Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James Ingram Merrill's poem "The Peacock" presents a meditation on beauty, its burdens, and the inevitable decline that accompanies all living things. Through the metaphor of the peacock, Merrill delves into the complexity of beauty, exploring its superficial allure as well as the inner struggle and emptiness that can accompany it. The poem reflects on the nature of perfection, the frailty of life, and the human tendency to find solace in flawed or less-than-perfect creatures.

The poem opens with a direct address to "the unbeautiful," acknowledging the disparity between the listener and the subject—the peacock, a bird renowned for its dazzling display of feathers. The peacock, described as "celestially bored," embodies a creature whose beauty has become burdensome. The image of the bird trailing "too much of itself" suggests that the peacock's beauty is both a gift and a weight, something that it cannot escape. This weight is likened to the long brocade of Proust, a writer known for his intricate and exhaustive explorations of memory and time. The comparison highlights the peacock's beauty as something that is excessive, almost suffocating, and ultimately inescapable.

Merrill contrasts the peacock's resplendent appearance with its experience of life. The bird is "never spared" from the trials of its beauty, lifting its burden "up in pride." The pride here is not just vanity but a necessary defense against the inherent difficulties of possessing such overwhelming beauty. The peacock's tail, described as "pallid seen from the back," emphasizes the dual nature of beauty—what appears dazzling from one perspective may be dull or even burdensome from another. Yet, when the peacock turns, the tail reveals its true splendor: "black, green and gold, that zodiac / Of eyes." This "zodiac of eyes" suggests a cosmic significance, as if the peacock's beauty is a reflection of the universe itself, but also an "idiot mouth" that repeats "I," indicating a self-absorbed, almost narcissistic focus on its own beauty.

Merrill's contemplation of other birds—the swan, the dodo, and the dove—serves to highlight the peacock's unique position. The swan, often associated with grace, is also "murderous," while the dodo, a symbol of extinction, is "now undone." The dove, traditionally a symbol of peace, is reduced to "hens' petulant sisterhood," stripping away its symbolic purity. In this context, the peacock emerges as a creature of idleness and tension, "already on / A terrace in boxwood / Or graven in a coat of arms." The reference to heraldry and terraces suggests a timeless, almost mythic quality to the peacock, as if it exists outside the ordinary cycles of life and death.

However, Merrill acknowledges that even the peacock is not immune to the "common wound of nature / No natural hand can suture." This wound represents the inherent imperfections and mortality of all living things, regardless of their beauty. The peacock's beauty, while seemingly perfect, is still subject to the same natural decline as any other creature. The poet reflects on the comfort found in thinking that creatures "this short of beautiful" are somehow blessed, yet he quickly undercuts this notion, suggesting that such comfort is "false."

The final stanza of the poem turns to the idea of inheritance and the afterlife. The "beatitude of trees" suggests a serene, natural afterlife for those "poor in spirit." The peacock, in all its cumbersome beauty, finds solace in this shade, as do those who possess perfect beauty. However, unlike others who may grieve for their loss of beauty, the peacock and those like it "know merit / In body, word and deed." This recognition of worth beyond physical appearance hints at a deeper, more enduring form of beauty—one that transcends the physical and finds expression in actions and words. The "lone angels round each human grave" suggest a spiritual presence that watches over the dead, perhaps a nod to the idea that true beauty is eternal, even if the physical form fades.

In "The Peacock," Merrill masterfully explores the burdens of beauty, the inevitable decline that accompanies all life, and the human desire to find solace in imperfection. Through the peacock, he reveals the complex interplay between appearance and reality, suggesting that true beauty lies not in physical perfection but in the enduring qualities of spirit and character. The poem is a meditation on the ephemeral nature of life and the enduring search for meaning and worth beyond the superficial.

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