Stevens, Wallace. "A High-Toned Old Christian Woman".

Summary and Analysis

The poem seems to be addressed to the didactic poetical tradition which tries to build a church from the moral law and then from the church to build a "haunted heaven". Formally the speaker addresses an old lady.

The initial line determines the character of the whole poem: "Poetry is the supreme fiction, madame." As a result of the building of the "haunted heaven", the conscience is converted into "palms". "Palms" in the sense of trees may imply the image of helpless leaves flattering in contrary winds. "Palms" in the sense of hands, which is more probably meant here, may imply the action of building.

If we take a moral law opposite to the first one, we can but put them together and make a "masque / beyond the planets." This bawdiness is equally converted into palms. The moral is the same which was pronounced at the very beginning: poetry is mere fiction.

As results remains always the same, people should be allowed to have "A jovial hullaballoo among the spheres." The speaker applies this advice on the people of the preceding image of fervent believers whipping themselves to intensify their religious fervour. Now they should whip from themselves a joy. This connection suggests that the statement of mere fiction could apply not only for poetry, but also for religion.