For A Poet

The title of the poem, “For a Poet,” as well as its dedication, to an amateur poet Cullen presumably had a relationship with, complicates the reading immediately, as it is unclear who the “Poet” is, John Gaston Edgar or Cullen himself. The poem, however, can be understood in both veins; it contains a subtle conversation with the writing self, while also functioning as an intimate statement to another. This double meaning adds a dramatic likeness to the poem, depicting the interior struggle of its composer.

The poem begins with the speaker referring to a metaphorical act in the past tense: “I have wrapped my dreams in a silken cloth” (Line 1). The completed task is in the past, though it is unclear how much time has passed. The dreams referenced in Line 1 are not those that occur solely at night; rather, they are the speaker’s hopes and future aspirations. These dreams equate to the ideal realization of the self, whether through oneself or through another. The silken cloth is a delicate, intimate image, one that may speak to affluence or finery. The cloth indicates a tender care, a luxury expended for something so important. In the second line, the “box of gold” accentuates the finery, but it also lends a religious dimension reminiscent of reliquaries often found in European churches.