Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Wagoner?s "By the Orchard" is a short yet evocative poem that captures the cyclical, almost mythic relationship between nature’s transient offerings and the inevitable processes of decay and renewal. The poem’s focus on falling apples serves as both a literal depiction of a seasonal occurrence and a symbolic meditation on themes of mortality, transformation, and interconnectedness.

The poem begins with a dynamic and almost chaotic scene: “Rushing through leaves, they fall / Down, abruptly down.” The repetition of “down” reinforces the gravity and finality of the act, as the windfall apples cascade to the earth. This opening line plunges the reader into a moment of heightened natural activity, as though the orchard itself is alive with motion and urgency. The imagery of the apples “bumping the branches” as they descend suggests both a haphazard inevitability and a kind of playful interaction within the natural order.

Wagoner’s attention to the apples’ destination — “Yellow into the long grass and lying / Where they have fallen” — highlights their shift from the tree’s nurturing limbs to the unyielding ground. The transition from being part of the tree’s living body to becoming separate entities symbolizes a broader narrative of life’s movement from creation to dissolution. Their new state, described in terms of “soft bruises sinking,” evokes vulnerability and the onset of decay. The phrase “opening wide / Mouths to the mouths of creatures” imbues the scene with an unsettling anthropomorphism, as though the apples themselves are participants in a silent conversation with the earth and its inhabitants.

The image of the apples “opening wide / Mouths” also connects them to the broader cycles of consumption and sustenance. Their softening and eventual decomposition provide sustenance to the “creatures” Wagoner mentions, emphasizing the role of decay in feeding and sustaining new life. This idea is mirrored in the suggestion that the apples’ transformation is tied to the sun’s energy, as they “like the sun are falling / To flicker.” Here, Wagoner juxtaposes the cosmic and the terrestrial, drawing a parallel between the life cycle of the sun—eventually destined to burn out—and the ephemeral existence of the apples. This connection reminds readers of the shared impermanence of all things, from celestial bodies to earthly fruits.

The concluding lines, “to worm’s end under / Themselves, the hatch of moons,” further emphasize the poem’s focus on renewal through decay. The reference to “worm’s end” underscores the role of decomposition as a vital stage in the cycle of life, where even the most ephemeral remnants are transformed into sustenance for other organisms. The phrase “the hatch of moons” is enigmatic and evocative, suggesting new beginnings or transformations born out of what might otherwise seem an ending. By invoking the image of moons, Wagoner introduces a celestial quality to this natural cycle, elevating it from the mundane to the mythic.

Structurally, the poem’s brevity and tightly controlled language mirror the immediacy and economy of the natural processes it describes. The enjambment throughout creates a sense of fluidity and motion, mimicking the apples’ descent and the seamless continuation of life’s cycles. The lack of punctuation contributes to this flow, giving the poem a sense of inevitability and interconnectedness, as though each image leads naturally to the next without interruption.

"By the Orchard" explores the duality of beauty and decay inherent in the natural world. The falling apples, with their “soft bruises” and eventual decomposition, embody the transient nature of life and the inevitability of change. Yet, Wagoner suggests that within this process lies a quiet splendor, as the apples contribute to the perpetuation of life in ways that are both ordinary and profound. The poem’s final image of “the hatch of moons” invites readers to view this process not as an end, but as part of a larger, cyclical narrative that connects the earthly and the celestial, the transient and the eternal.

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