An Interpretation of T.E. Hulme's Poem "Conversion"

T.E. Hulme: Conversion

The poet begins the poem stating his mood as he was walking, happy, light-hearted, free from worry. The poet speaks in the past tense which indicates that this not the present state of him.

Anyway, the poet walked happily "the valley wood" which may be a valley of some wood. Then he specifies a time;" In the time of hyacinths." What does the word "hyacinths" mean? According to the American Heritage Dictionary it means a bulbous Mediterranean plant or any of several similar plants such as the grape hyacinth. It may also means color; a deep purplish blue to vivid violet. This may indicate that it was the spring season when such plants are grown spreading its scent everywhere.

" Till beauty like a scented cloth/ cast over, stifled me." The word " till" somehow indicate that there will be a change. So, the poet was walking happily into the valley until beauty around him, like a scented cloth cast over, stifled him. Here we have a simile; the poet likened the beauty to a scented cloth cast over. May be the beauty of the wood and the scent of the hyacinths was so strong that made him feel stifling as if a scented cloth was cast over him makes him unable to move or breathe, so he was

"bound motionless and faint of breath." He is bound and stifled by the "loveliness", and this a contradicted and strange thing; how loveliness binds someone and makes his breath fainted?

We can say that by doing this to the poet, loveliness is no more lovely but it is castrated, it is defected ( not perfect).

Then, we come to the second part of the poem which begins with the word "Now" which indicates that there is a conversion here in terms of time. The poet is talking about his actual state now: "Now pass I to the final river." What river, and why it is described as "final"?

May be the river stands for the poet's own life, the stream of life, and now he is reaching to the final stage of his life. This means that he is old now.

"Ignominiously, in a sack, without sound": this is contrasted to the first line of the poem which may be considered a representation of the poet's state when he was young. May be he did something shameful in his youth that makes the beauty and the loveliness of his youth (his life as a young man ) is defected and caused him to be restrained and cause.