Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"New Year's Day" by Robert Lowell is a reflective and somber poem that meditates on the cyclical nature of time, the inevitability of death, and the burdens of existence. The poem employs rich imagery and religious symbolism to explore these themes, juxtaposing the cold realities of life with the hopeful yet often fleeting resolutions of a new year.

The poem begins with a resigned acknowledgment of the repetitive nature of time: "Again and then again . . . the year is born / To ice and death." This opening sets a bleak tone, suggesting that each new year, while a symbol of fresh beginnings, is also marked by coldness and mortality. The phrase "it will never do / To skulk behind storm-windows by the stove" criticizes a passive approach to life, urging instead an engagement with the world outside, even as the harsh winter mirrors life's adversities.

The image of "the postgirl sounding her French horn / When the thin tidal ice is wearing through" evokes a sense of fragility and impermanence. The postgirl, delivering messages amidst the thinning ice, symbolizes the persistence of life and communication despite precarious conditions. The poem then touches on a moral or philosophical insight: "Here is the understanding not to love / Our neighbor, or tomorrow that will sieve / Our resolutions." This line reflects a cynical view of human nature and the futility of New Year's resolutions, which are often made but rarely kept.

Lowell explores the darker aspects of life with the vivid image of a kitten dying in the snow: "The kitten heaved its hindlegs, as if fouled, / And died." The act of placing the dead kitten "in a Christmas box" suggests a ritualistic attempt to find meaning or closure in death. The image of "scattered blazing weeds to scare the crow" introduces a scene of warding off death or bad omens, even as "snake-tailed sea-winds coughed and howled / For alms outside the church." The winds, personified as beggars, highlight the harshness of nature and the indifference of the world to human suffering.

The poem shifts to a religious context, focusing on the church with "double locks / Wait for St. Peter, the distorted key." This line suggests a barrier to salvation or entry into heaven, with St. Peter, the gatekeeper, holding the "distorted key" that could unlock these barriers. The "parish sea" swelling under St. Peter's bell symbolizes the ebb and flow of the community's faith and struggles, further emphasized by the imagery of Joseph "pluck[ing] his hand-lines like a harp" in a humble setting.

The poem concludes with a powerful reflection on the religious significance of the day: "Puer natus est / Of Circumcision," referencing the traditional Christian celebration of Jesus' birth and subsequent circumcision. This event, celebrated on New Year's Day in some traditions, serves as a reminder of the human and divine aspects of Christ. Joseph "relives the wrack / And howls of Jesus whom he holds," evoking the future suffering of Jesus and the burden of his mission. The line "Time and the grindstone and the knife of God" underscores the inevitability of suffering and sacrifice in human life, as well as the divine plan that includes these trials.

The poem's closing lines, "The Child is born in blood, O child of blood," highlight the paradox of birth and death, innocence and suffering. The repetition of "blood" emphasizes the sacrificial nature of Jesus' life, as well as the human condition of being born into a world of pain and mortality.

In "New Year's Day," Robert Lowell masterfully weaves together themes of time, death, and religious symbolism to create a rich and contemplative meditation on the human experience. The poem's imagery and reflective tone invite readers to consider the complexities of life, the inevitability of suffering, and the fleeting nature of resolutions and hopes.

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