Content Analysis of “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
“The Stone” is a narrative poem by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, who lived from 1878 to 1962. Wilfrid Wilson Gibson is often recognised as the leader of the Georgian movement – Georgian poetry in early 20th-century England. This article covers the content analysis of “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson.
Content Summary
“The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson is a lament, a poem of grief. The writer used vivid imagery and a clear plot to make the lines real to the reader.
This narrative poem is about a young woman whose lover died in a quarry accident, leading her to seek the stonemason to carve a tombstone for her lover. It describes her emotional stone-like state as she watched the stonemason chip away at the tombstone as he carved. After the name of her lover was carved on the stone, she breathed a relief and left the stonemason’s place never to return. And this time, the stonemason had to work on another tombstone for her.
The poem opens with the narrator telling about the request for a tombstone made by a young woman. Then he proceeds to tell of the accident in a quarry that killed a young man when a splintered rock fell on him. This man, who died in the quarry, was the lover of the young lady who requested a tombstone.
Afterward, the narrator (who is also the stonemason) went to tell the lady lover about the death of the man in the quarry. He was scared and worried about the sad news he brought. However, someone else beat him to it; when he arrived, the lady had already received the news. This person was without discretion, and the lady had been greatly affected by the news. The person who brought the news went away, not knowing the depth of harm he had caused.
So, when the stonemason arrived, he met the lady alone, stone-emotion, and with her action alone, he could tell that she already had received the news he brings. She could not cry, she was simply silent as dead, even when the man’s mother cried. She could not sleep for three days and nights. She did not move, and her “tearless eyes, staring eyes” seemed to see nothing but saw everything.
On the fourth night, when the stonemason came home from work, he saw the lady at his door. She requested him to carve a stone for her lover. The request was all she said, and she followed the stonemason into the house. The lady sat and stared at the stonemason with those unseeing eyes she has worn since receiving the news. Her eyes followed the stonemason around, as he says he could not bear to feel them burrow into him.
So, he sought a stone and began cutting the requested tombstone for the lady’s lover. The lady sat and watched the stonemason work. Night after night, she continued to stare at him with those dead eyes aflame, sitting still and white like a ghost. She eyed every stroke the stonemason made as he carved without uttering a word or making any sound whatsoever.
It was only the sound of the stonemason’s chisel that was heard, and every stroke it made was like death cutting deeper into the soul of the grieved lady. The tombstone cutting was more of a synergy between the stonemason, the staring eyes of the sad lady, and death, which had brought them all to this point.
At last, the stone job was done, and the mason laid his mallet down. As the silence fell in the room, the lady said her lover’s name in a quiet voice, breathed a sigh of relief, like it was all over now. She slowly walked through the door and left the stonemason’s place. This was the last time the stonemason ever saw her, as she probably also welcomed death.
Now, the stonemason sat alone the next night to cut the lady’s name on the tombstone. This time, for the grieved lady, cutting her name into the stone.
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Stanza-by-stanza Analysis
Stanza 1
“And will you cut a stone for him,
To set above his head?
And will you cut a stone for him—
A stone for him?” she said.
(Lines 1-4)
Stanza 1 begins with the request the grieving lady made of the stonemason after she learned that her lover died in the quarry when a large stone fell on him. This sets the emotional tone for the poem. The reader expects something about death, burial, or a memorial.
The request made of the narrator is clear and simple, although it wields a deep implication. The lady repeats her request to emphasize the need and that it is dear to her to do this one thing. Her emotions were restricted and not allowed to filter through her words or complicate the interaction.
Stanza 2
Three days before, a splintered rock
Had struck her lover dead—
Had struck him in the quarry dead,
Where, careless of a warning call,
He loitered, while the shot was fired—
A lively stripling, brave and tall,
And sure of all his heart desired . . .
A flash, a shock,
A rumbling fall . . .
And, broken ‘neath the broken rock,
A lifeless heap, with face of clay,
And still as any stone he lay,
With eyes that saw the end of all.
(Lines 5-17)
The narrator described the incident that had led to the tombstone request. Three days earlier in the quarry, there had been an accident, and a young man was struck dead by a splintered rock. He was careless of the warning calls and loitered while the shot was fired to shatter the rocks in the quarry. Unfortunately for him, a large piece of the splintered rock struck him and he fell lifeless beneath the broken rock. His death was sad and gruesome. The narrator describes his end as having happened in “a flash” and he got “s shock” (Line 12). He was “broken ‘neath the broken rock”, “a lifeless heap” with face like clay, and still as any stone” (Lines 14-16). And the saddest part was his eyes wide open, which looked like they “saw the end of all”.
Further to this description, the narrator describes the young man. Besides being young, he is “lively stripling, brave and tall” (Line 10). Cut off in his prime, the stanza tells of the death and an abrupt end of someone so young and promising.
Stanza 3
I went to break the news to her:
And I could hear my own heart beat
With dread of what my lips might say;
But some poor fool had sped before;
And, flinging wide her father’s door,
Had blurted out the news to her,
Had struck her lover dead for her,
Had struck the girl’s heart dead in her,
Had struck life, lifeless, at a word,
And dropped it at her feet:
Then hurried on his witless way,
Scarce knowing she had heard.
(Lines 18-29)
The narrator went to deliver the tragic news to the lady with the intention of applying utmost discretion as he worried about the sorrow the news would bring. But when he got there, he realized that someone had unwisely “blurted out the news to her” (Line 23). The narrator called this person who went ahead of him “some poor fool”. It is clear that this person had not counted the cost of delivering the news in such a brash manner.
Having received the news of the death of her lover in such a manner, the effect was not just the lover she pictured alive and dead, but her heart also took a blow. The speaker described this as “struck the girl’s heart dead in her” (Line 25). This means all essence of life has left her, even though she was still standing. To further buttress this effect, the narrator says the news bearer “had struck life, lifeless, at a word” (Line 26). Further to the implication, the speaker points to the power words have and how the way things are said can make a world of difference.
Not minding the effects of the news he had brought, the “poor fool” who delivered the news had gone on his way without even caring whether the lady heard him or not.
Stanza 4
And when I came, she stood alone—
A woman, turned to stone:
And, though no word at all she said,
I knew that all was known.
(Lines 30-33)
When the narrator arrived at the lady’s father’s house, she stood alone, frozen in time. This paralysis that the news caused the lady, the narrator described as “turned to stone”. She did not say a word, yet through her action and countenance – her motionless numbed body – the speaker knew that she had already heard about the accident in the quarry.
Stanza 5
Because her heart was dead,
She did not sigh nor moan.
His mother wept:
She could not weep.
Her lover slept:
She could not sleep.
Three days, three nights,
She did not stir:
Three days, three nights,
Were one to her,
Who never closed her eyes
From sunset to sunrise,
From dawn to evenfall—
Her tearless, staring eyes,
That, seeing naught, saw all.
(Lines 34-48)
Grief had overtaken the receivers of the news. The mother of the diseased man wept; however, his lover, the lady protagonist, “did not sigh nor moan” (Line 35). She had been emotionally paralyzed, unable to express her pain. Her life had been shut down, and the life routine cycle of sleeping and waking up had been muted for her. For three days and nights, “she could not sleep, she did not stir” (Lines 37-42).
Despite not being able to sleep or move, the lady was unable to cry. Her eyes remained “tearless” (Line 47). She stared on blankly, appearing to see nothing, yet sees everything. Her grief was deep and she could not process and express her emotions, at least not in the common way of wailing. “Her heart had been struck dead” (Line 34). Although she seemed lost but she remained aware of herself, the situation, and her environment.
Stanza 6
The fourth night when I came from work,
I found her at my door.
“And will you cut a stone for him?”
She said: and spoke no more:
But followed me, as I went in,
And sank upon a chair;
And fixed her grey eyes on my face,
With still, unseeing stare.
And, as she waited patiently,
I could not bear to feel
Those still, grey eyes that followed me,
Those eyes that plucked the heart from me,
Those eyes that sucked the breath from me
And curdled the warm blood in me,
Those eyes that cut me to the bone,
And cut my marrow like cold steel.
(Lines 49-64)
In this stanza, the narrator describes the shift in the lady’s manner. Although the emotional numbness was still there but her frozen mobility had lifted. She swings into action, doing what she can to give her lover a befitting burial. This happened on the fourth night when she visited the stonemason (who here is the narrator) to request that he cuts a gravestone for her lover.
The narrator says the simple request – “And will you cut a stone for him?” (Line 51) – was all she said when he met her at his door and followed him into the house.
Inside the house, she sat in silence and watched the stonemason. Her eyes cut through him as her stare were just as intense as her eyes were emotionless. The narrator described how her gaze affected him in lines 58-64. Her grief was deeply etched in her, and at the same time, it affected others around her, stirring their emotions and driving their actions. The stonemason says the eyes “followed me”, “plucked the heart from me”, “sucked the breath from me”, “curdled the warm blood in me”, “cut me to the bone”, and “cut my marrow like cold steel”.
Stanza 7
And so I rose and sought a stone;
And cut it smooth and square:
And, as I worked, she sat and watched,
Beside me, in her chair.
Night after night, by candlelight,
I cut her lover’s name:
Night after night, so still and white,
And like a ghost she came;
And sat beside me, in her chair,
And watched with eyes aflame.
(Lines 65-74)
Here, the stonemason, without speaking, sought a stone and began cutting the tombstone the lady requested for her lover. The stone was cut square and smooth, and the stonemason carved the name of her lover on it. He worked “night after night, by candlelight” to complete the work.
Throughout this period, the lady sat emotionless beside him, night after night, watching him chiseled away on the stone. The depth of sadness she bore deepened, and as time passed, she had become a shadow of herself. The lady no longer belonged to this life, although she walked the land of the living. Each night she returns and sits to watch the stonemason work on the tombstone for her lover, she sat silently, “still and white” (Line 71).
The narrator described the way she came to be thus – “Like a ghost she came; / And sat beside me, in her chair, / And watched with eyes aflame.”
Despite her loss of her lover to death and of herself to grief, she earnestly wanted to give her lover a befitting farewell.
Stanza 8
She eyed each stroke,
And hardly stirred:
she never spoke
A single word:
And not a sound or murmur broke
The quiet, save the mallet stroke.
(Lines 75-80)
Each night the lady returned to watch the stonemason carve the tombstone for her lover, and she watched him work in silence. She hardly moved where she sat. The only sound in the room was that of the mallet strokes as the mason worked.
The lady is invested in the process, monitoring the engraving of her lover’s name on the stone. The narrator says that “she eyed each stroke” (Line 75) and “never spoke” Line 77).
Stanza 9
With still eyes ever on my hands,
With eyes that seemed to burn my hands,
My wincing, overwearied hands,
She watched, with bloodless lips apart,
And silent, indrawn breath:
And every stroke my chisel cut,
Death cut still deeper in her heart:
The two of us were chiselling,
Together, I and Death.
(Lines 81-89)
Stanza 9 is the climax of the narrative poem. The lady continues to silently watch the stonemason carve the tombstone she requested for her lover. Here, gaze remained sharp and deep; the narrator says the eyes “seemed to burn my hand”. Although weary with “wincing, overwearied hands” (Line 83), he continues to work on the piece; “she watched, with bloodless lips apart,” (Line 84).
Every stroke the mason made on the gravestone reinforced the sorrow, pain, and loss for the lady. Death drove deeper in her heart, hurting her deeper than ever. The narrator realizes the implication, the tombstone carving mirroring the grief of the lady and the effect of her lover’s death on her. The poem speaks of this thus – “And every stoke my chisel cut, / Death cut still deeper in her heart: / The two of us were chiseling, / Together, I and Death.” (Lines 86-89).
Stanza 10
And when at length my job was done,
And I had laid the mallet by,
As if, at last, her peace were won,
She breathed his name, and, with a sigh,
Passed slowly through the open door:
And never crossed my threshold more.
(Lines 90-95)
Stanza 10 begins the falling action. Here, the carving of the tombstone is done, and the stonemason laid down his mallet. The lady also seemed to have found some peace, as if she had achieved the one important thing left to be done. Her relief is described in lines 93-95 – “She breathed his name, and, with a sigh, / Passed slowly through the open door: / And never crossed my threshold more.”
The completion of the tombstone is a symbol of the lady completing her grieving ritual for her dead lover. It also shows that she has accorded him the utmost respect in death. The sigh, the only sound she made besides requesting the stonemason to carve the tombstone, shows her acceptance of fate and resignation to what is.
Finally, she exits the stonemason’s house, never to return. Her walking through the open door slowly and never revisiting the stonemason is heavy with symbols. This may imply the following –
- The lady slowly accepts life and re-enters the world to live out her days.
- The lady sees this as the last time she bears such pain and burden to order a tombstone.
- Her heart died completely through the process of carving the gravestone, and she never recovered.
- She found her peace and passed to yonder world as well.
Stanza 11
Next night I laboured late, alone,
To cut her name upon the stone.
(Lines 96-97)
After the lady left the stonemason’s house, she never returned. Stanza 11 explains the haunting implication of line 95. She didn’t as much as return to take the tombstone or see it laid at her lover’s grave.
The next night, the stone mason began carving a new gravestone, this time for the lady. This implies that the lady had passed away, and having spent much time with her to carve a tombstone for her lover, the stonemason had chosen to also honour her with a befitting gravestone of her own. Therefore, he cut her name upon “the stone”.
Cutting her name upon the same stone on which her lover’s name was indicates that both had passed, and will be buried together, and the tombstone bearing their names. The use of the definite article “the” to describe the stone on which her name was cut shows that it is the same stone on which her lover’s name was engraved.
Conclusion
“The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson describes the crushing impact of grief on a young lady as she mourned the death of her lover. The news of the death left her frozen stone-emotion without speaking a word nor moving, nor sleeping for three days and night. And when she was able to move, she sought out the stonemason to carve a tombstone for her lover.
Find more analysis of poems here.
Overview of “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
Literary Devices in “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
Themes in “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson