Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Seasons," Robert Creeley offers a complex meditation on the passage of time, memory, and the cycles of nature and human experience. Dedicated to the artist Jasper Johns and referencing Coleridge’s "Frost at Midnight," the poem draws connections between the visual, tactile world and the abstract inner landscape of memory and reflection. Through fragmented imagery and shifts in tone, Creeley explores the inevitability of change and the resonance of each season as it marks time’s progression. The poem’s language is dense and layered, creating a sense of both immediacy and timelessness as Creeley reflects on the role of memory, desire, and the inevitability of life’s cycles.

The poem begins with a line from Coleridge—“Therefore all seasons will be sweet to thee”—which sets a tone of acceptance and reflection. By invoking Coleridge’s celebration of nature’s cyclical beauty, Creeley signals his exploration of the seasons not just as physical changes but as symbolic markers of life stages. This line foreshadows the poem’s contemplative nature, suggesting that each season holds unique beauty and meaning, a theme Creeley will explore as he moves through sensory experiences associated with each time of year.

“Was it thunk suck of sound / an insistent outside” introduces the visceral, almost physical experience of sound and sensation, as though the external world exerts a palpable pressure on the speaker. The “thunk suck” of sound suggests an immersion in the sensory world, where sounds and sensations are forceful, nearly invasive. This image evokes the child’s early encounters with the world, marked by raw perception and absorption of sounds, textures, and sights. The “insistent outside” suggests that the external world demands attention, and the poem seems to drift into a memory of the past—a time when the speaker felt surrounded by an enveloping, insistent environment that shaped their consciousness.

“Où sont les mother and father” is a poignant reference to loss and memory, echoing the medieval French phrase “Où sont les neiges d'antan?” (Where are the snows of yesteryear?), which often conveys nostalgia and longing for things past. By invoking the figures of “mother and father,” Creeley touches on childhood and family as foundational experiences, the “tall” presences of parents that once loomed large in the speaker’s life. The green hills and extended daylight suggest an idyllic, almost mythic memory of childhood, a time when days seemed longer and life stretched out with promise and wonder. This passage captures the interplay of memory and time, where the past echoes faintly, yet remains vivid in the mind’s eye.

“High air’s lightness heat haze grasshopper’s chirr” brings readers into the throes of summer, capturing its intense sensory experience. The piling of words without punctuation mimics the fullness and overwhelming nature of the season—the haze, the heat, the sounds all blending together to create a dense, immersive environment. This line portrays summer as a season of vitality and activity, marked by the “chirr” of grasshoppers and the palpable weight of sunlight. The phrase “wet sweat time’s hung in space dust” evokes the slow, heavy passage of summer days, where time seems suspended in a haze of heat and light. This section emphasizes summer’s richness and intensity, as if the season itself is thick with life and possibility.

As the poem progresses into autumn, Creeley shifts to a more reflective, subdued tone: “All grown large world round ripeness is all.” The language becomes more measured, suggesting a sense of fullness and completion, as if everything has reached its peak and is now preparing for decline. The mention of an “orange pumpkin” and the “harsh edge now of frost” signals the transition from growth to decay, with autumn serving as a reminder of mortality and impermanence. The “autumnal moon” and the “peculiarly constructed one you were all by yourself” evoke solitude and introspection, as though autumn invites the speaker to turn inward, contemplating their own identity and the inevitability of change.

“The dark flutes of autumn sound softly” captures the melancholic beauty of the season, where nature’s vitality begins to fade but leaves a lingering, quiet music. The “dark flutes” suggest a haunting, mournful tone, emphasizing the poignancy of this transitional time. The line “Oh love, love, remember me” reads as a plea to be remembered, as though the speaker is reaching out to the past, to lost loves, or even to their younger self. This plea conveys a sense of vulnerability, an acknowledgment of the impermanence of love and life, as well as the desire for continuity and remembrance amid change.

Winter arrives as a “muffled mute / an extraordinary quiet white and cold.” The language becomes stark and minimal, mirroring the desolate, quiet quality of winter. The imagery here is of silence and stillness, an “extraordinary quiet” that envelops everything in a sense of pause or suspension. Winter is presented as a time of reflection, a season where all motion seems to halt, allowing for introspection and, perhaps, a confrontation with mortality. The phrase “far off / hung in the air without / apparent edge or end” captures the feeling of infinity that winter can evoke, as if the cold, white expanse stretches beyond comprehension, symbolizing the mystery and finality of death.

The poem concludes with “The seasons, tallies of earth, / keep count of time, / say what it’s worth.” These lines reflect on the cyclical nature of the seasons as a measure of life’s progress, with each season representing a different stage or experience. By calling the seasons “tallies of earth,” Creeley suggests that they are markers of time, a way of reckoning the worth of each passing moment. This final reflection implies that the value of life is found in these recurring cycles, in the memories, experiences, and growth each season brings.

In "Seasons," Robert Creeley presents a profound meditation on the passage of time, exploring how each season mirrors different stages of life and evokes distinct memories and emotions. Through his layered language and rich imagery, Creeley captures the beauty and sorrow inherent in change, as well as the enduring presence of nature as a constant against which human life unfolds. The poem suggests that, although life is fleeting, it is marked by cycles of growth, loss, and renewal, with each season offering its own insights and lessons. Ultimately, "Seasons" is a celebration of the natural rhythms that shape human experience, reminding readers of the interconnectedness between the individual and the world’s timeless patterns.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...