Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Variation on a Theme by Stevens" by Alan Dugan draws on themes similar to those explored by Wallace Stevens, particularly the interplay between nature, the changing seasons, and human emotions. Dugan’s poem reflects on the transition from fall to winter, using this shift to explore deeper themes of change, renewal, and the cyclic nature of life and relationships.

 Key Elements and Themes:

1. Seasonal Change and Emotional Impact: The poem opens with the vivid imagery of "fall and whiskey weather," immediately setting a tone of introspective change as autumn brings clarity and a chilling of the air. Dugan describes how "the eye clears with the air and blood comes up to surface one last time before the winter and its sleeps," linking the physiological reactions to cold weather with a metaphorical awakening or revival of the senses and emotions.

2. Migration and Transition: Much like Stevens often contemplates nature and its metaphors for human conditions, Dugan observes the migration of birds southward, paralleling this natural phenomenon with human patterns of seeking warmth or change when conditions become unfavorable. The migration theme extends to human behavior, noting that retired people and the affluent also move to warmer climates, akin to the birds and the sunlight.

3. Renewal of Love and Clarity: Dugan notes that "All appetites revive and love is possible again in clarity without the sweats of heat: it makes warmth." This line suggests that the cooler weather provides a clarity that revives desires and passions, perhaps dulled by the lethargy of summer’s heat. This revival is seen as a natural, cleansing process that rekindles emotions in a more genuine and clear-headed way.

4. The Presence and Role of Animals in Nature: The arrival of "wall-eyed arctic birds" who "summer in the fall, warmed by these chills" introduces a paradoxical element where the cold season brings warmth to those adapted to arctic climates. This inversion reinforces the theme of adaptability and finding comfort in unlikely circumstances. The imagery of geese forming "noisy V's" and white owls hiding from crows adds a dynamic natural backdrop to the human themes of departure and survival.

5. Ambiguity of Departures and Greetings: The conclusion of the poem, "Therefore it is not tragic to stay and not tragic or comic to go, but it is absolutely typical to say goodbye while saying hello," captures a quintessential Stevens-like philosophical musing. This reflects on the nature of human interactions and the often ambiguous emotions involved in meeting and parting, suggesting that life is a continuous cycle of hellos and goodbyes, each carrying elements of both joy and sorrow.

Dugan’s poem, through its contemplation of seasonal change and its effects on the natural world and human emotion, embodies a reflective and layered exploration of existence. It suggests a stoic acceptance of life's cycles, finding beauty and renewal even as it acknowledges the inevitable departures and endings that come with the passage of time. The poem mirrors Wallace Stevens' ability to find profound philosophical insights within the observations of everyday natural phenomena, making it a thoughtful "variation" on Stevens' thematic style.

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