1 The amber vials, stoppered tight with wax,
2 Hold sediment of crushed and powdered thyme,
3 Where mint and bitter wormwood leave their tracks
4 In dusty rings of green and yellow lime.
5 Above the hearth, the dried-out chamomile
6 Hangs like a withered crown of brittle lace,
7 While steam from bubbling copper pots, meanwhile,
8 Dissolves the sharp camphor in this place.
9 But where the dark obsidian mortar rests,
10 A silent, odorless cold marble sleeps,
11 Untouched by all the boiling herbal tests,
12 Keeping the chill that winter shadow keeps.
In the poem, the sensory transition from the aromatic warmth of the first eight lines (lines 1–8) to the cold, odorless environment of the final four lines (lines 9–12) primarily functions to do which of the following?
- Areflect the poet’s biographical nostalgia for the comforting scents of a childhood home
- Bprovide a literal inventory of the physical deterioration and uncleanliness of the laboratory's equipment
- Ccontrast the auditory qualities of the bubbling pots with the visual details of the marble to establish a sense of chaotic activity
- shift the tone from one of industrious, sensory-rich warmth to one of unyielding, cold stasisCevap
- Emaintain a uniform mood of domestic security and comfort throughout the description of the room