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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Noon" by William Everson captures the stillness and intensity of the midday sun, focusing on the profound effect this moment of suspended motion and time has on the observer. Through vivid imagery and a contemplative tone, Everson explores the sensory experience of noon, emphasizing the transformation of the landscape and the inner response it evokes. The poem opens with "The wind down, hushed," immediately setting a scene of quietude and calm. This absence of movement creates a canvas for the sun's power to be fully felt and observed. The "sudden suspension of time and all motion" suggests a moment outside of ordinary experience, where the usual rhythms of life pause, and attention is drawn to the immediacy of the natural world. Everson personifies the sun, describing how it "lies heavily on the hand, / Spreads on the tilting cheek;" these lines evoke the tactile, almost oppressive heat of the sun at its zenith, as well as its pervasiveness. The imagery of the sun as an "ocean of light" further expands on its overwhelming presence, suggesting a vast, enveloping force that "Swells on the mind." The absence of wind and the stillness of the leaves create a scene devoid of distraction, where "no leaf turning, no flag for the restless eye" directs the observer's focus inward. In this stillness, "the heart takes softly unto itself / Some deep and voluptuous meaning;" suggesting that the quiet and the heat of noon allow for a deeper contemplation and understanding, perhaps of life itself or the beauty of the natural world. The physical effect of the sun, causing sleepiness or a dream-like state "like sleep in the veins," mirrors the mental and emotional filling and flowing of meaning into consciousness. The imagery of "the thick light floats on the shoulders" further emphasizes the weight and substance of the sunlight, as if it were a tangible presence enveloping the observer. Everson concludes with "Deep sun, deep sky;" reiterating the profundity of the noon experience. The absence of wind and movement, coupled with the clarity of the light that accentuates physical forms, like "the shape of the neck," focuses attention on the beauty of the details of the world. The "deep sound of the heart" may symbolize the resonance of this moment of stillness within the observer, a fundamental connection to the rhythm of life that is felt rather than heard. "Noon" is a meditative exploration of the still, saturated moment of midday, where the cessation of movement and the dominance of the sun create a space for introspection and a deepened awareness of the natural world. Everson captures the sensory overload and the resultant inward turn that this moment provokes, offering a reflection on the way that such intense natural phenomena can stir the soul and expand the mind.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ELEGY: 3. CHANGE by JOHN DONNE THE HOSTING OF THE SIDHE by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS ON THE PRAIRIE by HERBERT BATES THE HANDS THAT HANG DOWN by ADA CAMBRIDGE |
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