Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Suite for Augustus: Wake" by Rita Dove is a beautifully crafted poem that blends elements of memory, geography, and sensory experiences to create a richly evocative narrative. This piece of the "Suite for Augustus" series touches on themes of longing, displacement, and the poignant intersections between the past and present.

The poem begins with a sense of dislocation: "Stranded in the middle of the nation like this, I turn eastward, following rivers." This imagery suggests a journey or a search, not just through physical space but also through emotional and historical landscapes. The speaker's heart is described as a "shy mulatto," a metaphor that evokes mixed heritage, complexity, and perhaps a sense of internal division or uncertainty. This heart gravitates towards the "salt-edged contours of rock and sand," indicating a pull towards the origins or elemental forces, yet there is also a foreboding darkness ahead.

The narrative takes a poignant turn with the appearance of a young boy on the bank of the Potomac, which introduces a specific and personal element to the journey. The Potomac River, with its historical and political significance, especially in relation to Washington D.C., serves as a powerful backdrop. The boy, whose "Profile turned to sudden metal," is a ghostly or perhaps memory-laden figure whose presence is both vivid and elusive. His "shirt-front luminous / Under a thicket of cherry boughs" captures a moment frozen in time, radiant yet fragile.

The boy's attempt to speak—"You open your mouth as if to say / Tadpoles, pebbles,"—transforms ordinary words into something magical and otherworldly, "Each word a droplet of crème de menthe." This transformation of speech into droplets of a sweet, minty liqueur emphasizes the way memory and sensation can alter our perception of words and moments, giving them a flavor and resonance that transcends literal meaning.

What the speaker ultimately receives is not the boy's words but his "breath, exalted and spearmint." This suggests that it is not the specific details of what was said that matter, but rather the essence, the spirit, the life force of the person—a breath that carries with it the freshness and clarity of spearmint. This encounter highlights the sensory and emotional layers of memory, where the exact words are less important than the feelings and sensations they evoke.

"Suite for Augustus: Wake" is a lyrical meditation on the power of place, memory, and the sensory echoes of the past. Rita Dove uses vivid, tactile imagery and a nuanced emotional palette to explore how our hearts and minds navigate the streams of personal and collective history. The poem is a contemplative piece that invites readers to reflect on their own landscapes of memory and the figures that populate them.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Collected_Poems_1974_2004/fRyZCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

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