Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens? "Ploughing on Sunday" is a vibrant and rhythmically dynamic poem that juxtaposes natural imagery with cultural and symbolic elements to explore themes of work, nature, and the intersection of human activity with the natural world. Through its repetition, musicality, and pastoral imagery, the poem creates a sense of movement and vitality, while also challenging traditional associations of labor, time, and the sacred.

The poem begins with vivid depictions of natural elements: "The white cock?s tail / Tosses in the wind." This imagery, repeated for emphasis, sets the tone for the poem, drawing attention to the interplay of light, wind, and motion. The "turkey-cock?s tail" that "glitters in the sun" contrasts with the "white cock?s tail" that "streams to the moon," suggesting a dichotomy between day and night, sun and moon, and perhaps the temporal cycles that govern nature. The feathers, flaring and blustering in the wind, add to the sense of movement and vitality, animating the scene with kinetic energy.

The central refrain—"I?m ploughing on Sunday, / Remus, blow your horn!"—introduces the human figure into this pastoral landscape. The act of ploughing on Sunday, a day traditionally reserved for rest and worship in Christian cultures, carries subversive undertones. It suggests a rejection of conventional religious or cultural norms in favor of a more personal or natural rhythm of life. By invoking "Remus," a figure associated with Roman mythology and the founding of Rome, Stevens layers the scene with classical and mythological resonance, connecting the agricultural act of ploughing to larger historical and cultural narratives.

The poem?s rhythm, marked by phrases like "Tum-ti-tum, / Blow your horn! / Ti-tum-tum-tum!" evokes a musical quality, reminiscent of work songs or folk rhythms. This musicality reinforces the connection between labor and celebration, suggesting that work itself can be a form of art or expression. The repetition of phrases such as "The wind pours down" and "Water in the fields" creates a cyclical, almost hypnotic pattern, mirroring the repetitive nature of agricultural work and the cycles of nature.

The imagery of tails—whether of the cock or the turkey-cock—serves as a recurring motif, symbolizing both vitality and the natural world?s grandeur. The tail becomes a focal point of motion and light, with its "tossing," "streaming," and "spreading" capturing the dynamic interplay of the elements. The emphasis on the feathers? interaction with the sun and moon reinforces the theme of nature?s omnipresence and its interplay with human activity.

The poem?s structure, with its alternating lines and refrains, mirrors the physical act of ploughing, with its back-and-forth movement across the fields. This formal mimicry deepens the connection between the poem?s content and its form, making the act of reading the poem an embodied experience that reflects its themes.

Stevens? choice to depict work on Sunday can also be read as a commentary on modernity?s shifting relationship with time and labor. In a world increasingly divorced from traditional religious practices, the act of ploughing on Sunday becomes a statement of autonomy and integration with the natural world. The poem suggests that the rhythms of nature—sun, moon, wind, and water—are more fundamental and sustaining than imposed human schedules or rituals.

Ultimately, "Ploughing on Sunday" celebrates the union of human effort and natural forces. It transforms a mundane agricultural task into a mythic and artistic act, elevating the ordinary to the extraordinary through its rich imagery and rhythmic complexity. The poem invites readers to see work not as drudgery but as an integral part of the natural world?s beauty and dynamism, blending the sacred and the profane in a celebration of life?s interconnectedness.

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