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This poem, if nothing else, is a funhouse of words. Its two central compositional elements are the all too familiar homonym and the less commonly discussed heteronym. The title offers a preview of the difficulties these elements will pose throughout the remainder of the poem.
Homonyms, of course, are any two or more words spelled differently while sharing identical pronunciations (ie. bear [the mammal] and bare [nudeness]). Heteronyms are two or more words spelled the same, but pronounced differently (ie. sow [a pig] and sow [to strew seeds]).The term heteronym is taught infrequently in curricula. It is my belief, however, that heteronyms should be offered the same opportunities homonyms. It is not my intention to cause a fuss over the matter--I will simply lead by example by treating both equally in my commentary.
I have contemplated the methods by which I might best expound "Tearing at Reign" clearly. I believe the best approach would begin with laying out a rough list of the words fitting the above mentioned terms. For each section, the top word and definition are Mister Miner's intended meaning (he told me that my guess was as good as his, you see):
tear (verb): To produce clear, salty liquid from the eyes usually through crying or irritation.
tier (noun): A level or rank.
reign (noun):The period during which a sovereign party rules, or that rule itself.rain (noun):Water falling from clouds after having become condensed.
rein (noun):To guide or stop a horse by utilizing the strap or rope attached to the bridle or bit.
down (noun): Soft fluffy feathers of young birds.down (preposition): From a higher place to a lower place.
road (noun): A strip of land made fit for traveling upon from place to place.rode (verb): To have moved from one place to another on an animal or vehicle.
in (preposition): Contained, surrounded by, or among something or somethings.inn (noun): An establishment where travelers can find lodging, food and beverage.
read (verb): To examine and understand written information.reed (noun: The thin wooden or metalic portion of the mouthpiece in some woodwind instruments which reverberates as wind is blown past it by its player.
aloud (verb): The quality or state of being audibly or loudly.allowed (verb):Simple past tense and past participle of allow
bass (noun):An instrument, sound, or voice in the lowest possible range.base (substantive adjective):Low, inferior, or cowardly.
rows (noun): A series of people or things in a series of straight lines.rose (noun):A flower from a shrub of the genus Rosa, known to appear in red, pink, white or yellow.
read (verb):The past tense of read (as seen above).red (noun): Any colour within a range possessing wavelengths longer than any other distinct colour in the visible spectrum.
wind (noun): Actual or felt movement of air.
wind (verb): To move or produce the movement of something in a curving motion.
tear (verb): Clear, salty liquid from the eyes usually produced through crying or irritation.tear (verb):To rend somthing solid by gripping two places and pulling apart.
lead (verb):To guide the direction of a party, or act as its head.lead (noun):A heavy, malleable metal element of atomic number 82, having a shiney grey-blue colour.
enveloped (verb):Surrounded entirely.enveloped (verb):Placed in an envelope.
wound (noun): Having produced the movement of something in a curving motion.wound (verb): A visible or apparent injury, usually involving lacerated skin.
does (verb):Third-person singular simple present indicative form of do.does (noun):More than one female deer.
read (verb):To examine and understand written information.read (verb):To have examined and understood written information.
bass (noun):An instrument, sound, or voice in the lowest possible range.bass (noun):A common European freshwater perch.
rows (noun):A series of people or things in a series of straight lines.rows (noun):Uproarious quarrels.
The homonym portion of this breakdown should be plain, as homonyms denote what meaning they intend by means of their spelling (with the exception of one example in this poem). "Down" and "down" are this exception as although both are spelled and pronounced the same, their meanings differ considerably. I have included the "down"s above only for the sake of thoroughness. Like many other words in our language, "down" has one spelling, one pronunciation, and two or more independent meanings. (I am uncertain as to whether such words have or call for a specific indentificatory term). In any event, such words are hardly as confusing as heteronyms since it is only by context that we may surmise the pronunciation of any such instance we encounter.
Now that our own language has been partially translated for us, what might be said about the poem's meaning? I believe "Tearing at Reign" is a form of metapoem, or a poem which either discusses itself particularly or poetry generally. The speaker seems to be on some sort of windswept journey, perhaps having become lost along the way. The wind is blowing and it is either this fact alone, or its being paired with some emotional distress that brings tears to the speaker's eyes.
The third line introduces a voice we are told is speaking, but it is not clear whether it is the same voice as the speaker, or independent. It is also unclear as to whether it is itself enveloped, wound in lead or conversely, it is enveloping the speaker in such a way. Perhaps this voice is an altar ego of the initial speaker. Perhaps it is the voice of god. Regardless, it is clearly in charge, simultaneously leaden and leading.
The fourth line reiterates that the voice is very deep and audible. That which it reads aloud, however, is ambiguous: the rows I've read. Perhaps this refers to rows of verse and therefore lines of poetry. These lines could be from Mister Miner's poems generally, this poem specifically, or anything ever read by Mister Miner or the speaker in the poem if they are indeed separable. When I read it several times to myself out loud, however, it felt as if the "rows...read" were simply the very rows I had just read in the poem.
Outside of the poem, however, the likely explanation is that it is a poet's reflecting pool or a sounding board for his or her work: are his or her words clear? Meaningful? Compelling? Authoritative?
The meter of the poem is also interesting (if you have no interest in poetic meter, skip ahead to the next paragraph because this may be decidedly uninteresting). The first two lines consist of three trochees (pairs of two syllables, a stressed followed by an unstressed) with an extra stressed beat at the end of each line. The last two lines are simple iambic pentameter (five pairs of syllables, an unstressed followed by a stressed). As a result, the poem begins with a frantic push forward and levels off into a calm plateau. The overall effect this gives is comparable to a steep plunge in a rollercoaster car, or the sense of falling as the first word of the poem sets as the tone. The meter of the final two lines cushions the momentum of the first two and provides a feeling of resolution. The reason I find this structure so interesting is that although the feeling is communicated, there is no immediate sense of resolution. Even after close study it is only by supposition and loose fact that it may be dimly understood. This system, as complicated as it may seem, is what I believe to be Mister Miner's simplest way of exposing how meaning can often be felt long before it may be understood and longer still before it may be communicated. His use of homonyms and heteronyms certainly furthers the dimension of this hypothesis.
Finally, I will get to the business of unlocking the title. It contains all of the ambiguity contained by the poem within itself. There is no clear explanation of what it means or how it should be pronounced even though, ostensibly, it is plain English. "Reign", which is a homonym not included on the chart, can only mean one thing because the spelling denotes that it refers to the holding, maintaining, or period of a royal title, rather than a horse's rein or rain from the sky. Perhaps the title refers to a crying monarch, or one who is pulling violently toward or against being a monarch. Perhaps the spelling should be ignored leaving it to be read as a pun: crying because of precipitation, or even pulling violently for a horse to stop. Perhaps reigning a kingdom is like riding a runaway horse. There is no clear answer, and that I believe is precisely the intended conclusion.
The title contains both a homonym and a heteronym. It is entirely perplexing, and encapsulates the essence of the poem's body insofar as neither can be given a definitive explanation. The only thing that the title contains which the poem itself does not is one gem I uncovered excitedly. If the letters of "Tearing" are rearranged, the words "at Reign" appear!
Again, I will claim no conclusive understanding of this anagram's significance. Mister Miner was silent on the subject, but still I cannot help wondering: was one half of the title intended to undo the other?