Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"To Delmore Schwartz" by Robert Lowell is an evocative and richly detailed poem that captures a moment in time, filled with literary allusions, personal interactions, and a sense of shared intellectual and emotional experience. Set in Cambridge in 1946, the poem recounts Lowell's time with fellow poet Delmore Schwartz, reflecting on their conversations, the environment they inhabited, and the objects that symbolized their shared existence and struggles.

The poem opens with a vivid description of the challenging living conditions: "We couldn't even keep the furnace lit! / Even when we had disconnected it, the antiquated / refrigerator gurgled mustard gas through your mustard-yellow house." This image sets the tone of discomfort and disrepair, with the "mustard gas" metaphor suggesting a toxic and suffocating atmosphere. The visit from "T. S. Eliot's brother, Henry Ware" underscores the cultural and literary connections of the time, adding a touch of irony to the mundane and dilapidated surroundings.

The mention of a "stuffed duck" introduces a symbolic object, described in intricate detail: "its bill was a black whistle, and its brow was high and thinner than a baby's thumb; its webs were tough as toenails on its bough." This duck, representing Schwartz's first kill, becomes a focal point for their interaction. The description of the duck as "pickled in a tin wastebasket of rum" and looking "through us, as if it'd died dead drunk" suggests a macabre yet poignant relic, evoking themes of mortality and preservation.

The poem's tone is both affectionate and melancholic, as Lowell reminisces about their shared moments: "You must have propped its eyelids with a nail, and yet it lived with us and met our stare, Rabelaisian, lubricious, drugged." The duck's presence is anthropomorphized, and it becomes a silent participant in their discussions, embodying the absurdity and existential musings of the poets. The mention of "Rabelaisian" connotes a bawdy, humorous, and grotesque aspect, while "lubricious" adds a layer of sensuality and excess.

Lowell and Schwartz's intellectual camaraderie is highlighted as they "drank and eyed the chicken-hearted shadows of the world." The phrase "Underseas fellows, nobly mad" reflects their self-awareness and acceptance of their roles as outsiders, grappling with the complexities of life and literature. The invocation of "Joyce and Freud, the Masters of Joy" as potential guests reveals their admiration for these literary and psychological giants, whose ideas permeate their conversations.

The poem's setting in a smoke-filled room, with the "paranoid, inert gaze of Coleridge, back / from Malta-his eyes lost in flesh, lips baked and black," evokes a sense of literary lineage and the burdens of creative genius. The inclusion of "Oranges," Schwartz's tiger kitten, adds a touch of whimsy and innocence amidst the heavy intellectual atmosphere.

The poem's concluding lines merge the personal and the historical, as Schwartz comments on their poetic journey: "We poets in our youth begin in sadness; thereof in the end come despondency and madness; Stalin has had two cerebral hemorrhages!" This statement captures the melancholic trajectory often associated with poets, foreshadowing the struggles and potential downfall of artistic life. The reference to Stalin's health underscores the omnipresence of political and historical forces even in their private world.

In the final image, the "Charles River was turning silver. In the ebb-light of morning, we stuck the duck's web-foot, like a candle, in a quart of gin we'd killed." This closing scene encapsulates the mixture of absurdity, defiance, and shared experience that characterizes their friendship. The act of placing the duck's foot in a gin bottle, likened to a candle, symbolizes a fleeting illumination in the dark, a temporary and improvised light in their otherwise chaotic and challenging lives.

"To Delmore Schwartz" is a deeply personal and reflective poem, capturing the essence of a particular time, place, and relationship. Through its detailed imagery and nuanced portrayal of Lowell's interactions with Schwartz, the poem explores themes of artistic struggle, intellectual camaraderie, and the fleeting nature of existence. It stands as a tribute to a shared literary and emotional journey, marked by both profound insight and the inevitable descent into the complexities of life.

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