Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Environ S" by Larry Eigner is a poem that captures the dynamic interplay between human activities and the natural environment, reflecting on daily life through a series of vivid, sensory images. The poem's title, possibly a play on "environments," suggests a focus on the spaces and contexts in which life unfolds, observing the ordinary yet significant activities that characterize human existence within the larger natural world.

The poem opens with "Many shapes of wings on the sky and the table," a line that immediately bridges the vast (the sky) and the domestic (the table). This juxtaposition sets the tone for the poem, emphasizing the seamless connections between the grandeur of nature and the minutiae of everyday life. The imagery of wings may also suggest freedom or the passing of time, themes that are explored throughout the piece.

Eigner then shifts the focus to "large men carefully at dusk lengthened by lights watering their lawns turn, paterfamilias," a depiction that grounds the poem in a suburban setting. The men are described almost like gentle giants of their own domains, engaged in the routine yet nurturing act of watering lawns at dusk. The term "paterfamilias" refers to the head of a family, further emphasizing roles and responsibilities within familial and social structures.

The poem weaves through various scenes and sensations, mentioning "the sweet hay as I go from one leg to the other more so than I might." This line conveys a sense of movement and perhaps instability or restlessness, contrasted against the stable, grounded activity of the men. The mention of "sweet hay" evokes a rural or pastoral image, linking back to nature and traditional agricultural life.

Eigner introduces urban elements with "mingled with barber's tonic from the morning's shops of papers and bright rag as if we could take time out for life." Here, the city's hustle is captured through the smells of a barber's shop and the visual of morning papers, suggesting the busy start of a day. The phrase "as if we could take time out for life" reflects a longing or realization about pausing to appreciate life amidst daily routines.

The poem then shifts to a more reflective tone with "At some smell of smoke / I found a spray behind me and the two on my right gone tending the grass, all night everyone beautifully (by themselves." Smoke here could symbolize danger or a shift, prompting a reaction. The scene becomes solitary with the disappearance of companions, focusing on individual actions within the shared space.

Eigner concludes with an evocative landscape description: "time / for the surroundings against the strip of hill ending low, a space / on this side, hut for clouds." This imagery places the human elements within a broader, more enduring natural context. The "strip of hill" and the "hut for clouds" suggest both containment and expansiveness, framing human life within the vast cycles and spaces of the natural world.

Overall, "Environ S" captures the essence of daily human life—its routines, responsibilities, and fleeting moments—set against the backdrop of the larger environmental and temporal contexts. Through this poem, Eigner invites readers to reflect on their own interactions with their environments, blending the mundane with the profound, and highlighting the interconnectedness of all aspects of life.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...