Love and Innocence

Field’s poem “Power in Silence” has a reoccurring motif about the importance of innocence, specifically focusing on the first and last stanzas. In the first stanza, the author is writing about her young lover. The young woman is “[her] girl”, a child, someone who does not have years of life experience yet to shape her person. The girl is “the light”, “she is the sapphire”, she “puts the music in the pearl”. Here, pearl is a metaphor for life and the author’s universe. The girl puts music—brings excitement, joy, comfort—in the author’s life. A pearl also represents purity and innocence. By putting music and giving life to these values, Field deems purity and innocence as healthy, prospering, and important for years to come. The sapphire stone likewise represents prosperity, beauty, inner peace, innocence, and good health. The girl is described as “royal” and “jeweled”, as are the values she embodies. The final line in this stanza is that she puts “the music in the pearl”, drawing the most attention to the figure of innocence spreading refreshing life and wellness into the world. In the final stanza of this poem, the motif about innocence is more upfront. Each line has at least one word that is associated or a description of purity and innocence. Words like “dove”, “wings”, “warm”, and “bird”. The word “light” is also repeated. A dove is white, which is the color of purity. Wings are fragile and angelic. Warmth is comforting. Birds are dainty and vulnerable. “Love” is the last word of this stanza, and the “Power in Silence” poem, meaning that love cherishes all this purity and innocence.