Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The Return of Robinson Jeffers," Robert Hass delves into the existential musings and spiritual desolation of Robinson Jeffers, a poet renowned for his rugged individualism and intense naturalism. The poem is structured into two sections, each capturing different facets of Jeffers' contemplation and experience as he returns to a familiar landscape.

In the first section, Jeffers shudders and gazes down a long valley where the "headland rose" and "lean gum trees rattled in the wind above Point Sur." This vivid imagery situates us immediately in Jeffers' California coast, a place he imbued with the ghosts of its native inhabitants, natural beauty, and his own desires. Hass emphasizes Jeffers' deep connection to this land, noting how Jeffers' work has left a lasting imprint on the "mind's coast." Despite his accomplishments, Jeffers finds himself questioning his return. He recalls his earlier writings on resurrection and desire, embodied by a woman whose intense longing brought a lover back from the grave, only for her to flee with him in a desperate escape from the banality and pain of life. This metaphorical resurrection speaks to Jeffers' themes of passionate intensity and existential dread.

Jeffers' detachment from human anguish is evident in his comparison of war cries to the natural shrill of the Steller's jay, suggesting that human suffering is as indifferent and primal as the calls of animals. This perspective reinforces his cold, almost inhuman view of human pain, contrasting with his reverence for the natural world, which he finds more beautiful and significant.

The second section shifts to a reflection on Jeffers' allegiance to "stone gods," symbols of permanence and indifference. Hass imagines Jeffers contemplating the decline of natural life around Monterey—the disappearance of pelicans and grebes, symbols of natural beauty and vitality. Jeffers' realization that "rock stands, it does not breed" underscores a growing awareness of the limitations of his earlier worship of inanimate, eternal nature.

Jeffers' specific rage and newfound tenderness mark a departure from his previous detachment. His recognition of his own "soft flesh grown thick with inconsolable desire" humanizes him, aligning him with the world's suffering and impoverished, whom his earlier poems had often disregarded. This newfound empathy is painful, manifesting physically in his body as he feels "rounding at the hips, as breasts," suggesting a symbolic pregnancy of grief and mourning for the lost natural world.

Ultimately, Jeffers understands that he has returned to mourn, embracing a "womanish" grief that spans a hundred years along the fragile coast. Hass imagines the sky lifting Jeffers beyond the "leached ashes of dead fire" and the "small jeweled hunger in the seabird's eye," transcending his previous stoic detachment to fully inhabit his human vulnerability and sorrow.

"The Return of Robinson Jeffers" is a profound meditation on the poet's journey from cold detachment to a deeply felt connection with the natural world and human suffering. Hass captures Jeffers' transformation, his mourning for a lost natural world, and his acceptance of pain and desire as intrinsic to the human experience. This poem serves as a powerful elegy for Jeffers' ideals and a testament to the enduring complexity of his vision.

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