Vocabulary in Barter

Teasdale uses careful language to craft the notion of an ideal hour of loveliness. In religious and literary symbolism, whiteness denotes purity, goodness, and grace. The “white singing hour” suggests a momentary escape from the suffering of the world.

The word “spirit,” which suggests a soul or essence, comes from the Latin “spiritus,” which literally means “breath.” Teasdale uses both meanings. It is the spirit, or soul, that acknowledges the loveliness of the world. The phrase “spirit’s still delight,” suggests a feeling of holding one’s breath in a state of delight or wonderment.