" Well, we must wait for the future to show, " by Virginia Woolf — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

" Well, we must wait for the future to show, " said Mr. Bankes, coming in from the terrace. " It's almost too dark to see," said Andrew, coming up from the beach. " One can hardly tell which is the sea and which is the land, " said Prue. " Do we leave that light burning? " said Lily as they took their coats off indoors. " No," said Prue, " not if everyone's in. " 66 Andrew," she called back, " just put out the light in the hall." One by one the lamps were all extinguished, except that Mr. Carmichael, who liked to lie awake a little reading Virgil, kept his candle burning rather longer than the rest. 2 So with the lamps all put out, the moon sunk, and a thin rain drumming on the roof a down- pouring of immense darkness began. Nothing, it 195 TO THE LIGHTHOUSE seemed, could survive the flood, the profusion of darkness which, creeping in at keyholes and crevices, stole round window blinds, came into bedrooms, swallowed up here a jug and basin, there a bowl of red and yellow dahlias, there the sharp edges and firm bulk of a chest of drawers. Not only was furniture confounded; there was scarcely anything left of body or mind by which one could say " This is he " or " This is she." Sometimes a hand was raised as if to clutch something or ward off something, or somebody groaned, or somebody laughed aloud as if sharing ajoke with nothingness. Nothing stirred in the drawing-room or in the dining-room or on the staircase. Only through the rusty hinges and swollen sea-moistened woodwork certain airs, detached from the body of the wind (the house was ramshackle after all) crept round corners and ventured indoors. Almost one might imagine them, as they entered the drawingroom, questioning and wondering, toying with the flap of hanging wall-paper, asking, would it hang much longer, when would it fall? Then smoothly brushing the walls, they passed on musingly as if asking the red and yellow roses on the wall-paper whether they would fade, and questioning (gently, for there was time at their disposal) the torn letters in the wastepaper basket, the flowers, the books, 196 TIME PASSES all of which were now open to them and asking, Were they allies? Werethey enemies? How long would they endure? So some random light directing them from some uncovered star, or wandering ship, or the Lighthouse even, with its pale footfall upon stair and mat, the little airs mounted the staircase and nosed round bedroom doors. But here surely, they must cease. Whatever else may perish and disappear what lies here is steadfast. Here one might say to those sliding lights, those fumbling airs, that breathe and bend over the bed itself, here you can neither touch nor destroy. Upon which, wearily, ghostlily, as if they had feather-light fingers and the light persistency of feathers, they would look, once, on the shut eyes and the loosely clasping fingers, and fold their garments wearily and disappear. And so, nosing, rubbing, they went to the window on the staircase, to the servants' bedrooms, to the boxes in the attics ; descending, blanched the apples on the dining-room table, fumbled the petals of roses, tried the picture on the easel, brushed the mat and blew a little sand along the floor. At length, desisting, all ceased together, gathered together, all sighed together ; all together gave off an aimless gust of lamentation to which some door in the kitchen replied ; swung wide; admitted nothing; and slammed to.

Translation (English)

We have to wait and see what the future brings, said Mr. Bankes, coming in from outside. It's almost too dark to see, said Andrew, coming up from the beach. It's hard to tell the sea from the land, said Prue. Should we leave the light on? asked Lily as they took off their coats. No, said Prue, not if everyone is inside. Andrew, she called, turn off the hall light. One by one, the lamps were turned off, except Mr. Carmichael, who liked to read Virgil by candlelight. With the lamps out, the moon set, and rain drummed on the roof as darkness poured in. Nothing seemed to survive the flood of darkness creeping through keyholes, covering everything, swallowing a jug, a bowl of flowers, and a chest of drawers. Not only was furniture lost; there was barely anything left of body or mind to identify anyone. Sometimes a hand reached out to grab or block something, or someone laughed or groaned as if joking with the void. Nothing moved in the rooms or on the stairs. Only the wind, detached from its source, crept inside, questioning the wallpaper, wondering how long it would last. It brushed the walls, pondering the roses on the wallpaper, the letters in the wastebasket, the flowers, the books, asking if they were allies or enemies, and how long they would last. A random light from a star, a ship, or the Lighthouse guided them up the stairs, nosing around bedroom doors. But here, they must stop. Whatever else may vanish, what lies here is steadfast. Here, one might tell those lights, those airs, that they can't touch or destroy. Weary, like ghosts, they would look at closed eyes and loose fingers, then disappear. They went to the window, the servants' rooms, the attic boxes; they touched the apples on the table, the rose petals, the picture on the easel, brushed the mat, and blew sand along the floor. Finally, they stopped, gathered, sighed, and gave a gust of lamentation, to which a kitchen door replied, swung open, admitted nothing, and slammed shut.

About the Poet

Virginia Woolf (Modernist Era)

Virginia Woolf was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors. She is known for her novels, essays, and pioneering use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Novel (Modernist)
When Written: 1927
Background: To the Lighthouse explores themes of loss, subjectivity, and the nature of art, reflecting Woolf's own experiences and philosophical introspections. It examines the complexities of human relationships and the passage of time.

Sources: https://genius.com/Virginia-woolf-to-the-lighthouse-time-passes-1-annotated, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Lighthouse

Detailed Explanation

This passage from Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' captures a moment of transition from light to darkness, both literally and metaphorically. As the characters extinguish the lights in the house, the narrative shifts to describe the overwhelming presence of darkness that invades the space. The darkness is depicted as a tangible force, creeping through keyholes and enveloping objects, symbolizing the passage of time and the inevitable decay of material and identity. The imagery of darkness swallowing up the physical world reflects the theme of impermanence and the fragility of human existence. The passage also explores the idea of memory and identity, as the characters' presence fades into the background, leaving only the persistent, questioning airs that move through the house. This evokes a sense of existential reflection, as the narrative questions the endurance of objects and memories against the relentless flow of time. Woolf's use of stream of consciousness and vivid imagery creates a haunting, introspective atmosphere that invites readers to ponder the nature of life, memory, and the passage of time.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
extinguished	put out	turned off or put out a light	ik-sting-gwisht
profusion	abundance	a large amount of something	proh-fyoo-zhun
crevices	cracks	narrow openings or cracks	kreh-vuh-siz
confounded	confused	mixed up or confused	kun-fown-did
lamentation	sorrow	expression of grief or sorrow	lam-en-tay-shun
ramshackle	dilapidated	poorly maintained and in bad condition	ram-shak-ul
musingly	thoughtfully	in a reflective or thoughtful manner	myoo-zing-lee
steadfast	unchanging	firm and unwavering	sted-fast
ghostlily	like a ghost	in a ghost-like manner	gohst-li-lee
blanched	whitened	made white or pale	blancht