Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "Logging: 2" is an unflinching meditation on the history and consequences of deforestation, connecting biblical, historical, and industrial perspectives to explore humanity’s complex relationship with the natural world. The poem juxtaposes destruction and creation, drawing a line from ancient China to modern America, where logging remains a defining aspect of civilization's expansion. Snyder’s characteristic blend of ecological consciousness, historical awareness, and direct observation turns this piece into both a lament and an acknowledgment of the forces that shape our landscapes.

The opening epigraph, taken from Exodus 34:13, commands the destruction of sacred sites: "But ye shall destroy their altars, / break their images, and cut down their groves." This biblical injunction, meant to purge foreign religious influence, sets the tone for a poem that contemplates the relentless erasure of nature’s sacred spaces. By invoking this passage, Snyder frames deforestation as not merely an economic or industrial process but as an act deeply embedded in human history—an act of conquest, of reshaping the world to fit ideological or material needs. The destruction of groves, traditionally seen as sacred places, foreshadows the violence against forests that will unfold throughout the poem.

The poem quickly moves to a historical scope, highlighting the deforestation of ancient China: "The ancient forests of China logged and the hills slipped into the Yellow Sea." This concise statement encapsulates an ecological disaster—logging led to soil erosion, causing the land to collapse into the sea. The loss of forests not only devastates the immediate landscape but sets off a chain reaction, destabilizing entire regions. The image of the land literally slipping away into the ocean underscores the permanence of this destruction. Snyder does not dwell on nostalgia but presents this as a matter-of-fact reality, a recurring pattern throughout human civilization.

The next lines ground us in a tangible scene: "Squared beams, log dogs, on a tamped-earth sill." These images evoke the infrastructure of logging—the squared beams represent processed timber, “log dogs” (metal hooks used to secure logs) are tools of the trade, and the tamped-earth sill suggests the foundation of a structure, perhaps a house or mill. There is a shift from devastation to construction, emphasizing the duality of logging: destruction enables creation. This ambivalence is a central tension in the poem.

The poem then moves to North America: "San Francisco 2X4s / were the woods around Seattle." The transformation is complete—what was once a living forest is now processed lumber used in urban construction. This line highlights the invisibility of origins: the materials that make up our cities come from landscapes far removed from our daily lives. This distance between source and final product allows for a detachment that makes destruction easier to justify.

The following lines intensify the stakes: "Someone killed and someone built, / a house, a forest, wrecked or raised." Here, Snyder equates logging with an act of violence—one person’s gain is another’s loss. The parallel structure ("wrecked or raised") reinforces the idea that civilization is built on cycles of destruction and creation. America, as a nation, "hung on a hook / & burned by men, in their own praise." This image of a carcass on a butcher’s hook suggests that the continent itself has been consumed, reduced to fuel for human ambition. The phrase "in their own praise" critiques the self-congratulatory nature of progress—humans celebrate their achievements without acknowledging the costs.

The scene shifts to a logging camp: "Snow on fresh stumps and brush-piles." The juxtaposition of snow with freshly cut trees creates a stark contrast—nature’s quiet persistence against human activity. The mention of "fresh stumps" reminds us of the immediacy of destruction, as if the trees were just standing moments before. The brush-piles, remnants of logging waste, signify both efficiency and wastefulness.

Snyder brings the reader into the physical world of a logger’s daily life: "The generator starts and rumbles / in the frosty dawn." This is the mechanized dawn of labor, the rhythmic hum of industry that replaces the natural sounds of the forest. The poet places himself in this world: "I wake from bitter dreams, / Rise and build a fire, / Pull on and lace the stiff cold boots." These lines emphasize the harshness of the logging life. "Bitter dreams" suggests an underlying unease—perhaps a subconscious awareness of the destruction at hand. The boots, stiff from cold and labor, are a metaphor for the endurance required to live in this environment.

The logging camp is further detailed in the breakfast scene: "Eat huge flapjacks by a gloomy Swede / In splintery cookhouse light." The "gloomy Swede" evokes the loneliness and stoicism of loggers, often immigrants seeking work in harsh conditions. The "splintery cookhouse light" suggests a rough, utilitarian space—no warmth beyond the necessity of feeding workers. This moment of daily life, with its sensory details, situates us deeply within the logging world.

The next lines capture the movement into the workday: "grab my tin pisspot hat / Ride off to the show in a crummy-truck / And start the Cat." The "tin pisspot hat" refers to the hard hat loggers wear, emphasizing the ruggedness of the job. The "crummy-truck" is a transport vehicle for logging crews, an essential but unimpressive piece of equipment. "Start the Cat" refers to the Caterpillar tractor, a vital tool in the logging industry. These lines portray logging as a laborious, mechanical process—men and machines engaged in a relentless task.

Snyder then introduces a moment of poetic reflection: "Pines grasp the clouds with iron claws / like dragons rising from sleep." This sudden shift to mythic imagery breathes life into the trees, making them active beings rather than passive resources. The "iron claws" suggest both resilience and impending doom—these trees reach toward the sky but are destined to be cut down.

The final lines quantify the industrial scale of logging: "250,000 board-feet a day / If both Cats keep working & nobody gets hurt." The inclusion of a specific number underscores the massive scale of deforestation, making the destruction feel concrete. The final phrase, "if nobody gets hurt," is ominous—there is an ever-present danger in this work, both to humans and to the forest itself.

"Logging: 2" is a poem of contrasts—between destruction and creation, between nature and industry, between myth and reality. Snyder does not offer easy moral judgments but instead presents logging as a brutal necessity, a process that enables civilization while simultaneously eroding the very wilderness that gives it meaning. The poem’s interweaving of history, personal experience, and poetic reflection creates a layered meditation on how human ambition reshapes the land. The inevitability of this cycle lingers, leaving the reader with an awareness of what has been lost and what continues to be taken.

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