Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The World Isn't a Wedding of the Artists of Yesterday" by Norman Dubie is a richly textured poem that seamlessly weaves together elements of memory, loss, and artistic legacy. This piece is imbued with a sense of nostalgia and introspection, as it explores the connections between personal history and the broader strokes of cultural and artistic influence.

The poem opens with a citation from Delmore Schwartz, suggesting an homage to past poets and artists who have shaped the speaker's consciousness: "They were with me, and they were me..." This line sets the tone for a meditation on identity and influence, indicating a merging of past and present, where the boundaries between self and others blur in the realm of creative endeavor.

As the poem unfolds, we encounter vivid imagery and a scattering of specific references that enrich the narrative texture. A "stub of a red pencil" and a "Georgia O'Keeffe landscape" evoke the tangible tools of art and the expansive, iconic American landscapes that O'Keeffe immortalized in her paintings. The imagery of "the carcass of black larkspur, beyond the Milky Way where the lights of galaxies are strung out over a dipper of gin" further expands the scale, connecting the immediate, personal experience to cosmic phenomena. This grandeur contrasts sharply with the more intimate and painful revelation: "Her closet is empty, except for the manuscript with your signature. She has left you!"

The poem transitions from cosmic imagery to a more personal narrative. The speaker recalls a moment of loss and search, not just for a person who has departed but also for a beloved cat. The setting shifts to a farmhouse and the surrounding meadows of New Jersey, grounding the universal in the particular. The discovery of a discarded telephone in the field becomes a metaphor for communication that is lost or broken, yet the act of searching and calling out—even if only for a cat—underscores a profound sense of longing and unresolved connection.

The use of the drug Dexedrine introduces a tension between clarity and confusion, influencing the speaker's actions and memories. This detail, along with the repeated image of the red pencil—a symbol of editing, marking, and perhaps correcting—suggests a struggle to make sense of past relationships and artistic endeavors.

The poem then references a historical anecdote about boatmen on the Seine being guided by a light from Flaubert's study. This reference serves as a metaphor for the guidance provided by literary and artistic traditions. The speaker, under the "severe stars of this hemisphere," recalls friends and possibly fellow artists, indicating a moment of clarity and connection across time and space.

The poem closes with the unresolved mystery of why the speaker is "locked on a red pencil, again, at the bottom of a wintry meadow, in New Jersey." The image of the mystery "rising behind you on the wind" suggests that the past, with all its influences, memories, and artistic echoes, is not something to be fully understood but felt and experienced as a presence that continually shapes one’s perception and creativity.

Overall, Dubie's poem is a profound exploration of how personal history intertwines with cultural and artistic legacies, shaping individual identity in subtle and profound ways. The blending of the personal with artistic references creates a layered narrative that invites multiple readings, each uncovering new facets of meaning and connection.

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