Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Simpson's poem "Landscape with Barns" presents a stark, contemplative view of rural America, juxtaposing the physical and emotional desolation of the landscape with the deeper existential concerns of life and death. Through vivid imagery and a tone that blends resignation with subtle irony, Simpson explores the disconnection between the romanticized notion of America and the harsh, often monotonous reality of life on the farm. The poem reflects on the cyclical nature of life, the erosion of youthful idealism, and the inevitability of death, all while maintaining a sense of the surreal.

The opening lines set the tone with a powerful metaphor: "The barns like scarlet lungs are breathing in / Pneumonia." Here, the barns, typically symbols of life and productivity on a farm, are portrayed as diseased, struggling for breath in the harsh winter. The personification of the barns as "breathing in / Pneumonia" imbues the landscape with a sense of sickness and decay, suggesting that the environment itself is deteriorating. The "North wind" that "smells of iron" reinforces this sense of cold, metallic harshness, adding to the bleakness of the scene.

The reference to the "Hupmobile," an old automobile, further emphasizes the theme of decay. The vehicle, which "broke its back," is now "dying at the fence," a relic of a bygone era, left to rust and wither away. This image of the broken-down car symbolizes the broader decline of rural life, where progress has stalled and the remnants of the past linger without purpose. The poem then shifts indoors, where the speaker describes watching TV in a "thin house," suggesting a flimsy, perhaps insubstantial existence, where entertainment serves as a distraction from the encroaching darkness outside. The "moonlight falls in silence, drop by drop," a haunting image that evokes a slow, steady passage of time, almost imperceptible yet relentless.

Simpson's meditation on America, "The country that Columbus thought he found / Is called America," introduces a sense of disillusionment. The idea that America "looks unreal" both in winter and summer speaks to the discrepancy between the idealized vision of the country and the lived reality. This unreality extends to the experience of youth in rural America, where "movies spread their giants on the air," and the boys, "drunk on nothing," seek escape in the next town. The phrase "drunk on nothing" captures the emptiness and restlessness of youth, a time when the promise of excitement and adventure often leads to disillusionment. Simpson suggests that while youth holds the "secret"—perhaps the naive belief in immortality—this secret is ultimately hollow, as "Only death looks real."

The poem's reflection on death and aging is poignant and tinged with irony. The assertion "We never die. When we are old we vanish / Into the basement where we have our hobbies" suggests a quiet, unnoticed disappearance rather than a dramatic end. Life becomes a series of distractions—hobbies in the basement—while death is something that is acknowledged only when something breaks, prompting widows to mourn with the refrain, "He would have fixed it. He knew what to do." This sentiment reflects the way people are remembered for their usefulness, their ability to maintain the everyday functions of life, rather than for who they were as individuals. The idea that "life is always borrowing and lending / Like a good neighbor" reinforces the notion of life as a series of transactions, obligations, and small exchanges that, while necessary, are ultimately mundane.

Simpson closes the poem with a question that underscores the sense of duty and inevitability: "How can we refuse?" This rhetorical question suggests that life’s demands—whether it’s fixing broken things, maintaining routines, or simply continuing on—are inescapable. The poem captures a sense of weary acceptance, where the cycles of life and death, action and decay, are simply part of the landscape, much like the barns that breathe in pneumonia.

"Landscape with Barns" is a meditation on the harsh realities of rural life, the disillusionment of youth, and the inexorable approach of death. Simpson’s use of stark imagery and understated irony conveys a deep sense of the surreal and the poignant, as he reflects on the ways in which life persists in the face of decay and disappointment. The poem invites readers to consider the ways in which they navigate the landscape of their own lives, balancing the mundane with the inevitable, and finding meaning—or at least acceptance—in the small acts of maintenance that define existence.

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