Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Richard Wilbur?s "In the Smoking-Car" is a quietly poignant meditation on fatigue, failure, and the longing for peace. The poem unfolds through a richly imagined blend of mundane reality and dreamlike reverie, as the speaker observes a man succumbing to sleep in a train?s smoking car. Wilbur’s precise language and evocative imagery transform an ordinary moment into a profound exploration of human vulnerability, resignation, and solace.

The poem opens with a vivid depiction of the man’s physical weariness: “The eyelids meet. He’ll catch a little nap. / The grizzled, crew-cut head drops to his chest.” These lines establish the setting and the subject—a man in repose, seeking relief from the burdens of life. The detail of his "grizzled, crew-cut head" suggests age and experience, while the briefcase on his lap hints at the demands of professional or personal responsibility. The small, specific details invite the reader to see the man not just as a stranger, but as a figure embodying universal fatigue.

As the man drifts into sleep, the narrative shifts to an imagined scene of reverence: “Close voices breathe, ‘Poor sweet, he did his best.’” These whispered words echo with a mixture of sympathy and condescension, framing the man as a figure of pity yet also admiration for his efforts. Wilbur extends this moment into a dreamlike procession, where "bird-hushed glades" and "native girls with naked feet" carry the man’s metaphorical litter in "quiet pomp." This surreal and ceremonial image evokes both a funeral cortege and a celebration of rest, blurring the line between failure and fulfillment. The man’s exhaustion is transformed into something noble and dignified, his repose honored as if it were a hard-won victory.

The poem deepens its meditation on the man’s state of mind: “Could he but think, he might recall to mind / The righteous mutiny or sudden gale / That beached him here; the dear ones left behind.” These lines suggest that the man’s weariness stems from struggles—whether external challenges or inner conflicts—that have brought him to this moment. The "righteous mutiny" and "sudden gale" symbolize forces beyond his control, moments of upheaval that have shaped his journey. Yet, near the end, he no longer has the energy or inclination to revisit these events. His forgetting is not merely a lapse of memory but a relinquishing of the past, a surrender to the present’s quiet solace.

Wilbur’s portrayal of the man’s detachment from his surroundings emphasizes his state of resignation: “Were he to lift his eyelids now, he might / Behold his maiden porters, brown and bare. / But even here he has no appetite. / It is enough to know that they are there.” The man’s refusal—or inability—to fully engage with his dream-world reflects his profound weariness. The imagined porters symbolize care and support, yet their presence is enough without his active participation. This detachment underscores a key theme of the poem: the paradoxical fulfillment found in relinquishing control and allowing oneself to be carried, both literally and metaphorically.

The final stanza offers a resolution both serene and bittersweet: “Enough that now a honeyed music swells, / The gentle, mossed declivities begin, / And the whole air is full of flower-smells. / Failure, the longed-for valley, takes him in.” Here, the man’s journey culminates in a pastoral vision of rest and peace. The "honeyed music" and "flower-smells" evoke an Edenic afterlife or a place of ultimate solace. Wilbur’s use of “Failure” as the name of this valley is striking, reframing the concept of failure not as defeat but as release—a long-desired escape from the pressures and demands of life. The valley’s "gentle, mossed declivities" suggest comfort and softness, inviting the man to surrender fully to rest.

Structurally, the poem mirrors its thematic arc. The rhythm of the lines flows with a calm and measured cadence, reflecting the gradual drift into sleep and the quiet acceptance of rest. The rhyme scheme, though subtle, reinforces a sense of order and inevitability, mirroring the natural progression toward repose. Wilbur’s language is precise and evocative, layering sensory details with symbolic resonance.

"In the Smoking-Car" ultimately explores the universality of human exhaustion and the longing for peace in the face of life’s challenges. The man’s sleep becomes a metaphor for the larger human desire to escape, to find solace in surrender, and to reconcile oneself with failure. Yet Wilbur’s tone remains compassionate and celebratory, framing this surrender not as defeat but as a kind of transcendence. Through its tender and vivid imagery, the poem invites readers to reflect on their own moments of weariness and to find beauty and dignity in the act of letting go.

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