Sep 9
AN UNTOLD TREASURE By Dookwon Iswamaf.
What pity I felt,
As the world let slip a gift—
Not just a gift,
But an untold treasure,
A phrase bound from heaven,
Woven in beauty and rose.
A fortune I cherished,
With awe and quiet fear,
More precious than luxury,
More sacred than gold,
Too rich for kings to name,
Too pure for time to hold.
A void now burns within my heart,
Too sweet, too rare to speak aloud,
It dazzled my eyes—just four letters,
Yet held the weight of something divine.
But now arrives a darker age,
Where fakes and games prevail.
Their hearts washed clean by sin,
Yet no pity, no mercy remain.
Infidelity, their silent boast,
Snitching, their quiet pride.
No more sincere vows,
No more truth in love—
Just endings dressed in regret.
Here's a full breakdown of your refined poem, section by section — covering subject matter, content, themes, tone, imagery, and literary devices:
---
Title: An Untold Treasure
---
Subject Matter:
The poem reflects on the loss of something sacred and pure—most likely true love or a deeply meaningful connection. It contrasts this rare treasure with the modern world's corruption, filled with dishonesty, betrayal, and emotional decay.
---
Themes:
1. Love and Loss – A deep emotional mourning of something that was once beautiful but now lost.
2. Innocence vs Corruption – The divine nature of love is contrasted with the broken, immoral state of modern relationships.
3. Regret and Reflection – The speaker regrets how something sacred was ignored or damaged.
4. Disillusionment – With today’s world, where truth, loyalty, and sincerity have faded.
---
Tone:
- Reflective
- Mournful
- Critical of modern love
- Poetic and spiritual
---
Line-by-Line Breakdown & Imagery:
Stanza 1:
> What pity I felt,
As the world let slip a gift—
Not just a gift,
But an untold treasure,
A phrase bound from heaven,
Woven in beauty and rose.
- Imagery: “Woven in beauty and rose” evokes something fragile, delicate, and divine.
- Meaning: The speaker expresses sorrow that the world didn’t recognize the value of what was lost.
- Device: Metaphor – comparing the lost thing (likely love) to a heavenly, woven treasure.
---
Stanza 2:
> A fortune I cherished,
With awe and quiet fear,
More precious than luxury,
More sacred than gold,
Too rich for kings to name,
Too pure for time to hold.
- Imagery: Gold, luxury, kings – symbolize great value and status.
- Meaning: This treasure was so pure and valuable that even kings couldn’t measure its worth.
- Device: Hyperbole – exaggerated worth to express emotional depth.
- Allusion: Reference to timeless, sacred value.
---
Stanza 3:
> A void now burns within my heart,
Too sweet, too rare to speak aloud,
It dazzled my eyes—just four letters,
Yet held the weight of something divine.
- “Four letters” likely refers to LOVE.
- Imagery: “Dazzled,” “burns,” “void” – all suggest emotional pain and longing.
- Device: Symbolism – "four letters" as a symbol of love.
- Oxymoron: “Too sweet… to think of” – combines pleasure and pain.
---
Stanza 4:
> But now arrives a darker age,
Where fakes and games prevail.
Their hearts washed clean by sin,
Yet no pity, no mercy remain.
Infidelity, their silent boast,
Snitching, their quiet pride.
No more sincere vows,
No more truth in love—
Just endings dressed in regret.
- Tone shift: from sorrowful nostalgia to critique.
- Imagery: “Dark age,” “washed by sin,” “silent boast” – depict a morally broken world.
- Themes: Infidelity, betrayal, dishonesty.
- Device:
- Contrast: Old love vs modern deception.
- Personification: “Hearts washed by sin,” “endings dressed in regret.”
- Alliteration: “Silent boast, snitching… sincere.”
---
Overall Literary Devices Used:
- Metaphor
- Symbolism
- Personification
- Alliteration
- Contrast
- Imagery
- Oxymoron
- Hyperbole
Settings of the poem
Mali Bamako at 4:40 pm the 9 September 2025 at age 18.
What pity I felt,
As the world let slip a gift—
Not just a gift,
But an untold treasure,
A phrase bound from heaven,
Woven in beauty and rose.
A fortune I cherished,
With awe and quiet fear,
More precious than luxury,
More sacred than gold,
Too rich for kings to name,
Too pure for time to hold.
A void now burns within my heart,
Too sweet, too rare to speak aloud,
It dazzled my eyes—just four letters,
Yet held the weight of something divine.
But now arrives a darker age,
Where fakes and games prevail.
Their hearts washed clean by sin,
Yet no pity, no mercy remain.
Infidelity, their silent boast,
Snitching, their quiet pride.
No more sincere vows,
No more truth in love—
Just endings dressed in regret.
Here's a full breakdown of your refined poem, section by section — covering subject matter, content, themes, tone, imagery, and literary devices:
---
Title: An Untold Treasure
---
Subject Matter:
The poem reflects on the loss of something sacred and pure—most likely true love or a deeply meaningful connection. It contrasts this rare treasure with the modern world's corruption, filled with dishonesty, betrayal, and emotional decay.
---
Themes:
1. Love and Loss – A deep emotional mourning of something that was once beautiful but now lost.
2. Innocence vs Corruption – The divine nature of love is contrasted with the broken, immoral state of modern relationships.
3. Regret and Reflection – The speaker regrets how something sacred was ignored or damaged.
4. Disillusionment – With today’s world, where truth, loyalty, and sincerity have faded.
---
Tone:
- Reflective
- Mournful
- Critical of modern love
- Poetic and spiritual
---
Line-by-Line Breakdown & Imagery:
Stanza 1:
> What pity I felt,
As the world let slip a gift—
Not just a gift,
But an untold treasure,
A phrase bound from heaven,
Woven in beauty and rose.
- Imagery: “Woven in beauty and rose” evokes something fragile, delicate, and divine.
- Meaning: The speaker expresses sorrow that the world didn’t recognize the value of what was lost.
- Device: Metaphor – comparing the lost thing (likely love) to a heavenly, woven treasure.
---
Stanza 2:
> A fortune I cherished,
With awe and quiet fear,
More precious than luxury,
More sacred than gold,
Too rich for kings to name,
Too pure for time to hold.
- Imagery: Gold, luxury, kings – symbolize great value and status.
- Meaning: This treasure was so pure and valuable that even kings couldn’t measure its worth.
- Device: Hyperbole – exaggerated worth to express emotional depth.
- Allusion: Reference to timeless, sacred value.
---
Stanza 3:
> A void now burns within my heart,
Too sweet, too rare to speak aloud,
It dazzled my eyes—just four letters,
Yet held the weight of something divine.
- “Four letters” likely refers to LOVE.
- Imagery: “Dazzled,” “burns,” “void” – all suggest emotional pain and longing.
- Device: Symbolism – "four letters" as a symbol of love.
- Oxymoron: “Too sweet… to think of” – combines pleasure and pain.
---
Stanza 4:
> But now arrives a darker age,
Where fakes and games prevail.
Their hearts washed clean by sin,
Yet no pity, no mercy remain.
Infidelity, their silent boast,
Snitching, their quiet pride.
No more sincere vows,
No more truth in love—
Just endings dressed in regret.
- Tone shift: from sorrowful nostalgia to critique.
- Imagery: “Dark age,” “washed by sin,” “silent boast” – depict a morally broken world.
- Themes: Infidelity, betrayal, dishonesty.
- Device:
- Contrast: Old love vs modern deception.
- Personification: “Hearts washed by sin,” “endings dressed in regret.”
- Alliteration: “Silent boast, snitching… sincere.”
---
Overall Literary Devices Used:
- Metaphor
- Symbolism
- Personification
- Alliteration
- Contrast
- Imagery
- Oxymoron
- Hyperbole
Settings of the poem
Mali Bamako at 4:40 pm the 9 September 2025 at age 18.
