Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Portraits: 1-10" by E.E. Cummings is a complex series of vignettes that explore a variety of human experiences, emotions, and observations. Through vivid imagery, fragmented structure, and unconventional language, Cummings captures moments of both the ordinary and the extraordinary, highlighting the absurdity, beauty, and tragedy of life. The sequence of poems moves through different scenes, each presenting a snapshot of life in a way that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Portrait 1 begins with a grim scene at the intersection of Tremont and Bromfield streets, where the speaker observes the aftermath of a woman's death. The "nimble heat" and the "taut precarious holiday" create a sense of unease, while the description of the woman's face—once "Dorothy," who "permitted" the speaker for "twenty iron men" her "common purple soul"—reveals a life marked by hardship and degradation. The woman's death is met with indifference from the crowd, and her final words, "i'm / so / drunGk, dear," capture a tragic moment of vulnerability.

Portrait 2 shifts focus to a more delicate scene, describing "exquisite" emotions hovering at "the dark portals of hurt girl eyes." The imagery here is more abstract, evoking a sense of innocence and wounded beauty. The poem speaks of "a poise a wounding a beautiful suppression," capturing the tension between vulnerability and strength, between outward calm and inner turmoil.

Portrait 3 depicts a sordid, chaotic scene within a bar, where a grotesque performance unfolds. The "nose-red gross / walls" and "smoky laughter" set the stage for a disturbing spectacle involving "a startling doll" with "nauseous spiderlegs" and "excremental hair." The performer’s face, described as "the eyes of the mother of god who spits seeds of dead / song," contrasts the divine with the profane. The audience, with their "battered bodies" and "odd unlovely / souls," are caught in a struggle, reflecting the grotesque reality of their existence.

Portrait 4 captures a moment on the boulevard, where the speaker observes a "dirty child / skating on noisy wheels of joy" while a "mothermonster" and a "thick cheerful man" engage in mundane, sordid activities. The juxtaposition of the child's innocent joy with the grotesque depiction of her parents creates a stark contrast, highlighting the disconnect between the innocence of youth and the corrupt world of adults.

Portrait 5 repeats the scene from Portrait 4, emphasizing the cyclical nature of these observations and the persistent, unchanging reality of the world the speaker inhabits.

Portrait 6 takes a more reflective tone, as the speaker recounts passing a gate in the rain. The rain, described as "ropes of silver gliding from sunny / thunder into freshness," evokes a sense of renewal and purity. The speaker contemplates the inevitability of death, wondering whether "elaborate fingers" of Death might touch the "pink hollyhock existence" of an old lady who sits "always in her / gentle window." This portrait captures the quiet passage of time and the inevitability of mortality, softened by the comforting presence of nature.

Portrait 7 presents a somber image of a dying rose and an old man whose "lips ... murder the petals." The rose, a symbol of beauty and life, is contrasted with the old man’s destructive presence. The poem describes "invisible mourners" moving with "prose faces" and "sobbing garments," creating a scene of quiet grief. The rose’s motionless ascent against the "margins of steep song" suggests a poignant farewell, as beauty succumbs to time.

Portrait 8, famously titled "Buffalo Bill's defunct," is one of Cummings' most well-known poems. It contrasts the heroic, larger-than-life figure of Buffalo Bill, who "used to ride a watersmooth-silver / stallion," with the finality of death. The poem’s sharp, staccato rhythm mimics the rapid-fire actions of shooting "onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat." The poem ends with a direct, haunting question to Death: "how do you like your blueeyed boy / Mister Death," juxtaposing Bill’s vitality with the inevitability of his demise.

Portrait 9 offers a critique of spring, personified as a "slattern of seasons" with "dirty legs and a muddy / petticoat." The poem describes the chaotic, messy, and somewhat vulgar aspects of spring, contrasting its traditional image of renewal and beauty. The speaker’s voice is ambivalent, simultaneously celebrating and lamenting the disorder spring brings.

Portrait 10 returns to the theme of human experience, depicting a man with a "narrow thudding timeshaped face" as he navigates the urban environment. The "lean and definite houses" are "troubled" by spring, and the scene becomes increasingly surreal as the man exits his home and the cityscape transforms. The poem ends with an image of the man in the park, surrounded by pigeons, dogs, and playing children, highlighting the absurdity and beauty of life in the midst of change.

"Portraits: 1-10" by E.E. Cummings presents a series of moments that capture the contradictions and complexities of human existence. Through his innovative use of language and imagery, Cummings invites the reader to see the world through his eyes—a world where beauty and ugliness, joy and sorrow, life and death, are all inextricably linked. These portraits serve as a testament to the poet’s ability to find meaning and resonance in the fleeting, often overlooked details of everyday life.

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