Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Richard Wilbur’s "A Wall in the Woods: Cummington" is a layered exploration of history, craftsmanship, nature, and human connection to the past and the present. Through its two distinct sections, the poem meditates on the meaning of a stone wall in the woods—a remnant of human labor—and its relationship to the natural world and the creatures that now inhabit it. Wilbur’s language and imagery blend elegy, admiration, and philosophical reflection, creating a work that moves seamlessly between past and present, human effort and natural adaptation.

The first section begins with a question: "What is it for, now that dividing neither / Farm from farm nor field from field, it runs / Through deep impartial woods?" The wall, originally a practical boundary for agriculture, has lost its utilitarian purpose. It now lies hidden beneath the canopy of the woods, where "boughs of pine or beech" cross it freely, as if nature reclaims and ignores what once divided land. This transition from function to obsolescence sets the tone for an exploration of the wall’s symbolic and aesthetic value, as well as its connection to human history.

Wilbur reflects on the human labor that constructed the wall: "It is for grief at what has come to nothing, / What even in this hush is scarcely heard— / Whipcrack, the ox?s lunge, the stoneboat?s grating." These sounds, evoking the toil and determination of the young men who built the wall, now exist only in memory. The wall becomes a monument to the vanished world of agrarian labor, a poignant reminder of human ambition and the transience of its outcomes. Yet the imagery of "the rose of apples and the blue of rye" underscores the hope and permanence those workers envisioned, contrasting with the ephemeral reality of their efforts.

The wall also stands as a testament to human pride and ingenuity: "Look how with shims they made the stones weigh inward, / Binding the water-rounded with the flat." Wilbur admires the skill and perseverance required to construct the wall, particularly the feat of spanning a ravine with a "long, smooth girder of a rock" to allow a stream to pass beneath it. This craftsmanship endures, "two whole centuries" later, even as the practical purpose of the wall has faded. The lichen that decorates the stones symbolizes time’s passage and the blending of human and natural elements, a subtle acknowledgment of how human creations eventually merge with the natural world.

As Wilbur moves toward the poem’s close, he suggests that the wall’s value lies not in its original purpose but in its ability to inspire reflection and beauty: "It is a sort of music for the eye, / A rugged ground bass like the bagpipe?s drone / On which the leaf-light like a chanter plays." This metaphor transforms the wall into an aesthetic object, a foundation for the interplay of light and shadow, echoing the relationship between permanence and transience.

The second section shifts focus to a small creature—a chipmunk—that now inhabits the wall. Described as "this small, / Striped, duff-colored resident," the chipmunk embodies vitality and adaptability, contrasting with the elegiac tone of the first section. The chipmunk’s "apotropaic shriek," its rapid movements, and its mastery of the wall’s "Cyclopean passages" transform the wall into a dynamic, living space. Wilbur captures the energy and ingenuity of the creature, whose brisk activity imbues the wall with a new kind of meaning.

The chipmunk’s actions and sounds prompt further reflection: "What is he saying / Now, in a steady chipping / Succinctly plucked and cadenced / As water dripping?" Wilbur suggests that the chipmunk’s movements are not an echo of the wall’s human builders—"not drum-taps / For a lost race of giants"—but rather a testament to the adaptability and continuity of life. The chipmunk’s focus on foraging and storing nuts symbolizes resilience and the pragmatic beauty of survival, contrasting with the monumental and elegiac tone of the wall’s human history.

The poem closes with a meditation on how the chipmunk’s agility and resourcefulness connect to larger truths: "Of the plenum, charged / With one life through all changes, / And of how we are enlarged / By what estranges." Here, Wilbur suggests that life, in its endless transformations, is interconnected and enriched by its differences. The chipmunk, alien yet familiar, becomes a symbol of the adaptability and persistence of life, offering a counterpoint to the static permanence of the wall.

Structurally, the poem is divided into two parts, each with a distinct focus and tone. The first section emphasizes history, labor, and human craftsmanship, while the second celebrates the vitality and adaptability of nature. The shift between these perspectives highlights the tension between human attempts to impose order and the natural world’s capacity to reclaim and repurpose.

"A Wall in the Woods: Cummington" is a deeply reflective poem that captures the intersection of human history and natural continuity. Wilbur’s careful attention to detail and his ability to weave together past and present create a work that honors both the labor of the wall’s builders and the energy of the creatures that now inhabit it. Through its rich imagery and layered meanings, the poem invites readers to consider how human effort and natural resilience coexist, reminding us of the beauty and complexity of the world’s endless cycles.

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