Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Sounds," Robert Creeley engages with auditory imagery to create a textured exploration of natural and environmental sounds, capturing their layered, rhythmic qualities. The poem is composed almost entirely of sound words and descriptions, giving it a sensory immediacy that pulls the reader into an immersive auditory experience. Creeley uses these sounds to evoke sensations and moments, each sound inviting the reader to picture and feel the scene’s physicality and mood.

The poem opens with “Some awful / grating sound,” likened to “some monstrous / nose being blown.” This startling description suggests an abrupt, intrusive noise, setting the tone with something jarring and uncomfortable. The phrase “monstrous nose” anthropomorphizes the sound, giving it a sense of physicality and presence. This initial image is both visceral and somewhat grotesque, forcing the reader to engage with a sound that is both familiar and exaggerated to an unsettling degree. Creeley’s choice to open with a sound that grates and disrupts establishes a sense of tension, as if nature itself were alive and noisy, creating an atmosphere of unease.

Following this, the poem shifts to a softer sound, "Yuketeh, yuketeh—" moving “slow through the water.” The repetitive, almost chant-like quality of “yuketeh” suggests something rhythmic and steady, possibly the sound of paddling or an animal moving through water. This sound contrasts sharply with the harshness of the opening, providing a gentler, more fluid auditory image. The use of repetition in “yuketeh, yuketeh” mimics the steady movement, allowing the reader to feel the calming effect of water, perhaps hinting at a sense of progress or journey.

Next, Creeley introduces a “Velvet purr, / resting—” which brings to mind softness and a kind of intimacy. The word “velvet” invokes texture, while “purr” suggests a content, steady vibration, often associated with a cat. This moment in the poem feels like a pause, a restful interlude amid the other sounds, offering a sense of warmth and comfort. The inclusion of “resting” underscores the idea of pause and peace, contrasting with the movement implied in the earlier lines. This shift in tone and texture highlights the variety of sounds in the natural world, from grating to soft, from unsettling to comforting.

The sounds continue with “Slosh, slush,” which Creeley describes as a “longer wash / of it.” These words convey the movement of water, perhaps waves or a stream, emphasizing the liquid, flowing aspect of the scene. The phrase “longer wash / of it” suggests an ongoing, almost conversational sound, as if the water itself is speaking or interacting with its surroundings. This personification of the water creates a sense of connection between the natural elements, with “slosh” and “slush” forming a rhythm that feels almost meditative.

The poem concludes with “Tseet, tseet— / then chatter, / all the way home.” The high-pitched “tseet” brings to mind the sounds of small birds or insects, a sharp and lively contrast to the heavier sounds of sloshing and grating. The word “chatter” suggests sociability, as if the sounds themselves were communicating or guiding the way. This closing line, “all the way home,” implies a return or conclusion, a sense of coming full circle. The sounds have taken the speaker—or perhaps the listener—on a journey, ending with a lively and comforting “chatter” that accompanies them homeward.

Through "Sounds," Creeley crafts a sonic landscape, using a mix of harsh, gentle, rhythmic, and melodic sounds to evoke the experience of listening deeply to the world around. The poem emphasizes how sounds, even in their simplest forms, can carry emotional weight and narrative, drawing the reader into a more attentive and sensorial engagement with their surroundings. Creeley’s careful attention to each sound and its character underscores the richness of the auditory world, revealing how listening can become a way of experiencing the environment on an intimate and profound level.

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