The Diamond Cutter

Note: As an introduction to our analysis on this poem, we recommend our post about Diamond Cutting

A diamond cutter.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

At a literal level, this poem describes the distinctive features of diamond cutting. In our view, this delicate activity is a metaphor for creation.

Not what the light will do but how he shapes it
And what particular colours it will bear.

This first couplet addresses the fact that creation does not depend on how external elements will act on the final product but on how skilled the creator is in order to give form to the materials.  The pronoun ‘he’ is making reference to the diamond cutter- and therefore to the creator/artist- who makes a special piece out of rough elements.

On the other hand, the pronoun ‘it’ creates some ambiguity as it may be interpreted as the replacement of the word “diamond” or the word “light”. These two interpretations lead the reader to believe that the creator has the power  not only to mould rough materials but also to guide natural elements- such as light- to interact with these materials in a certain way. Furthermore, the use of the word “particular” implies that the product ("it") will be special and unique: creation is related to the qualities (“particular colours”) that will make the work rare. In this way, the speaker highlights the decisions the creator takes to make his work beautiful and exceptional. To round up, the couplet makes reference to the craft of the creator/cutter to shape not only rough materials but also natural elements to obtain a unique product.

And something of the climber's concentration
Seeing the white peak, setting the right foot there.

The second couplet compares a climber with a diamond cutter. It compares the climbers´ concentration while escalating a mountain with the concentration a diamond cutter has while shaping a diamond. "The white peak" is a metaphor for the objective, i.e.  the finished polished diamond, in the case of the diamond cutter. In the middle of the second line, there is a comma, which creates a caesura. This pause in the reading pace mirrors the slow steps of the climber and  emphasizes the slow progress of the diamond cutter when cutting a diamond and giving it a perfect shape to refract every single ray of light beautifully. A climber has to be extremely cautious while climbing as one wrong step may lead him to fall. By analogy, a diamond cutter needs to be very careful so as not to ruin the gem. If we think of the diamond cutter as a metaphor for the creator, we understand how much carefulness and attention to detail he devotes to achieve a unique product.

Not how the sun was plausible at morning
Not how it was distributed at noon,

This couplet sends us back to the first line as there are more references to the light (“the sun”). The variations of light at different parts of the day (“morning”, “noon”) does not affect creation. The beauty of a diamond or a work of art stands on its own.

And not how much the single stone could show
But rather how much brilliance it would shun;

These lines speak about “the stone” to imply that the diamond is still in the process of becoming one. It is still a project, a fact that is also emphasised by the use of tenses. Besides, the word “single” suggests that all the creator´s attention is focused on designing this one individual object. The excellence of the final product will not depend on  the amount of light it will reflect but rather, on the amount  it will not let through. Likewise, a work of art (if we take the poem as a metaphor for the creation of any beautiful piece) does not depend on how much it reflects the elements of the real world, but on the way it transforms them.

Simply a paring down, a cleaving to
One object, as the star-gazer who sees

One single comet polished by its fall
Rather than countless, untouched galaxies.

To “pair down” is to cut away a surface. A diamond cutter's job consists in paring down a stone. In a similar manner, an artist cuts down aspects of reality and decides what to show. This idea seems to continue the one expressed in the previous couplet: creating a unique piece entails selecting and leaving out some parts.

Diamond cutting entails “ a cleaving to/ one object(...)” To “cleave” is to stick to something. A diamond cutter may work on a diamond for around 4 weeks. All his attention is focused on one gem  to achieve perfect results. An artist or a creator also works a lot of time on a single production to obtain an extraordinary piece.

To clarify this idea, the diamond cutter is compared to a star gazer who, like him, focuses on a single object: a comet, and does not pay attention to the rest of the space, in spite of all the galaxies it contains. The comet the star gazer observes is polished when it falls, like the diamond which is polished by the work of the cutter. The untouched diamonds, like the untouched galaxies, are ignored, for it  is the work done to them that makes them beautiful.

To sum up, the main idea that this poem conveys is that devoting time and effort to perfect a single object  turns it into a diamond or an extraordinary piece. The way in which the creator cuts it down and shapes it with a lot of care and attention determine the wonderful qualities of the final product.

Written by Iara Ceriale, Catalina Humphreys, Lucila Torres and Natasha Wodovosoff.