Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem "Seeing a Woman as in a Painting by Berthe Morisot" is a lyrical and contemplative exploration of a woman's beauty and the passage of time. Inspired by the Impressionist paintings of Berthe Morisot, the poem captures a moment of quiet observation in a café, blending imagery of art with reflections on love and existence.

The poem begins with a playful exclamation, "Ah tes cuisses / as in an hour-glass / (through which all flesh flows)," evoking the image of a woman’s thighs like the narrowing of an hourglass. The hourglass, a traditional symbol of the passage of time, hints at the ephemeral nature of beauty and life. The phrase "(through which all flesh flows)" emphasizes the inevitability of time affecting all physical forms.

At the café table, the woman appears to be fully alive, embodying vitality: "you are living you are breathing / your bosom stirs / so slightly so lightly." The repeated use of "slightly" and "lightly" conveys a sense of fragility and grace, as if she embodies the delicate brushstrokes of Morisot’s paintings. The poem continues with "belle plante bell jar," which metaphorically compares her to a beautiful plant under a protective glass, emphasizing her allure while also suggesting a sense of containment or innocence.

The poet remarks that she is "unaware of your self / full / of breath and life / not yet / awakened." This observation implies that the woman is in a youthful dreamlike state, yet to be fully conscious of her own beauty and potential. The poet continues, "I feel your breath so light / across the loud café / dear distant one," hinting at a deep but unspoken connection between them. The phrase "dear distant one" conveys both affection and distance, reinforcing the separation between the observer and the woman.

The poem then shifts to a reflection on time and love: "the time will come / or will not come / when we shall know / why we live and why we love." This repetition of "the time will come or will not come" creates a rhythmic uncertainty, emphasizing the unpredictability of life and relationships. Ferlinghetti suggests that the answers to life’s big questions are elusive and may never fully be known.

The repetition continues with "when you’ll awake / from your deep dream of youth," reinforcing the theme of awakening from innocence to awareness. The poet longs for the moment "when we shall know / why all things pass / through the hour-glass / and why we are now here / in the late morning." These lines acknowledge the inevitability of time’s passage while contemplating the present moment shared between the observer and the woman.

The poem concludes with a scene of mutual yet unacknowledged recognition: "listening to a juke-box Puccini / and looking away from each other / as if we did not know the music / as if we did not know the melody." The reference to "juke-box Puccini" suggests that they are surrounded by a poignant, familiar opera tune, evoking a sense of shared emotion. However, both look away "as if we did not know the music," pretending not to recognize the shared feelings or the moment’s significance.

In "Seeing a Woman as in a Painting by Berthe Morisot," Ferlinghetti masterfully combines the aesthetic sensibilities of Impressionist art with lyrical reflections on love and time. The poem captures a fleeting moment of beauty and longing while acknowledging the uncertainty of life and relationships. Ultimately, it reflects on the shared yet unspoken connections between people and the poignant awareness of time’s passage.

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