Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Carlos Williams’s "Pictures from Brueghel: 2. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" is a tightly focused meditation on Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s painting of the same name. The poem captures the contrast between the mythic tragedy of Icarus and the mundane rhythms of daily life, exploring themes of indifference, human resilience, and the interplay between myth and reality. Williams’s sparse language and observational tone mirror Brueghel’s visual style, drawing attention to the ways in which grand narratives often go unnoticed amid the ongoing flow of ordinary existence.

The poem begins with a direct attribution: "According to Brueghel when Icarus fell it was spring." By referencing Brueghel’s interpretation, Williams immediately situates his poem as a response to the painting, emphasizing the perspective of the artist. The timing of Icarus’s fall—"it was spring"—is significant, juxtaposing the vitality and renewal of the season with the tragic descent of the mythical figure. This tension underscores the poem’s exploration of how life and death coexist, with one often overshadowing the other.

The description of the farmer "ploughing his field" introduces the central image of the painting and the poem. The farmer’s labor is emblematic of the human condition, rooted in survival and the cycles of the earth. His focus on his work, "the whole pageantry / of the year," contrasts sharply with the drama of Icarus’s fall. The use of "pageantry" elevates the everyday activity of ploughing, suggesting that the rhythm of nature and agriculture carries its own grandeur, one that persists regardless of individual human or mythical events.

Williams captures the indifference of the natural and human worlds to Icarus’s plight: "the whole pageantry / of the year was awake tingling near / the edge of the sea concerned with itself." This line emphasizes the self-contained nature of life’s ongoing processes. The farmer, like the sea, is "concerned with itself," absorbed in the immediate demands of existence. This detachment reflects a broader commentary on how individual tragedies, no matter how profound, often go unnoticed in the grander scheme of life.

The poem’s tone shifts subtly with the description of the sun "that melted the wings? wax unsignificantly." The word "unsignificantly" underscores the triviality of Icarus’s fall in the context of the larger natural forces at play. The sun, a symbol of power and constancy, operates without regard for human aspirations or failures. The melting wax, once a crucial element of Icarus’s ambition, becomes just another inconsequential detail in the broader landscape.

The final lines drive home the central irony of the poem: "off the coast there was / a splash quite unnoticed this was / Icarus drowning." The climactic moment of the myth—his fall and death—is reduced to a "splash," a minor and "unnoticed" event. By stripping away the grandeur and drama traditionally associated with the story, Williams highlights the disconnect between mythic narratives and everyday life. The simplicity and brevity of the closing lines reflect the abruptness and finality of Icarus’s fate, as well as the indifference of the world to his demise.

Structurally, the poem’s concise, unadorned lines mirror the understated tone of the painting. The lack of punctuation and enjambment create a sense of fluidity, mirroring the natural rhythms of the scene and the ongoing movement of life. This formal simplicity reinforces the theme of indifference, as the poem itself resists embellishment or sentimentality.

Thematically, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" explores the tension between human ambition and the indifferent forces of nature and society. Icarus’s fall, a symbol of overreaching and hubris, is juxtaposed with the unchanging routines of the farmer and the sea. This contrast underscores the idea that life continues, often oblivious to individual struggles and aspirations. The poem invites readers to reflect on the ways in which personal and historical narratives intersect—or fail to—with the larger currents of existence.

Williams’s decision to focus on the peripheral elements of Brueghel’s painting rather than Icarus himself is a testament to his interest in the overlooked and the ordinary. By doing so, he shifts the focus from the mythic to the mundane, challenging readers to reconsider the importance of everyday life in the face of grand, dramatic events.

"Pictures from Brueghel: 2. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" is a masterful meditation on the coexistence of myth and reality, tragedy and routine. Through its spare language and observational tone, the poem captures the quiet resilience of the natural and human worlds, offering a nuanced reflection on the nature of significance and the enduring rhythms of life. It is a poignant reminder of the ways in which the extraordinary often goes unnoticed amid the persistence of the ordinary.

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