; “la vie est là” - “toi que voilà” (/space/). Subsequently, the state and place of the poetic subject was clarified starting from the encompassing space (open, exterior, euphoric), the encompassed space (open, exterior, euphoric) and the enclosed space (interior, dysphoric) where the poetic subject is.
Style figures are frequent in the use of poetic language as well as in poems. Verlaine used in this little poem two metaphors and an oxymoron in verses 2, 3 and 4.
In conclusion, alongside the remarkable musicality in all of Verlaine’s work, it is notably by the structure based on oppositions on the semantic and notional levels that we can characterize this poem.
