Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Memory" by Ralph Burns is a contemplative and evocative poem that navigates through the complexities of aging, the physical manifestations of time, and the intergenerational transmission of experience and vulnerability. The poem intricately connects the physicality of the body with the metaphysical aspects of existence, memory, and legacy, using the motif of the knee as a focal point around which these themes revolve.

The poem begins with an epigraph from George Herbert, setting a tone of introspection and the search for understanding beyond the physical. Burns then moves into a reflection on the knee, not just as a physical structure of "clasp or stirrup, that cartilage beckoning the knee," but as a symbol of movement, grace, and eventually, the limitations imposed by aging. The mention of "the metaphysics — heat and sideways light" suggests an exploration of the knee as more than a bodily hinge; it becomes a gateway to contemplating the passage of time, the echoes of youth, and the inevitability of change.

Burns draws upon personal and familial experiences to deepen this exploration. The reference to "my old man a little younger than I am now" invokes a connection between the speaker and his father, highlighting the cycle of life and the shifting perspectives that come with aging. The speaker's reflection on his own physical vulnerabilities, experienced through a "casual golf swing" or the later realization of pain, serves as a meditation on the body's resilience and fragility.

The poem's lyrical quality, with phrases like "my lyric elegy, that elegiac lyric-," underscores the poetic endeavor to find beauty and meaning in the face of pain and the transient nature of life. The speaker's yearning to "retrace that movement in the body, that circular plane perfect and unrehearsed" speaks to a desire to recapture moments of unblemished grace and effortlessness, a longing for the purity of action untainted by the awareness of physical decline.

As the poem progresses, the act of golfing and the memory of a specific swing become metaphors for life's journey, the attempts we make to navigate it with grace, and the inevitable "catch" or realization of mortality that comes with time. The speaker's contemplation of death as "self-inflicted" reflects a struggle with the notion of agency in the face of aging and the natural decay of the body.

Ultimately, the poem turns toward the future and the next generation, embodied in the speaker's son, William, who "bends in the knees out of joy." This image of youthful exuberance and potential serves as a counterpoint to the poem's earlier focus on aging and loss. It suggests a continuation of life and the passing on of experiences, joys, and vulnerabilities from one generation to the next.

"Memory" is a poignant meditation on the interconnectedness of body and spirit, the individual and the familial, the past and the future. Through its rich imagery and introspective tone, Ralph Burns crafts a narrative that resonates with the universal experiences of aging, remembering, and hoping, capturing the delicate balance between holding on to the past and reaching toward the future.

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