"Slim Cunning Hands" Review

"Slim Cunning Hands" Review

"Slim Cunning Hands" by Walter de la Mare 

Born April 25, 1873, English poet and novelist Walter de la Mare is best remembered for his children's stories. de la Mare was a recipient of the Carnegie Medal, and died in 1956. 

Slim Cunning Hands

Slim cunning hands at rest, and cozening eyes-
Under this stone one loved too wildly lies;
How false she was, no granite could declare;
Nor all earth's flowers, how fair.

Walter de la Mare's poem "Slim Cunning Hands is a testament to how strange people can act. All in all, the poem relates to death and deception. de la Mare uses diction to speak of a now buried lover, who consisted of false and unfaithful actions; hence, she is characterized by the "Slim Cunning Hands". The words "cunning" and "cozening" are used to describe someone who is good at deceiving others. Later, the phrase "under the stone" leads the audience to believe that this deceiving person has passed away. The stone that de la Mare speaks about is the granite that is later mentioned. The granite represents the coldness of the lover's betrayal and ultimately the finality of her death. The images of stone, granite, and flowers help the audience see that the woman is actually dead and also give them a sense that although the man's love for her was deep, it was not wise. The word “wildly” shows the audience that the man cared a great deal for her, and that he believed the love they shared was wild. The word “Fair” indicates the warmth of the relationship, and also presents the idea that she made the man feel loved in return. However,the negative words such as“cunning”, “cozening”, and “false”, suggest that she was not truly trustworthy and that perhaps she only gave the illusion of loving the man, rather than truly being in love with the speaker of the poem. Despite the the wrongdoings of the passed woman towards the man, the speaker of the poem has an overall tone that is mournful. Not only is the speaker mournful for the woman's actual death, but he is mournful for the tainting of her soul by her lies and deceptions.