Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Ashbery's "William Byrd" is an intricate tapestry of imagery and thought, weaving together themes of knowledge, memory, art, and the nature of existence. The poem, characteristic of Ashbery's richly allusive style, presents a narrative that is both deeply personal and expansively philosophical, exploring the spaces between perception and reality, the past and the present.

William Byrd (1540 or 1543 – 1623) was one of the most celebrated English composers of the Renaissance. His life spanned a significant portion of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods, times of considerable religious and political turmoil in England. Byrd's contributions to music are vast and varied, encompassing both sacred and secular works. He wrote extensively for the Catholic liturgy, despite the risks associated with being a Catholic in Protestant England, as well as for the Anglican service, producing music that remains a cornerstone of choral repertories today.

The poem opens with a striking image of one "who fights, slowly, the shadow of the battering ram of absolute knowledge behind him," suggesting a struggle with the overwhelming force of understanding or enlightenment. This battle takes place in a "barrel-vaulted, hallowed space," evoking the sacred and the historical, spaces where knowledge has been sought and contested across ages. The precision of the fight against the shadow of absolute knowledge hints at the human endeavor to grasp the ungraspable, to confront the limits of understanding.

Ashbery introduces a moment of celebration or significance, "a red-letter day," which is quickly overwhelmed by the "tide" of experience or emotion, reminding us of the inevitable ebb and flow of life's fortunes. This scene, where one finds oneself "knee-deep in it, smashing at gulls, cries, the wind," captures the chaotic, often violent struggle to maintain one's bearing amidst life's tumult.

The repetition of the stanza concerning "Art-deco priestesses" and the ritual of timekeeping emphasizes the poem's concern with the measurement and perception of time. The imagery here is richly evocative, blending elements of ceremony, art, and the passage of time, suggesting a ritualistic approach to understanding life's cycles and the role of art in marking and interpreting those cycles.

The narrative shifts to a deeply personal memory, a "neurosis competition," and a birthday party, introducing themes of childhood, change, and the passage of time. This reflection, marked by a sense of grace and the inevitable changes wrought by time, underscores the poem's meditation on memory and the ways in which our pasts inform our present selves.

Ashbery's exploration of the "dendrite of your extra keeping" and the approval of the "skunk family" introduces elements of the surreal and the domestic, blending the natural world with personal relationships and the battles ("wars and their canons") that define human existence. The imagery of a "low cloud of birds circling" and the gaze directed high, away from the "struggle at your feet," speaks to the human tendency to seek transcendence or distraction, even as life's most significant battles take place in the immediate, often overlooked, realms.

The poem's conclusion, with its evocation of architecture, partaking, and communication, contemplates the structures of life and thought that both enable and constrain human connection and understanding. The "misery of others" and the "gathering that goes on" suggest a communal aspect to human experience, a shared endeavor to find meaning and connection amidst life's challenges.

The relevance of William Byrd to John Ashbery's poem titled "William Byrd" lies not in a direct biographical exploration of Byrd's life or works but rather in how Ashbery channels the essence of Byrd's contributions to music and culture into a broader meditation on themes such as memory, perception, and the passage of time. Ashbery, known for his layered and allusive poetry, often draws upon historical figures and artistic works to explore complex emotional and intellectual landscapes. In this poem, the figure of William Byrd serves as a point of departure for reflections on creativity, the enduring impact of art, and the ways in which the past informs the present.

"William Byrd" is a profound and complex meditation on the nature of human existence, the quest for knowledge, and the interplay of memory, time, and art. Ashbery's poem invites readers into a reflective journey through the landscapes of the mind and the heart, offering a vision of life that is at once bewildering, beautiful, and deeply human.

POEM TEXT: https://ashberyhouse.yale.edu/william-byrd

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