Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Grand Abacus" by John Ashbery is a poem that evokes a sense of mystical and pastoral imagery, interwoven with elements of nostalgia, decay, and transformation. The poem's title itself, "Grand Abacus," suggests a tool for calculation, hinting at an attempt to quantify or make sense of experiences or memories that are essentially elusive and intangible.

The poem opens with a contemplation of a valley that seems to lead into the past, symbolizing a journey into memory or history. The "commercial and etiolated visage" breaking through the meadow suggests the encroachment of modernity or decay into a natural, idyllic setting. This contrast sets the tone for the rest of the poem, where the natural world and human creations or interventions are in constant interplay.

A chair placed in the meadow and then abandoned hints at human presence and absence, a theme that runs throughout the poem. Visitors come in summer, but they do not fully engage with the deeper, more profound aspects of the place, symbolized by the "head."

The mention of soldiers adds a layer of potential conflict or conquest, contrasting with the pastoral scene. The "stick" that hides from them could symbolize simplicity or innocence trying to evade the complexities and violence of the human world.

The poem then shifts to a surreal description of a "head" that was pretending to be a town. This metamorphosis from the inanimate to the animate, from a place to a being, blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. The transformation is both magnificent and unsettling, as the head's features (ears, skin, eyes) are compared to laughing people, children, and raindrops.

The arrival of the river at the end of the poem symbolizes a cleansing or purging force, sweeping away remnants of the past or the present. This could represent the inexorable flow of time, erasing memories and altering landscapes.

Throughout the poem, Ashbery plays with the themes of memory, nature, and the passage of time. The imagery is rich and layered, inviting multiple interpretations. The poem's closing lines suggest a journey akin to a comet's, solitary yet part of a greater whole, highlighting the fleeting, ephemeral nature of existence and experience. The final image of birds lying and children vanishing underscores a sense of loss and the elusive nature of truth and reality.

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