A proud woman stands at the center of Sandburg’s short poem, and the focus falls on her knees and elbows—just bone, stripped of softness. But that bareness is not weakness. The stars circle around her all year, and her bones answer their vibrations. The speaker seems to feel awe at this connection: the woman is not separate from the sky but tuned to it, absorbing the deep thoughts of summer and the repeated speeches of winter. The mood is quiet, still, and a little strange. It suggests a kind of mystical attention, as if the woman’s body is a receiver for something larger than herself. There is dignity in her stillness, maybe even loneliness, but no fear. She simply knows what the stars are saying, down to her bones.
Cadenza — Summary
The knees of this proud woman are bone. The elbows of this proud woman are bone. The summer-white stars and the winter-white stars never stop circling around this proud woman. The bones of this proud woman answer the vibrations of the stars. In summer the stars speak deep thoughts In the winter the stars repeat summer speeches. The knees of this proud woman know these thoughts and know these speeches of the summer and winter stars.