Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "The Dance" moves between mythology, physics, and poetic language to explore the paradox of creation and destruction as a generative force in nature and human culture. The poem opens with a quote from Otto Rössler, a theoretical chemist whose work on chaos theory aligns with Snyder’s own interest in systems, entropy, and transformation. Rössler’s idea that “energy is doing something productive, like the devil in medieval history” suggests that nature, by resisting itself—by “self-entanglement”—creates beauty. This paradox underlies the entire poem, which weaves together Japanese mythology, cosmic energy, and natural processes to show how destruction and disorder are necessary components of creation.

Snyder draws from the Japanese Shinto creation myth, invoking Izanami, the primordial goddess who, along with Izanagi, gave birth to the islands of Japan. The poem recounts how “Izanami gave birth to rocks, trees, rivers, mountains, grass and last, a blazing child / so burned she died.” The birth of fire leads to death, a foundational paradox: creation necessitates sacrifice. The burning child that kills the mother becomes a symbol of energy’s inevitable entropic movement, recalling the mythic cycles of life and death present in many cultures. Izanami’s death marks the passage from the pure creative act to the realm of decay and dissolution, “the land of darkness / a mass of pollution.” The poem suggests that through purification—“Ah wash her clear stream”—there is renewal, yet the cycle is unbreakable.

The brief but powerful image of “skinny little girl with big ears” emerges as a poignant humanizing moment, grounding the grand cosmic myth in an intimate, personal form. This girl, possibly a reference to the next generation of life, suggests innocence and renewal in the midst of entropy. The phrase “we have passed through / passed through, flesh out of flesh” reinforces the cyclical nature of existence, as one form passes into another.

The poem then shifts to another Shinto myth, that of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, whose story similarly plays with themes of destruction, retreat, and rebirth. The poem recounts how “Shining Heavens,” Goddess of the Sun, / her brother flung / mud and shit and a half-skinned pony through / the palace.” The violent, chaotic actions of her brother, Susanoo, lead Amaterasu to retreat into a cave, sealing herself in and plunging the world into darkness. Here, Snyder invokes another paradox: the source of light and life hides herself away in response to defilement, mirroring the earlier image of Izanami passing into the land of darkness.

What remains unsaid, but implied by the myth, is that Amaterasu is eventually coaxed out of the cave through dance—hence the poem’s title. This dance, performed by the goddess Uzume, becomes the catalyst for cosmic restoration, illustrating that movement, rhythm, and play—forms of energy expenditure—are essential to the balance of the world. In this way, Snyder subtly aligns the dance of the mythic figures with the dance of physics and ecology. Energy moves between forms, resisting and consuming itself, but ultimately generating beauty, whether in the motion of celestial bodies, the cycle of ecosystems, or the cultural expressions of human beings.

Snyder’s poetic form, like the content, enacts movement and disruption. The abrupt line breaks, fragmented syntax, and use of open space on the page mimic the unstable yet generative energy he describes. The lack of traditional punctuation enhances the fluidity and unpredictability of the poem, reflecting the very forces it explores. The circular structure, returning to creation after destruction, mirrors the recursive nature of both mythology and natural cycles.

Ultimately, "The Dance" is not just a recounting of ancient myths but an enactment of their lessons within a contemporary understanding of energy, physics, and ecology. The poem suggests that all forces—whether biological, geological, or cultural—move in a dance of resistance and renewal, where destruction is not an end but a necessary part of continued creation. Snyder, deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy and ecological thought, presents a vision of the world in which myth, science, and poetic rhythm align in a grand choreography of existence.

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