English for Meeting & Interview (Teks Percakapan Rapat dalam Bahasa Inggris) written by Irfan Suryana

1.     First Stanza

a.     Hello darkness, my old friend

There are two key words, “Hello” and “Friend”. It means that a lyrical speaker say hello when he meets his friend . His friend is not human being. His friend is darkness and a lyrical speaker has a good relationship with darkness. Why does it happen? Because there is a statement that his friend is old friend that means it has been long time a lyrical speaker does not meet with his friend but now he meets again.

b.     I’ve come to talk with you again

That statement means a lyrical speaker intentionally comes to meet his friend, darkness. He has one purpose, he just wants to talk again with darkness. In that statement, there is a word “again”. It means a lyrical speaker meets to talk to his friend more than once (frequently in the past time)

c.      Because a vision softly creeping

That statement is a reason why a lyrical speaker comes to his friend and it is also a reason why a lyrical speaker wants to talk to. It happens in the present time. There are many meanings of creeping:

1)    It means the first action.

2)    It depicts a figurative language as well, metaphor.

3)    In the first time, the readers will connect the word “creeping” with reptiles but it turns out wrong. The word “creeping” relates to plants because there is a connection with the next statement about seeds. Only seeds that have relation with plants.

Now, the reader are perhaps confused. What does “creeping” refer to? The word “creeing” refers to vision.

d.     Left its seeds while I was sleeping

“Left its seeds” means the second action and it is also about intentionally plant.

e.      And the vision that was planted in my brain

The vision means an image and memory. “Was planted” means that it happens in the past time. There are many relations with “In my brain”:

1)    It is about vision. The vision is creeping in a lyrical speaker’s brain.

2)    It is about seeds as well. The seeds add more.

3)    It is about reasoning faculty as well because brain is like a tool to think.

f.       Still remains

That statement means that a lyrical speaker’s experience can be still remembered.

g.     Within the sound of silence

That statement means that a “vision” or an image is kept in the sound of silence. The sound of silence is unheard.

2. Second Stanza

a. In the restless dreams I walked alone

That statement has same construction with “The sound of silence”. “Restless dreams” means that a lyrical speaker feels comfortable when his friend, darkness, accompanies him when he will sleep but he feels there are problems when he sleeps alone.Why do the readers conclude it like that? Because soemone who does activity before he take a rest to sleep and he enjoys his activity in that day will get a good dream. In the constrast, someone who experiences a bad things in his activity, of course, will get a bad dream.

b. Narrow streets of cobblestone

From that statement, there are two negative senses. First negative sense is “Narrow street” and second negative sense is “cobblestone”. There is also a contrastive statement between narrow street and next statement, that is a street lamp. Narrow street means that a street in which there is lack of light. It has not been asphalted. Perhaps, it is still ground whereas a street lamps means that a street in the metro city. Usually, a narrow street is beneath a street lamp.

c. ‘Neath the halo of a street lamp

There is a word “halo” that explains a street lamp. “halo” means rainbow colours. Here, that street is very luxurious.

d. I turned my collar to the cold and damp

That statements menas it happens in the winter because a lyrical speaker is coldness. It also explains that a lyrical speaker is poor because he does not wear jacket, he just makes his collar up.

e. When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of neon light

There is a negative sense in the word “stabbed”. It has three figurative languages.

1)    First figurative language is hyperbole.

A lyrical speaker’s eyes were stabbed means that his eyes becomes blind because of the flash of neon light and it deeply hurts.

2)    Second figurative language is personification.

Only human can stab something. Here, the flash of neon light acts like human because it  can stab a lyrical speaker’s eyes.

3)    Third figurative language is metaphor.

Besides, the statement has a negative sense, it also has many positive senses. For instance, flash, neon, and light. Neon light means neon in the modern city, or metro city, or megapo city. That statment also refers to subjuctive feeling because that statement depicts a lyrical speaker’s feeling when seeing something.

f. That split the night

There is a negative senses in the word “split” because it is done by using axe and axe is used to do violence. A lyrical speaker feels that modern city, or metro city, or megapo city does a evil thing to him.  The night refers to darkness.

          g. And touched the sound of silence

There is a negative sense in the word “touched”. It is not soft touch but a grip because it still relates to previous statement.

Tone of this stanza is negative and sad.

3.     Third Stanza

a.     And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

There is a connection between the words “naked” and “saw”. It is about clarity.When a content is not covered by something, of course it can be seen clearly. That is why when a lyrical speaker sees the peple of megapo city, or modern city, or metro city, he sees them clearly. “Ten Thousand people” is always used in literature and it refers to war and it is about mass as well.

b.     People talking without speaking,

“People talking” means that people just utter something without speaking. Speaking here means a expression to make a conversation, to communicate, to get information, to ask something, even to care. Those are meaningful rather that just talking.

c.      People hearing without listening,

It is almost simliar to previous explanation. Listening here is meaningful because it is about making a conversation, communication, getting information, asking something, and even caring.

d.     People writing songs that voices never share

“Writing songs” means people write song to express their feelings, and their ideas. Besides that, people want to entertain the others and they want to make the others happy. “That voice never share” means that their songs has never been sung or expressed.

e.      And no one dared

No one dares. The reason why no one dares is in the nextsatement.

f.       Disturb the sound of silence

The reason why no one dares because they are afraid if it is done, it can disturb the sound of silence. “The sound of silence” is a very special thing.”

4.     Forth Stanza

The point of forth stanza is about inability in communication. A lyrical Speaker knows much better about anything but he just cannot speak out his mind. He says, “Fools” to people because he is angry. He wants to help the others but he only can be silent. His silence is like a cancer that for long time it will be getting worse. His opinion and his words only are kept in himself, in his silence.

5.     Fifth Stanza

Fifth Stanza is about people who revere to their contenment even they ignore about advices from the prophets. Honestly, those advices have strong impact to their sould and they confess those advices as precious things to their life because they are from prophets. However, they are too arrogant about that confession.