Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"A Song of Paternal Care" by John Updike is a playful and whimsical poem that revels in the use of "lith-" prefixed words, creating a lighthearted and linguistically dense narrative. The poem employs a series of puns and wordplays around the theme of stones and lithography, which adds a layer of humor and charm to the story of a father’s affection and concern for his daughter.

The central characters are a Lithuanian lithographer and his daughter, who are described using a variety of "lith-" terms that cleverly tie back to the father’s profession and their heritage. The lithographer lives on lithia water, a type of mineral water, which introduces the poem’s running theme of stoniness and mineral qualities. His daughter, in turn, is characterized by her lithic qualities: she is described as "lithe and lithic," which suggests both gracefulness and a stone-like nature, perhaps in reference to her being sculpted by her environment and her father’s profession.

The poem unfolds as the daughter reaches the age of litholysis, a playful term perhaps invented to signify a coming-of-age phase where she begins to dissolve her youthful, stone-like shell. Her father suggests it's time she thought about lithomarge (a clayey material) and lithophthisis (another inventive term likely suggesting a maturity or a next phase in life, playing on the medical term 'phthisis' for a wasting disease). These suggestions are whimsically practical, reflecting his protective and caring nature.

Her reaction is one of bashful acknowledgment of her love for a "lithsman," a term that humorously refers to a man also associated with stones or lithography, indicating a shared background or interest. Her feeling "litholyte," a term perhaps suggesting she feels light or effervescent, contrasts with the heavier, stony terms used earlier, indicating her emotional upliftment in love.

The father’s response to her admission is both joyful and accepting. He encourages her to bring the lithofellic (stone-causing or stone-related) fellow home, which she does. The narrative concludes with the couple moving to Lithgow, Australia, continuing the pun on "lith" and suggesting a new beginning. The use of "Litherly ever after" instead of the traditional "happily ever after" not only maintains the linguistic theme but also subtly hints at their lives being smoother or more untroubled, playing on the word "lithe."

Overall, "A Song of Paternal Care" is a delightfully inventive poem that showcases Updike’s skill in linguistic play and light verse. It is a narrative about parental love, the passage from youth to adulthood, and the joy of finding someone with shared values and background, all wrapped in a thick layer of puns and wordplay that makes it both entertaining and endearing.

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