Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens? poem "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" is a provocative and enigmatic meditation on life, death, and the transient pleasures of existence. Its two stanzas juxtapose the vibrancy of life with the stark finality of death, framed by the recurring declaration, "The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream." This refrain serves as a central motif, underscoring the poem?s themes of sensuality, ephemerality, and the rejection of illusion.

The first stanza introduces a scene of bustling, earthy vitality. The speaker calls for the "roller of big cigars," a figure of physicality and sensuality, to whip "concupiscent curds" in "kitchen cups." These images of indulgence and creation evoke the pleasures of the flesh and the act of living fully in the present. The diction—words like "muscular," "concupiscent," and "whip"—conveys a sense of vigor and unrestrained joy. The inclusion of "wenches" and "boys" engaged in their everyday, casual behaviors highlights the ordinariness of this sensuality. Yet, even in its mundane context, this scene brims with life and energy.

The stanza’s most striking line, "Let be be finale of seem," encapsulates Stevens? philosophical leanings. This aphorism rejects appearances ("seem") and embraces existence as it is ("be"). It serves as a call to abandon pretenses, illusions, and abstractions in favor of direct engagement with the material world. This sentiment aligns with the stanza?s sensual imagery, reinforcing the celebration of physicality and immediacy.

The refrain, "The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream," ties the stanza?s themes together. Ice cream, a symbol of fleeting pleasure and indulgence, becomes a metaphor for the sovereignty of life?s ephemeral joys. In elevating ice cream to the status of an "emperor," Stevens proclaims the primacy of life?s tangible, temporary experiences over any metaphysical or eternal aspirations.

In contrast, the second stanza shifts to a somber depiction of death. The scene centers on a deceased woman, her body covered with a sheet "on which she embroidered fantails once." The details here are stark and unflinching: the "dresser of deal" is a cheap, practical piece of furniture, and the "horny feet" protruding from the shroud emphasize the physical reality of the corpse. These details strip away sentimentality, presenting death in its raw, unvarnished state.

Yet, even amid this somberness, the poem resists pathos. The focus on the sheet?s embroidery—a labor of care and creativity—offers a subtle acknowledgment of the deceased woman?s life and individuality. The act of covering her face with this sheet suggests a gesture of respect, but the protruding feet underline the inevitability of decay and the limits of human dignity in death.

The imperative, "Let the lamp affix its beam," functions as a directive to illuminate this reality without embellishment. The lamp, a symbol of clarity and perception, contrasts with the deceptive, shadowy qualities of "seem" in the first stanza. In death, as in life, Stevens insists on confronting what is, rather than clinging to illusions or false consolations.

The repetition of the refrain in this context takes on a new resonance. The emperor of ice cream remains a figure of life’s fleeting pleasures, but now its association with death underscores the fragility and transience of those pleasures. The line becomes a memento mori, reminding the reader that life?s joys, like ice cream, are transient and will ultimately melt away.

Structurally, the poem’s two stanzas mirror each other, with parallel commands and images linking the realms of life and death. This symmetry reinforces the interconnectedness of the two states, suggesting that the vibrancy of life and the finality of death are part of the same continuum. The use of simple, direct language contrasts with the complexity of the poem?s themes, creating a tension between form and content that invites deeper reflection.

In terms of tone, "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" balances exuberance and austerity, moving fluidly between the celebratory and the macabre. Stevens? use of sensory imagery—flavors, textures, and visual details—engages the reader’s senses while drawing attention to their limitations. The pleasures of life are vivid but fleeting, and the realities of death are stark but inevitable.

"The Emperor of Ice-Cream" encapsulates Stevens? modernist philosophy, rejecting transcendence in favor of a grounded, earthly realism. It challenges the reader to embrace life’s sensual pleasures without denying the inevitability of death, asserting that meaning lies not in eternal truths but in the transient, embodied experiences that define human existence. By elevating ice cream to the status of an emperor, Stevens captures the paradoxical richness and fragility of life, offering a vision that is both sobering and celebratory.

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