Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of ..." encapsulates a compelling vision of the natural world's unpredictable forces and humanity's struggle to impose narrative order upon chaos. The poem begins with the speaker recounting their observation of natural phenomena manipulated as if by a theatrical hand—cranking the sun, manipulating water, and freezing motion. The imagery evokes the grandeur and peril of nature's caprices, illustrating scenes of polar bears stranded on ice, seals trapped beneath an icy surface, and forests consumed by storms.

The poem's tone is one of exasperation and fatigue as the speaker laments the endless, arbitrary destruction wrought by these forces. This weariness is underscored by the enumeration of disasters—volcanic eruptions swallowing housing developments, wetlands drying up, and swarms of locusts consuming grain. These images highlight the tension between the serene and the catastrophic, as nature's beauty and brutality coexist.

The speaker's frustration peaks in their desire to abandon the task of making sense of this chaos. They express fatigue with the "argument" and "contention" inherent in trying to construct a coherent story from the unpredictable and often destructive acts of nature. This struggle to impose order on disorder is likened to the futile task of "making a plot out of quicksand and fog." The speaker longs for a simpler, more harmonious occupation, free from the burden of narrating destruction.

In their request for reassignment, the speaker yearns for a role as a "maker of kites"—a task that suggests a desire for lightness, freedom, and the joy of creation without the need to control or account for chaos. The kite, a symbol of liberation and play, contrasts sharply with the earlier images of devastation. The act of flying a kite becomes a metaphor for releasing control and allowing the wind to take over, embracing the ephemeral beauty of "line's pure extension."

The final lines of the poem invoke Shakespeare's "airy nothing," reflecting a desire to transcend the limitations of the present, burdensome role and retreat into a realm of imagination and creativity. The "local habitation" and "name" hint at a return to simplicity and purity, away from the complex entanglements of documenting and understanding natural calamities.

Wilner's poem, with its vivid imagery and contemplative tone, ultimately speaks to the human yearning for respite from the relentless forces of nature and the burdens of narrative construction. It highlights the tension between control and surrender, narrative order and natural chaos, and the profound desire to find peace and purpose in a world marked by unpredictability.

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