Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marilyn Hacker's "Crepuscule with Muriel" is a meditation on the passage of time, the presence of absence, and the lingering impact of memories intertwined with the everyday. The poem’s intricate structure and rich imagery evoke a reflective mood, capturing the nuances of a late afternoon and the thoughts that emerge within its transitory light.

The poem begins with a series of “instead of” phrases, setting up a comparison between the expected comforts of a teatime ritual and the stark reality of their absence. The detailed descriptions—“milk-silk whelk of a cup,” “cup of a cut brown loaf,” “blueberry jam that’s almost black”—invoke the sensory pleasures of teatime, emphasizing the void left by their absence. The repetition of “cup” underscores the sense of something missing, a central theme that threads through the poem.

Hacker's use of tactile imagery—“tannin seeping into the cracks,” “the void of an hour seeping out”—creates a palpable sense of emptiness. The void is not just a lack of physical objects but also a deeper, more existential absence, one that "infects / the slit of a cut I haven't the wit to fix." This line captures the speaker's helplessness in the face of this pervasive emptiness, suggesting a wound that cannot be easily healed.

The poem shifts focus to the light of the late afternoon, described as “transitory” and having a “rough tongue.” This personification of light as something that licks and flicks out emphasizes its fleeting nature, mirroring the fleeting moments of clarity and understanding in the speaker’s thoughts. The imagery of the wheel's revolving spoke and the absent cup underscores the cyclical nature of time and the persistent sense of something missing.

Hacker then introduces a reflection on Muriel, presumably Muriel Rukeyser, a poet known for her engagement with politics and personal experience. The mention of her losing and regaining words hints at a struggle with language and expression, possibly due to illness or aging. This struggle is connected to broader themes of “death and distance,” where the coherence of syntax serves as a fragile bridge between intense emotions and unfashionable politics.

The poem also contemplates the process of translating these internal experiences into language, a task that Muriel undertook with skill and passion. The line “then the short-circuit of the final stroke, / the end toward which all lines looped out, then broke” poignantly captures the abrupt end of her life and work. This imagery of broken lines reinforces the theme of interrupted thought and unfinished business, leaving an enduring impact on those left behind.

The gaze out the window introduces a shift in perspective, grounding the poem in a specific, mundane moment: a girl walking her dog as the light changes. This scene juxtaposes the abstract reflections on time and memory with the concrete reality of the present, highlighting the everyday continuities that persist despite personal loss. The description of the “black Lab balks” and the “plump brown girl in a purple anorak” adds a touch of everyday life and color to the somber tone of the poem.

The final image of the Bronx-bound local train rumbling up the tracks through west Harlem blocks provides a sense of movement and continuity. The windows gleaming with “the animal warmth of bricks” bathed in the “fluvial light of six o'clock” suggests a return to the cyclical nature of time. This image blends the warmth of human life with the inevitability of time’s passage, creating a poignant conclusion that encapsulates the poem’s themes.

"Crepuscule with Muriel" is a rich, complex poem that captures the interplay of absence and presence, memory and reality, through its vivid imagery and reflective tone. Hacker’s skillful use of language and structure creates a deeply moving meditation on the passage of time and the enduring impact of personal and collective history.

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