Syntax in Song

At the end of the poem, the speaker’s lines are barely coherent. This is quite different from the beginning, where the speaker uses allusions to mythological creatures and creates an image of an epic quest. The broken syntax of this stanza emphasizes the devolution of the speaker’s argument and his rising anger.

The convoluted syntax of this line further heightens the reader’s feeling of unfamiliarity. While it’s possible that a verb, such as “put,” has been elided, the text itself invites a reading of the speaker personifying “age.” Age, then, snows white hair on the speaker’s audience, which makes the natural process of aging seem supernatural or otherworldly. In much the same way the speaker bends the familiar concept of aging, he bends the syntax of the line into an unfamiliar English construction.