Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Geoffrey Hill's poem "Pisgah" weaves together themes of memory, loss, and the ineffable distance between the past and present, using a landscape rich in botanical imagery and emotional resonance. The title "Pisgah" refers to the biblical mountain from which Moses glimpses the Promised Land, a poignant symbol of vision and unattainable desires.

The poem opens with a confession of regret and sorrow: "I am ashamed and grieve, having seen you then, those many times." This admission sets a reflective tone, as the speaker looks back on past moments with a sense of loss. The use of "ashamed" suggests a personal failing or a recognition of missed opportunities, deepening the emotional weight of the poem.

As the speaker observes the person they address, they describe a scene filled with vivid, almost tangible details: "you turn to speak with someone standing deeper in the shade; or fork a row, or pace to the top end where the steep garden overlooks the house." This setting, a steep garden, implies a place of both cultivation and natural beauty, serving as a metaphor for the layered and complex nature of memory and relationships. The garden, with its "cane loggias, tent-poles, trellises," is a structured environment, yet it is also alive with the "flitter of sweet peas caught in their strings, the scarlet runners." These botanical elements evoke a sense of both fragility and resilience.

The imagery of the garden is further enhanced by the description of "blossom that seems to burn an incandescent aura towards evening." This suggests a moment of beauty and transformation, where the natural world takes on an almost otherworldly glow. Evening, often a symbol of endings and transitions, underscores the theme of temporal passage and the fading of the day, mirroring the speaker's feelings about the past.

The poem then shifts to a more intimate perspective: "This half-puzzled, awkward surprise is yours; you cannot hear me or quite make me out." Here, the speaker acknowledges a disconnect, an inability to fully communicate or be understood. This barrier might be literal or metaphorical, representing the gaps that time and memory impose between people. The "half-puzzled, awkward surprise" of the person addressed indicates a moment of realization or confusion, reinforcing the sense of distance.

The closing lines, "Formalities preserve us: / perhaps I too am a shade," encapsulate the poem's meditation on presence and absence. "Formalities preserve us" suggests that social rituals and customs maintain a semblance of connection or civility, even as deeper understanding remains elusive. The speaker's self-identification as a "shade"—a ghost or a mere reflection—acknowledges their own sense of insubstantiality and separation from the past and the person they remember.

In "Pisgah," Hill masterfully uses the rich imagery of a garden at evening to explore themes of memory, regret, and the elusive nature of true understanding. The poem captures the poignant beauty of the past and the inherent distance that time creates, leaving both the speaker and the reader with a deep sense of longing and contemplation.

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