Mallarme--Amy Bower

Mallarme’s poem “A Dice Throw” is paradoxical in that elements of sense and nonsense are at play.  On the surface, the layout of the poem appears haphazard and nonsensical. However after reading the poem, it becomes apparent that there is reason to the positioning of the words, and the words themselves are carefully chosen. For instance, at the top of page 64, Mallarme writes, “WETHER the Chasm whitish fulltide…” Between the words “the” and “Chasm,” there is a gap of white larger than that between the other words. Thus, Mallarme gives us a visual representation of the “Chasm” that he is describing. Careful choices such as this permeate throughout the poem. Much like Lewis Carroll used wordplay to force the readers to consider the many meanings and contexts of language, Mallarme uses structure as well as language to give language new meaning.

While the relationship between language and structure is thoughtfully composed, the element of the nonsensical is still very much present in the poem. For instance, there is no clear meaning to the poem. The title, “A Dice Throw,” implies that the poem is about a dice throw. The layout of the poem mimics a dice throw, in the way that the words appear to be thrown haphazardly about the page, and the downward movement of the words mirrors the action of a die falling from someone’s hand. The poem makes references to chance and rolling certain numbers, however the poem is not definitively and only about a dice throw. There is also imagery of the sea (“he used to grip the helm,” “in the name of the waves”), and the fluctuating up and down movement of the words mimics the rise and fall of waves. Furthermore, the striking amount of white space is vast and somewhat overwhelming, much like the ocean. Mallarme does not logically make sense of the relationship between these two themes, and in this way the poem is nonsensical. However, the nonsense is very much purposeful.

In some ways, the poem seems to be challenging the very idea of literature itself. Scholars are always trying to find deeper meaning in poetry and do so under the assumption that poets purposefully choose certain words to convey a specific theme. Mallarme has chosen his words carefully, but he is not trying to convey one concise theme. Instead, his words float freely across the white abyss of blank page. There is randomness to his words, but he did not choose them randomly. By manipulating form and the sounds of words, he is forcing the reader to view poetry in different ways. Someone who hears “A Dice Throw” read aloud will hear the alliteration of the lines “will falter, and fall, sheer folly,” but will not see that the words actually “fall” down the page. On the other hand, someone reading the poem in their head will see the words descending to the bottom of the page, but the alliteration will not be quite as striking.  To fully appreciate Mallarme’s writing, the reader must read it aloud with the poem in front of her. He proves that poetry is much more than carefully chosen words, but also rhythm and music and form. Mallarme’s use of “nonsense” is effective because he seems to be purposefully allowing for varied interpretations, instead of one or two set themes. Mallarme’s view seems to be that poetry is a complicated art form, and not something that can be easily dissected.