Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Young’s “Poem About Hopping” is a playful yet subtly profound meditation on motion, instinct, and the nervous energy that permeates life. Through a vivid depiction of animals and their instinctual behaviors, the poem reflects on human attempts to suppress similar restlessness and energy within.

The poem opens with an image of rabbits in Alabama, hopping into clumps of Syrian grass to nibble stalks. The rabbits, drawn to sustenance and the rhythms of nature, “hardly noticing autumn,” embody a simplicity and innocence. Their activity suggests an instinctual alignment with the seasons and their environment. This moment captures the unselfconscious vitality of animals, offering a contrast to the reflective nature of humans.

The poem then transitions to the Great Divide, where bighorn sheep hop from rock to rock “in the wind and glare.” These movements are described as casual yet deliberate, hinting at the balance between instinct and intention. The sheep, contemplating leaping over rivers, reflect an awareness of their environment and the necessity of motion. The juxtaposition with salmon, who “jump upstream for love,” intensifies this sense of purpose in motion. While the sheep navigate treacherous terrain, salmon are propelled by an almost irrational drive to perpetuate their species. These descriptions capture the dynamic tension between survival and desire.

Young’s phrase, “oh it’s a nervous country,” encapsulates the poem’s exploration of restlessness as a universal trait. This nervous energy connects the animals’ instinctual leaps to human experiences. The imagery of stubble fields resembling the hub of a wheel with grasshopper spokes evokes a landscape teeming with movement and life. Even at rest, the world is animated by small, constant gestures, hinting at an underlying restlessness that unites all living beings.

The closing lines shift focus to the human heart, addressing it directly: “what can you say to your heart but, Down sir, down sir, down?” This rhetorical question highlights the tension between human attempts to impose control and the heart’s natural, unrestrained rhythms. The repetition of “Down sir” reflects both a command and a plea, suggesting an internal struggle to quell the nervous energy that echoes the animals’ instinctual movements.

The poem’s form mirrors its thematic content. The enjambment and quick shifts between scenes and subjects mimic the hopping movements it describes, creating a rhythmic, almost kinetic quality. The tone, while lighthearted, carries a deeper resonance, as it examines the connection between instinct, motion, and the restless energy inherent in life.

In “Poem About Hopping”, David Young uses the imagery of animals and their instinctual actions to explore human restlessness. The poem suggests that this nervous energy, though often suppressed, is a shared trait that connects humans to the natural world. Through its lively depiction of hopping creatures and the internal dialogue with the heart, the poem celebrates the vitality and unceasing motion of life while acknowledging the complexities of human restraint.

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