Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens’ "Mozart, 1935" is a compelling meditation on the role of the artist and the function of art during times of social and existential crisis. By evoking the figure of Mozart and the act of creating music, Stevens explores the tension between art’s ability to transcend suffering and its obligation to confront the harsh realities of the present. The poem’s layered imagery and shifting tones highlight both the power and the limitations of artistic expression.

The poem opens with an imperative: "Poet, be seated at the piano." This command situates the poet as a musician, someone whose task is to create harmony and meaning through their art. The subsequent lines—"Play the present, its hoo-hoo-hoo, / Its shoo-shoo-shoo, its ric-a-nic"—evoke the chaotic and fragmented nature of contemporary life. The nonsensical syllables mimic the dissonance and cacophony of the modern world, suggesting that the present moment resists straightforward interpretation or resolution.

Stevens contrasts this chaotic present with the practice of art, represented by the "arpeggios" on the piano. However, even this act is interrupted by violence: "If they throw stones upon the roof / While you practice arpeggios, / It is because they carry down the stairs / A body in rags." This image of social unrest and human suffering intrudes on the artist’s attempt to create beauty, underscoring the inescapable presence of pain and injustice. The imperative "Be seated at the piano" is repeated, suggesting a persistence in the face of these disruptions—a call for the artist to continue despite the world’s tumult.

The middle section of the poem shifts to a reflection on art’s temporal dimensions. "That lucid souvenir of the past, / The divertimento; / That airy dream of the future, / The unclouded concerto" contrasts two musical forms, representing nostalgia for a simpler past and hope for an idealized future. These forms are juxtaposed with the immediate reality: "The snow is falling. / Strike the piercing chord." The snow, a recurring motif in Stevens’ work, represents both beauty and cold detachment, a simultaneous covering and exposure of reality. The "piercing chord" becomes a moment of clarity, a demand for art that confronts and penetrates the present.

The shift to the second-person address—"Be thou the voice, / Not you. Be thou, be thou"—emphasizes the transformation of the artist. By adopting the archaic "thou," Stevens elevates the role of the poet-musician, imbuing it with a sense of gravitas and universality. The repetition underscores the weight of this responsibility: to be "the voice of angry fear, / The voice of this besieging pain." Art, in this context, is not an escape but a confrontation—a means of channeling and articulating collective sorrow and fear.

Stevens extends this idea in the lines "Be thou that wintry sound / As of a great wind howling, / By which sorrow is released." The metaphor of the "wintry sound" captures both the harshness of reality and the cathartic power of art. The "great wind howling" suggests a primal, elemental force through which pain is "released, / Dismissed, absolved / In a starry placating." This resolution through art is both personal and cosmic, linking the human experience of suffering to something larger and more enduring.

The poem closes by invoking Mozart explicitly: "We may return to Mozart. / He was young, and we, we are old." Mozart, a symbol of youthful genius and timeless beauty, contrasts with the aging speaker and the weary world. The repetition of "The snow is falling" reminds us of the inevitability of time and the unchanging backdrop of human cries. Yet the final imperative—"Be seated, thou"—reaffirms the artist’s role. Despite the world’s pain and the artist’s own mortality, the act of creation persists as a necessary response.

Structurally, the poem’s free verse mirrors its thematic exploration of chaos and resolution. The absence of a fixed rhyme scheme or meter allows Stevens to move fluidly between fragmented descriptions of the present and more meditative reflections on art and time. This fluidity underscores the tension between disorder and the artist’s attempt to impose order through creation.

"Mozart, 1935" is both a tribute to the enduring power of art and a challenge to the artist’s role in a troubled world. By invoking Mozart, Stevens highlights the tension between beauty and suffering, transcendence and immediacy. The poem ultimately affirms the necessity of art, not as an escape but as a means of confronting and transforming the chaos of existence. Through its rich imagery and layered imperatives, Stevens invites us to consider the resilience and responsibility of the artist, even in the face of relentless human cries and the falling snow.

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