Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Simpson's poem "Sway" is a reflective narrative that captures the fleeting nature of youth, love, and ambition through the lens of memory. The poem intertwines themes of nostalgia, unfulfilled dreams, and the contrast between idealism and reality. With its vivid imagery and nuanced character portrayals, Simpson invites the reader into a world where the simple pleasures and heartbreaks of life are both celebrated and mourned.

The poem begins with a reference to Sammy Kaye, a popular bandleader known for his "swing and sway" music, which sets the tone for a nostalgic look back at a time and place where life was simpler, yet full of potential. The setting is Lake Kearney, a place where everyone has a nickname, and the two sisters, Swing and Sway, are central figures in the speaker's memory. Swing is depicted as lively and energetic, "jitterbugging" on the dance floor, while Sway, whose name implies a more graceful, perhaps more introspective nature, captures the speaker's heart as she quietly works, lifting "her heavy rack of dishes" and passing "through the swinging door."

Sway is engaged to an enlisted man stationed at Fort Dix, a detail that grounds the poem in the era of World War II. The speaker's interaction with her fiancé is awkward, and his inability to engage with the speaker leaves an impression of distance and perhaps a lack of depth in their relationship. The fiancé, a furniture salesman in civilian life, represents a mundane reality that contrasts sharply with the speaker's own aspirations of becoming a novelist—a dream that symbolizes the desire for something more profound and meaningful.

The speaker's ambition to "write novels conveying the excitement of life" is articulated in a moment of connection with Sway, as they sit in the main building, lit up "like a liner on Saturday night," with the sounds of a band playing in the background. This scene captures the essence of the American spirit, where music and dreams are intertwined with the ordinary contents of a purse—"Kleenex, aspirin, chewing gum wrappers, combs, et cetera"—a metaphor for the mix of the sublime and the mundane in everyday life.

In the afternoon, the poem shifts to a more intimate setting, where the speaker and Sway row out on the lake. The speaker reads aloud from Rilke's *Duino Elegies*, a work known for its exploration of beauty and terror, as Sway listens, her chestnut-colored hair and changeable eyes mirroring the natural beauty around them. The quote, "Beauty is nothing but beginning of Terror we're still just able to bear," reflects the tension between the allure of life and its underlying fears—a tension that permeates the poem.

Sway's background is then revealed as she hails from Jersey, an "industrial wasteland" overshadowed by the nearby grandeur of Manhattan. The speaker visualizes her life growing up, imagining the small details of her existence—the cold walks to school, the summer days in tennis shoes, and the watchful presence of her mother, who "pretended to sew" while keeping an eye on her daughters' romantic encounters. This portrayal of Sway's life adds depth to her character, illustrating the constraints and expectations she faced, and the sense of missing out on something larger that pervades her thoughts.

As the poem progresses, Sway expresses a wistful hope that the speaker, once a famous novelist, will write about her. The speaker promises to do so and later discovers typewritten pages that capture her essence—the moments they shared, the small joys of playing tennis and listening to the orchestra. However, the speaker admits a creative struggle: "I can never think of anything / to make the characters do." This admission reflects a broader theme of stasis and unfulfilled potential, where life’s narrative is left incomplete, and the characters remain suspended in a moment of time, "still sitting in the moonlight."

The poem concludes with a poignant scene: the speaker and Sway, still reluctant to leave the quiet, intimate moment they share, remain in the moonlight, despite the signs that their time together is drawing to a close. The final exchange, where Sway says, "Not yet," encapsulates the bittersweet nature of memory and the desire to hold onto fleeting moments of connection, even as they inevitably slip away.

"Sway" is a meditation on the passage of time, the complexities of love and ambition, and the enduring impact of the people and places that shape our lives. Through its rich imagery and introspective narrative, Simpson captures the essence of youth and the longing for something more, while also acknowledging the limitations and disappointments that often accompany these desires. The poem invites readers to reflect on their own memories, the dreams they once held, and the people who have left an indelible mark on their hearts.

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