Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"We in the Fields" by William Everson is a profound and vividly descriptive poem that explores themes of nature, human insignificance, and the yearning for transcendence. Through the course of a day, from dawn to dusk and the anticipation of night, Everson captures the shifting dynamics between the earth and sky, reflecting on the human condition and our place within the larger cosmos.

The poem opens with the transition from dawn to noon, describing how the initial clarity of the morning is gradually overtaken by clouds that herald an impending storm. These "low rain-bringers" are depicted as emerging from the distant, cold seas, suggesting a natural cycle of regeneration and the interconnectedness of earth's systems.

As dusk approaches, the sky is transformed. The imagery of "broken strips" of clouds "snared in the light" and the "furnace-door wide" with "smoke rolling" conveys a scene of intense, almost apocalyptic beauty. The setting sun ignites the sky with "banner on banner of far-burning flame," evoking a sense of awe and the sublime power of nature.

The observers, "we in the fields," stand as witnesses to this spectacular display, feeling both drawn to the "red beauty" of the sky and painfully aware of their inability to fully comprehend or absorb the magnitude of what they are seeing. The poem articulates a deep sense of longing—to merge with the beauty of the sky, to transcend the limitations of the flesh and become one with the elements.

Everson highlights the limitations of human perception and intelligence when faced with the grandeur of the natural world. The "unable eyes" and "insufficient organs of reception" speak to the gap between human desire for understanding and the ineffable mysteries of the universe. This gap engenders a "deep loneness of incomprehension," a fundamental isolation born from the realization of our smallness in the face of the vast, indifferent beauty of the cosmos.

The poem concludes with the fading of the light and the healing of the "long wounds" in the sky, a metaphor for the return to normalcy and the end of the day's spectacular display. The anticipation of rain suggests renewal and the continuation of life's cycles, yet the observers remain "earth-stuck," bound to their physical existence, carrying the memory of their brief encounter with the sublime.

"We in the Fields" is a meditative reflection on the human yearning for connection and transcendence in a world that is at once beautiful and beyond our full understanding. Through Everson's masterful use of imagery and the juxtaposition of the ephemeral and the eternal, the poem invites readers to contemplate their own relationship with the natural world and the limits of human perception.

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