Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Landfall" by Alan Dugan is a rich and complex poem that interweaves themes of awakening, the natural world, and the daily labors of life into a narrative that reads both as a literal journey by sea and a metaphorical journey through existence. The poem encapsulates a day from morning to night, using vivid maritime and agricultural imagery to explore human consciousness, the process of discovery, and the existential struggle of being.

The poem starts with "The curtains belly in the waking room," immediately evoking an image of sails filled by the wind, setting the scene of a room as if it were a ship embarking on a day's voyage. The simile not only paints a visual picture but also suggests the beginning of motion, of being propelled into the day. This sensation of movement is further enhanced by the description of the sails that "are round with holding, horned at top, and net a blue bull in the wind: the day." Here, the day itself is captured as a formidable, almost mythic entity that the speaker is set to navigate.

The use of maritime imagery continues as the speaker describes being dragged "the blunt hulls of my heels awake and outrigged by myself through morning seas." This portrayal reflects a sense of self-propulsion and the effort required to engage actively with the day. The request, "If I do land, let breakfast harbor me," cleverly shifts from the domain of the sea to a more domestic setting, suggesting a need for refuge and sustenance after the tumultuous start.

The poem moves through different parts of the day and different states of consciousness. Waking in June, the speaker discovers "a first fruit riding out the water on a broken branch," symbolizing a new discovery or a new beginning, emerging from the remnants of past cycles. This moment of discovery is juxtaposed with "Sleep was a windfall, and its floating seeds steered me among the Cyclades of noise," suggesting that even in rest, the mind travels and sorts through sensory and cognitive experiences.

A "coastal woman with a cricket in her hair" emerges as a character who embodies time and nature, with the cricket's chirping marking the passage of time. The description of nighttime as "an Island District" and the curtains functioning as sails suggests that each phase of day and night is a different territory to be navigated, explored, and understood.

As the poem progresses, the imagery shifts from the sea to the land with "Block and tackle string a butcher's dance and hoist the sun on home: the bull is beached and hung to dry." This violent and graphic imagery of the bull, a symbol potent with strength and virility, being subdued and prepared, parallels the conquest of the day's challenges. The "island of his flank quakes in the silence and disturbs the flies," portrays the aftermath of intense activity, a quiet yet tense interlude.

"Flesh has crawled out on the beach of morning," continues the theme of struggle and survival, as the newly landed being, perhaps the speaker himself, must now "hitch its hand to traces and resist the fierce domestic horses teamed to it." This line encapsulates the daily human struggle of harnessing one's capabilities and energies to the tasks and demands of life.

The poem closes with a reflection on the day's labors as a cycle from "morning's alpha to omega after dark," and the contemplation of the day's worth, "Accountancy at sundown is the wine of night." This final meditation offers a sense of closure and reflection, suggesting that the day's efforts, while arduous, bring about a kind of intoxicating satisfaction, a reward akin to wine.

Overall, "Landfall" is a masterful blending of the natural and psychological landscapes, using the metaphor of a sea voyage and the tasks of a farmer to explore the journey of life, the confrontation with and conquest of daily challenges, and the reflective peace found in the evening's contemplation. Through this journey, Alan Dugan articulates a deeply human experience of awakening, laboring, and understanding one’s place in the cycle of life.

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