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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Depression" by Robert Bly is a poignant and vivid portrayal of the experience of depression, capturing the profound sense of disconnection, despair, and longing for relief that characterizes this condition. Through stark imagery and metaphor, Bly conveys the weight of depression and the deep desire for solace and escape from the pain. The poem begins with the speaker describing their heart beating like an engine high in the air, an image that evokes a sense of precariousness and instability, as if the heart itself is overexerted and unsupported. The comparison to scaffolding engines standing only on planks amplifies this feeling of vulnerability and the fear of collapse. The description of the speaker's body as an "old grain elevator, useless, clogged, full of blackened wheat" further illustrates the sense of being burdened and tainted by depression. This imagery suggests a once-functional structure now rendered obsolete and filled with decay, mirroring the speaker's sense of their own uselessness and inner corruption. The dream sequence introduces a surreal and slightly ominous element, with men carrying thin wires approaching the speaker. The introduction of "old Tibetans, dressed in padded clothes" adds a layer of mysticism and suggests a process of transformation or intervention that is both alien and intimate. The wires and the image of three work gloves lying "fingers to fingers, in a circle" evoke a sense of connection and attempted repair, though the meaning and outcome remain ambiguous. Upon awakening, the speaker expresses a deep yearning to retreat from the complexities and pains of the external world and return to "the dark roots" of existence. This desire for simplicity and the need to see "nothing more than two feet high" reflect a wish to reduce the world to its most basic elements, to find a place where the overwhelming stimuli and demands of life are absent. The poem closes with the speaker's longing for complete withdrawal into "the black earth of silence," a powerful metaphor for death, deep rest, or a state of non-being where the pain of depression can no longer reach. This final image encapsulates the desire for peace and the cessation of suffering that often accompanies deep depression. "Depression" is a moving exploration of the inner turmoil and existential longing that depression can evoke. Robert Bly masterfully employs imagery and metaphor to articulate the ineffable aspects of this condition, offering a window into the profound emotional landscape that many who experience depression navigate. The poem is both a testament to the pain of depression and a reflection on the human desire for escape and transcendence.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE PRODIGAL SON by ROBERT BLY EPISTLE TO JOHN LAPRAIK, AN OLD SCOTTISH BARD by ROBERT BURNS A WINTER TWILIGHT by ANGELINA WELD GRIMKE SUMMER MATURES by HELENE JOHNSON LINES ON THE MERMAID TAVERN by JOHN KEATS HOW THE CUMBERLAND WENT DOWN [MARCH 8, 1862] by SILAS WEIR MITCHELL TO MY FIANCEE by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS |
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