Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "You, Failed Pronoun" delves into themes of displacement, the search for identity, and the instability of meaning. The poem’s direct address to swans, coupled with the imagery of nature and the metaphor of a blank slate, underscores the complexities and frustrations inherent in attempts to define and communicate identity and presence.

The poem opens with an invocation to the swans, addressing them directly. The swans are described as having their "feet now unbuttoned from the snow," an image that suggests a release from constraints and a return to freedom. Their wings, "spread wide and white," symbolize both liberation and the departure from a place of safety to one of renewal—the breeding ponds of spring. This movement away from "freezing lakes" and "sudden ice" signifies a search for a more hospitable environment, a migration driven by necessity and survival.

Wilner introduces the element of human intervention with the Wildlife Service cutting the swans loose, emphasizing the vulnerability and dependence of the natural world on human actions. The swans' departure leaves behind a void, "entirely out of vision's range," creating an absence that the speaker struggles to reconcile. The mention of the "ghosts at Coole" references W.B. Yeats' poem "The Wild Swans at Coole," drawing a parallel between the loss of the swans and the loss of something essential and beautiful.

The central question, "Now what shall we do for a you?" reflects the poet's contemplation of identity and presence in the wake of this absence. The swans, once a symbol of grace and continuity, are gone, leaving a "blank slate" and a "great mimetic circle cleared of imagery." This emptiness is likened to the "inside of a camera when the lens is closed," a powerful metaphor for the loss of vision and inspiration.

As the poem progresses, Wilner's language becomes more abstract and introspective. The voice of the poem grapples with the loss of the "you," the direct object of its address. The moon, a traditional symbol of reflection and illumination, is "drowned in the pond" and "shattered by a tossed stone," further emphasizing the theme of disruption and fragmentation. The imagery of the "wheel a drone in the darkened air" suggests a mechanical, lifeless movement, contrasting sharply with the natural vitality of the swans.

The poem's inquiry, "to whom should the voice address itself, and who should the speaker be?" highlights the existential crisis that follows the disappearance of the swans. The absence of the swans leads to a deeper questioning of identity and purpose. The silence that follows is filled with a dense and ambiguous web of thoughts, described as "thickets, thorn bush, briar patch, hedge-screen that dims the light." This complex, senseless green represents the tangled, obstructive nature of the mind's struggle to find clarity and meaning.

In the midst of this confusion, the poem offers a fleeting glimpse of life and possibility with the "chartreuse flash, slim bright thread on a dark ground." The image of an eft (a newt) splashing and then disappearing serves as a reminder of the ephemeral nature of existence and the constant interplay between presence and absence. This brief moment of brightness in the dark ground suggests that even in the midst of uncertainty and loss, there are moments of beauty and significance.

"You, Failed Pronoun" poignantly explores the themes of loss, identity, and the search for meaning. Through vivid imagery and introspective questioning, Wilner captures the complexity of human experience in the face of absence and the enduring struggle to find a sense of self and direction in a world that is constantly shifting and evolving.

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