Revolving Days

-David Malouf
That year I had nowhere to go, I fell in love — a mistake

of course, but it lasted and has lasted.

The old tug at the heart, the grace unasked for, urgencies

that boom under the pocket of a shirt. What I remember

is the colour of the shirts. I’d bought them

as an experiment in ways of seeing myself, hoping to catch

in a window as I passed what I was to be

in my new life as lover: one mint green, one

pink, the third, called Ivy League, tan

with darker stripes, my first button-down collar.

We never write. But sometimes, knotting my tie

at a mirror, one of those selves I had expected

steps into the room. In the next room you

are waiting (we have not yet taken back

the life we promised to pour into each other’s mouths

forever and for ever) while I choose between

changes to surprise you.

Revolving days. My heart

in my mouth again, I’m writing this for you, wherever

you are, whoever is staring into your blue eyes. It is me,

I’m still here. No, don’t worry, I won’t appear out of

that old time to discomfort you. And no, at this

distance, I’m not holding my breath for a reply.

Summary
The poem ‘Revolving Days’ was first published in the anthology Typewriter Music in 2007, and it was
republished as the title piece in the anthology Revolving Days in 2008. The speaker of this poem
remembers on a period in his past when he fell in love. He considers it a “mistake / of course,” but
the feeling appears to have stuck with him. He recalls not only the emotions he had but also the
colours of the shirts he bought for his new life as a lover at the time. He and his lover are no longer
in contact. However, he occasionally feels like he sought to feel then, like one of the new selves in
the new clothes, and he feels as if he is right back there in the relationship. Time passes and days
pass, yet the speaker’s “heart / [is] in [his] mouth again.” His thoughts remain unchanged, and he
mulls over who she might be associated with now.

In the end, he promises her that he will not reemerge in her life and has no intention of causing her
any difficulty; he asks nothing from her and does not expect to hear from her. The apostrophe and
symbolism used in “Revolving Days” express the idea that moving on from a lost love can be
extremely difficult, if not impossible. When the speaker addresses someone who is absent or dead
as if they were present and could react, they use an apostrophe. The poet’s use of apostrophe here
contributes to the speaker’s sense of desire, of yearning, for the lover who has abandoned him.

Furthermore, the colours of the shirts he bought during this relationship—”mint green, one / pink,
the third, dubbed Ivy League, tan / with deeper stripes… “—appear to represent the new life he
intended to live as a lover. They’re new and bright, perhaps starched and crisp, one of his “first
button-down collars.” The only colours in the poem are the vivid colours of his clothing and the
“blue eyes” of his departed love. For him, life appears to be figuratively colourless just now.
Symbolically, life becomes duller and less thrilling in the aftermath of this love.

Stanza-wise Analysis
Stanza One

In the first stanza of ‘Revolving Days,’ the speaker looks back on his life and remembers the year that
he “fell in love”. He explains it simply, it happened because he had nowhere to go. This frivolous
start dissolves as he adds that it “lasted and has lasted”. The next lines use imagery as a way of
painting a picture of the past, as well as evoking in the reader an emotional response to the
speaker’s personal life. He recalls what it felt like to be falling in love. Specifically, the “boom under
the pocket of a shirt” urging him on and the “old tug at the heart”. In an original depiction of a
lover’s mind, he describes buying shirts and using them as a way to understand himself as “lover”.
These ranged in color and one was his “first button-down collar”.

Stanza Two

As the poem progresses it becomes clear that the love the speaker experienced is a little more
complicated than it seemed. It “lasted” but not in the way one might immediately expect. He looks
to the past, while also considering the future, in this stanza. The past comes back to greet him while
he’s in the bathroom looking in the mirror and he recalls the time they spent together and the
promises they made. These have fallen to the wayside as has the relationship.

Stanza Three

In the final stanza of ‘Revolving Days,’ the speaker makes use of the phrase “Revolving days” to
depict the nature of his heart and memory. He is writing “this for” his ex-lover. They are no longer
together. In fact, he doesn’t know where they are. They could be with someone new. Despite the
changes that have happened he’s the same. Before the intended listener/the speaker’s ex-lover
starts to worry, he says he’s not going to pop up form the past “to discomfort” them. They are at a
distance and he knows there is very little chance he’ll be getting a reply to this letter in poem form.
In this poem, the speaker reflects on a time in his past when he fell in love. He calls it a "mistake / of
course," but it seems as though the feeling has stayed with him nonetheless. He recalls the feelings
he felt but also the colors of the shirts he purchased then, for his new life as a lover. He and his lover
do not stay in touch. However, sometimes he feels like he tried to feel then, like one of the new
selves in the new shirts, and he feels as though he is right back there in the relationship again. The
time passes and days go by, but the speaker still feels that his "heart / [is] in [his] mouth again." His
feelings remain unchanged, then, and he considers who she might be involved with now. In the end,
however, he assures her that he will not reappear in her life and doesn't mean to cause her any
discomfort; he expects nothing from her and does not expect to hear from her. "Revolving Days"
uses apostrophe and symbolism to convey the idea that moving on from lost love can be incredibly
difficult and even impossible. Apostrophe is when the speaker addresses someone absent or dead as
though they were there and could respond. Here, the poet's use of apostrophe helps to convey the
speaker's sense of longing, of yearning, for the lover who has left him. Further, the color of the shirts
he purchased during this relationship—"mint green, one / pink, the third, called Ivy League, tan /
with darker stripes . . . "—seem to symbolize the new life he hoped he'd have as a lover. They are
bright and clean and new, probably starched and crisp, one his "first button-down collar." The
colorful brightness of those shirts, as well as the "blue eyes" of his lost love, are the only colors in
the poem. Life seems as though it is, perhaps, figuratively colorless now for him. Symbolically, then,
life is duller, less exciting, in the wake of this love.

Style
Form

‘Revolving Days’ by David Malouf is a three-stanza poem that’s divided into uneven sets of lines. The
first stanza contains ten, the second: seven, and the third: six. Malouf did not give this poem a
specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. Rather, the lines vary in the number of syllables and the
number of words.

Although there is not a structured rhyme scheme there are moments of rhyme within the poem.
These are seen through repetition such as with “lasted” and “lasted” in line two of the first stanza, as
well as through half-rhyme. Also known as slant or partial rhyme, half-rhyme is seen through the
repetition of assonance or consonance. This means that either a vowel or consonant sound is reused
within one line or multiple lines of verse. For example, “green” and “League” in lines eight and nine
of the first stanza. Or, another example, “seeing” and “be” in six and seven of the same stanza.

Literary Devices

Malouf makes use of several poetic techniques in ‘Revolving Days’. These include alliteration,
anaphora, enjambment, and caesura. The latter, caesura, occurs when a line is split in half,
sometimes with punctuation, sometimes not. The use of punctuation in these moments creates a
very intentional pause in the text.

A reader should consider how the pause influences the rhythm of one’s reading and how it might
proceed an important turn or transition in the text. For instance, line one of the third stanza. It
reads: “Revolving days. My heart”. Or, as a mother example, a reader can look to line three of the
second stanza which reads: “steps into the room. In the next room you”.

Alliteration occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin
with the same letter. For example, “life as lover” in line eight of the first stanza and “writing” and
“wherever” in line two of stanza three.

Malouf also makes use of anaphora, or the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of
multiple lines, usually in succession. This technique is often used to create emphasis. A list of
phrases, items, or actions may be created through its implementation.

Another important technique commonly used in poetry is enjambment. It occurs when a line is cut
off before its natural stopping point. Enjambment forces a reader down to the next line, and the
next, quickly. One has to move forward in order to comfortably resolve a phrase or sentence.

Critical Analysis
Within ‘Revolving Days’ Malouf explores themes of relationships, the past, and memory. His speaker
addresses his ex-lover, expressing his lasting emotions and depicting the revolving days of his life
and role as “lover”. The mood is resigned and contemplative as he considers who he was, who he is,
and the person his ex-lover is now. In the first part of this poem, the speaker remembers when he
fell in love, how it was a “mistake,” but that it’s also been long-lasting. As the poem progresses, it
becomes clear that the speaker and this person he loves are no longer together. But, despite the
things that have changed, he has remained the same. He still loves the person to whom he’s been
speaking. In ‘Revolving Days’ Malouf engages with themes that include love, memory, and
transformation (or lack thereof). The speaker spends the bulk of this poem describing a love he used
to have and the way that that love changed him. But since, he hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the
person he sued to be when he was with his ex-lover, for better or for worse. But, he knows that she
has changed. She’s somewhere else, (where exactly he doesn’t know) and he figures that she’s
moved on to be with someone else. His memories of the past are quite strong, so much so that he’s
able to depict moments form his love affair with clarity and poignant (if someone reserved) emotion.
‘Revolving Days’ by David Malouf is a three-stanza poem that’s divided into uneven sets of lines. The
first stanza contains ten, the second: seven, and the third: six. Malouf did not give this poem a
specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. Rather, the lines vary in the number of syllables and the
number of words. Although there is not a structured rhyme scheme there are moments of rhyme
within the poem. These are seen through repetition such as with “lasted” and “lasted” in line two of
the first stanza, as well as through halfrhyme. Also known as slant or partial rhyme, half-rhyme is
seen through the repetition of assonance or consonance. This means that either a vowel or
consonant sound is reused within one line or multiple lines of verse. For example, “green” and
“League” in lines eight and nine of the first stanza. Or, another example, “seeing” and “be” in six and
seven of the same stanza. Malouf makes use of several poetic techniques in ‘Revolving Days’. These
include alliteration, anaphora, enjambment, and caesura. The latter, caesura, occurs when a line is
split in half, sometimes with punctuation, sometimes not. The use of punctuation in these moments
creates a very intentional pause in the text. A reader should consider how the pause influences the
rhythm of one’s reading and how it might proceed an important turn or transition in the text. For
instance, line one of the third stanza. It reads: “Revolving days. My heart”. Or, as a mother example,
a reader can look to line three of the second stanza which reads: “steps into the room. In the next
room you”. Alliteration occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together,
and begin with the same letter. For example, “life as lover” in line eight of the first stanza and
“writing” and “wherever” in line two of stanza three. Malouf also makes use of anaphora, or the
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines, usually in succession. This
technique is often used to create emphasis. A list of phrases, items, or actions may be created
through its implementation. Another important technique commonly used in poetry is enjambment.
It occurs when a line is cut off before its natural stopping point. Enjambment forces a reader down
to the next line, and the next, quickly. One has to move forward in order to comfortably resolve a
phrase or sentence.

P.S. – THE ABOVE CONTENT HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM VARIOUS WEBSOURCES AND IS HENCE SUBJECT TO
CORRECTIONS.

-HS