Rewards

Arthur Symons's Rewards

Arthur Symons' short poem "Rewards" presents readers with a deceptively simple narrative of romantic interaction that, upon closer inspection, reveals complex layers of meaning, emotional depth, and psychological insight. Published during the fin de siècle period in British literature, this twelve-line poem exemplifies Symons' characteristic attention to the nuances of human emotion and interpersonal dynamics. As a prominent figure in the Decadent and Symbolist movements in England, Symons brings to this poem his sophisticated understanding of the complexities of desire, the ambiguities of human connection, and the often unbridgeable gap between masculine and feminine perspectives.

This analysis will explore the multifaceted dimensions of "Rewards," examining its formal properties, thematic concerns, historical context, and psychological implications. By tracing the emotional trajectory of the poem's speaker and considering the cultural backdrop against which Symons was writing, we can appreciate how this brief lyric encapsulates broader aesthetic and philosophical preoccupations of its era while simultaneously speaking to timeless aspects of human experience.

Historical and Literary Context

Arthur Symons (1865-1945) was a Welsh poet, critic, and magazine editor who played a pivotal role in introducing French Symbolism to English-speaking audiences. His influential critical work, The Symbolist Movement in Literature (1899), helped shape the direction of modernist poetry in England and America. Symons' own poetic output was deeply influenced by his immersion in fin de siècle aestheticism, characterized by its emphasis on sensation, mood, and psychological complexity rather than moral or didactic purpose.

"Rewards" exhibits many hallmarks of the Decadent movement, with its focus on fleeting moments of emotional intensity, its exploration of the tensions between pleasure and pain, and its preoccupation with the enigmatic nature of feminine psychology as perceived through a masculine lens. The poem appears to have been written during Symons' most productive period in the 1890s, a decade marked by significant social and intellectual transitions as Victorian certainties gave way to modernist indeterminacies.

During this period, traditional gender roles were beginning to be questioned, with the emergence of the "New Woman" and growing discussions about female autonomy and desire. These cultural shifts provide important context for understanding Symons' portrayal of the male-female dynamic in "Rewards." The poem's exploration of misunderstanding between the sexes reflects the broader uncertainties of an era in which conventional assumptions about gender and sexuality were increasingly destabilized.

Formal Analysis

"Rewards" consists of twelve lines arranged in six couplets, with a predominantly iambic tetrameter pattern. This regular metrical structure gives the poem a musical quality that enhances its emotional impact while creating a sense of containment that contrasts with the emotional turbulence described in the content.

The poem employs a rhyme scheme of six rhyming couplets (AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF), creating a sense of neat pairing that ironically underscores the failure of pairing between the poem's two characters. The use of perfect rhymes (kissed/understood, sought/doubt, stay/away, child/smiled) reinforces this sense of formal completion that stands in stark contrast to the incomplete emotional connection described.

The division into couplets also creates a sense of dialogue or exchange, mirroring the interaction between the speaker and the woman. However, this formal suggestion of reciprocity is belied by the content, which reveals fundamental miscommunication and asymmetry in the relationship.

Symons employs several notable poetic devices to enhance the emotional impact of the poem:

1. Repetition: The anaphoric repetition of "Because you" at the beginning of lines 1 and 5 creates a parallel structure that emphasizes the speaker's reactive position—he is responding to the woman's emotional displays rather than initiating action.
2. Exclamations: The use of exclamations ("Ah me!", "Ah, hapless me!", "ah, heartless child!") intensifies the emotional register of the poem and gives it an almost theatrical quality that aligns with Symons' interest in performance and spectacle.
3. Enjambment: The flow between lines (especially in the first couplet) creates a conversational rhythm that enhances the intimate, confessional tone of the poem.

Thematic Analysis

Misinterpretation and the Barriers to Understanding

The central thematic concern of "Rewards" is the fundamental difficulty—perhaps impossibility—of truly understanding another person's emotional needs and desires. This theme is distilled in the pivotal declaration: "No man can find a woman out." This line suggests not merely a gender-specific limitation but a broader philosophical position on the opacity of human consciousness and the inevitable gaps in interpersonal understanding.

The poem traces a progression of misreadings. The speaker initially interprets the woman's tears as an invitation to comfort through physical affection ("Because you cried, I kissed you"). When she continues to cry and seemingly desires more kisses, he misunderstands again, failing to recognize that her emotional needs may be more complex than simply requiring his consolation. His assumption that her eventual smile indicates satisfaction ("I thought / That I had found what I had sought") represents yet another misinterpretation. The final revelation—that she "would not kiss me when she smiled"—suggests that what the speaker perceived as emotional progress was actually a form of emotional withdrawal or perhaps a shift in power dynamics.

The Paradoxes of Intimacy

Symons explores the paradoxical nature of intimate relationships throughout the poem. Physical closeness (represented by kissing) coexists with emotional distance (represented by mutual misunderstanding). The woman's tears simultaneously invite connection and signal distress. Her smile, conventionally a sign of happiness, becomes in this context a marker of separation and refusal.

These paradoxes reflect Symons' broader interest in the contradictions inherent in human desire. The speaker seeks emotional connection but discovers only the limits of his understanding. He offers physical comfort but finds that it is inadequate to address the woman's emotional needs. The poem thus presents intimacy as a complex negotiation rather than a straightforward achievement.

Gender and Power Dynamics

Although compact in form, "Rewards" offers a nuanced exploration of gender dynamics in romantic relationships. The poem can be read as a critique of masculine presumption, with the speaker initially confident in his ability to "figure out" the woman and ultimately forced to acknowledge his inability to do so. The declaration that "no man can find a woman out" simultaneously essentializes gender difference and admits male limitation.

The power dynamics shift throughout the poem. Initially, the woman's tears appear to place her in a vulnerable position, with the speaker positioned as the comforter and protector. However, her refusal to kiss him when she smiles represents a reclamation of autonomy and agency. In this reading, her smile becomes not a sign of satisfaction but an assertion of independence—she will determine when and if physical intimacy occurs.

The poem's title, "Rewards," takes on ironic significance in this context. What initially appears to be the speaker's reward for comforting the woman (her smile) becomes instead a moment of rejection. The conventional romantic narrative, in which male provision of comfort leads to female gratitude expressed through affection, is subverted.

The Temporality of Emotion

Symons' poem captures the fleeting, transitory nature of emotional states. The progression from tears to smiles occurs within the compressed timeframe of twelve lines, suggesting the rapidity with which emotional states can change. This emphasis on emotional mutability aligns with the broader Symbolist interest in capturing momentary impressions and sensations rather than fixed truths.

The temporal structure of the poem—with its movement from past actions to present reflection—creates a sense of emotional aftereffect. The speaker is left contemplating what occurred, trying to make sense of an interaction that defied his expectations. This retrospective quality gives the poem a melancholic tone, as the speaker realizes that the moment of potential connection has passed.

Psychological Dimensions

The Asymmetry of Desire

"Rewards" presents desire as fundamentally asymmetrical. The speaker and the woman want different things, express themselves differently, and interpret each other's actions differently. This asymmetry creates the central tension of the poem—the speaker's desire for reciprocity (as suggested by his expectation that she will kiss him when she smiles) collides with the woman's apparent desire for autonomy or perhaps a different form of intimacy that the speaker fails to recognize.

The psychological complexity of the woman's character is suggested rather than fully articulated. Her crying may indicate sadness, vulnerability, or manipulation; her smiling may signal happiness, emotional resolution, or a form of withdrawal. By leaving these motivations ambiguous, Symons creates a psychological depth that exceeds the poem's brief scope.

Self-Deception and Projection

The poem can be read as an exploration of the speaker's self-deception. His confidence that he has "found what I had sought" is immediately undercut by the subsequent line: "But soon I found, without a doubt, / No man can find a woman out." This juxtaposition suggests that the speaker's initial certainty was a form of wishful thinking or projection rather than genuine understanding.

The speaker appears to project his own desire for resolution onto the woman's smile, interpreting it as a sign that his actions have successfully addressed her emotional needs. When she refuses to kiss him, this projection is revealed, forcing him to confront the gap between his assumptions and her actual desires.

The Emotional Aftermath

The final couplet—"Ah, hapless me! ah, heartless child! / She would not kiss me when she smiled"—captures the emotional aftermath of the failed connection. The speaker's exclamations convey frustration and disappointment, while his characterization of the woman as a "heartless child" suggests an attempt to explain her behavior in terms that diminish her agency and complexity.

This rhetorical move can be seen as a psychological defense mechanism. Rather than acknowledging the validity of the woman's autonomous choice, the speaker frames her refusal as capriciousness or cruelty. This interpretation allows him to preserve his sense of himself as the wronged party rather than confronting the possibility that his understanding of the situation was fundamentally flawed.

Cultural and Philosophical Implications

Fin de Siècle Attitudes Toward Gender

"Rewards" reflects fin de siècle ambivalence about gender relations. Late Victorian and early modernist literature often portrayed women as simultaneously alluring and inscrutable, objects of desire who nevertheless remained fundamentally unknowable to male consciousness. The poem's central declaration—"No man can find a woman out"—encapsulates this cultural attitude, suggesting an essentialist view of gender difference while also acknowledging the limitations of male perception.

This perspective can be situated within broader cultural anxieties about changing gender roles at the turn of the century. As women gained greater social, economic, and sexual autonomy, traditional masculine assumptions about female psychology and desire were increasingly called into question. Symons' poem captures this moment of transition, depicting a male speaker struggling to read and respond appropriately to female emotional cues.

The Influence of Symbolism

As a key proponent of French Symbolism in England, Symons brings to "Rewards" the Symbolist emphasis on suggestion rather than direct statement. The poem's central images—tears, kisses, smiles—function symbolically, carrying emotional and psychological significance that exceeds their literal meaning. Tears become symbols not merely of sadness but of emotional vulnerability and perhaps manipulative appeal; smiles signify not just happiness but power and autonomy; kisses represent not just physical affection but attempts at emotional connection and understanding.

This symbolic approach allows Symons to explore complex psychological and relational dynamics within the compressed form of a twelve-line poem. Each image resonates beyond its immediate context, creating layers of meaning that reward close reading and analysis.

Decadent Aesthetics and the Critique of Victorian Morality

The Decadent movement, with which Symons was associated, often challenged Victorian moral certainties, particularly regarding sexuality and gender relations. "Rewards" participates in this critique by presenting intimate interaction not as a moral tableau but as a complex psychological exchange fraught with misunderstanding and disappointment.

The poem offers no clear moral lesson or resolution. Instead, it leaves readers with an unresolved tension between masculine and feminine perspectives, between desire and fulfillment, between expectation and reality. This refusal of didactic closure aligns with the Decadent rejection of art's moral function in favor of its aesthetic and psychological dimensions.

Comparative Perspectives

Symons and Christina Rossetti

Symons' exploration of miscommunication between lovers can be productively compared with Christina Rossetti's treatment of similar themes in poems like "Echo" and "Winter: My Secret." Both poets examine the gaps in understanding between men and women, though from different gender perspectives. While Rossetti often focuses on female reticence as a form of self-protection in a patriarchal society, Symons presents male incomprehension as a fundamental limitation of masculine perception.

Connections to Later Modernist Poetry

"Rewards" anticipates modernist preoccupations with psychological complexity and the limitations of interpersonal understanding. The poem's focus on momentary impressions and emotional states rather than narrative continuity connects it to the work of poets like Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, who similarly sought to capture psychological complexity through compressed, imagistic forms.

Its exploration of miscommunication and the barriers to genuine connection presages modernist concerns with isolation and alienation in an increasingly fragmented world. The poem's final image—of a woman who smiles but will not kiss—becomes a potent symbol of modern disconnection, of proximity without genuine intimacy.

Conclusion

Arthur Symons' "Rewards" exemplifies the poet's ability to distill complex emotional and psychological dynamics into precise, evocative language. Through its exploration of miscommunication, desire, and the fundamental opacity of human consciousness, this brief poem opens onto broader cultural and philosophical questions about gender, intimacy, and understanding.

The poem's lasting significance lies in its psychological acuity and emotional resonance. By capturing a moment of failed connection between two individuals, Symons illuminates universal aspects of human experience—the yearning for understanding, the persistence of misinterpretation, the elusiveness of genuine intimacy. His portrayal of the delicate dance between masculine and feminine perspectives remains relevant to contemporary readers navigating the complexities of gender relations and intimate communication.

In its formal precision, thematic complexity, and psychological depth, "Rewards" demonstrates why Symons deserves continued attention as a poet who bridged Victorian and modernist sensibilities while developing a distinctive voice that speaks to enduring human concerns. Through close attention to this seemingly simple poem, we gain insight not only into Symons' artistic achievement but also into the perennial challenges of human connection across the divides of gender, desire, and understanding.