Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James Merrill's poem "Periwinkles" is a contemplative reflection on memory, trust, and the passage of time, using the small, unassuming sea creature as a metaphor for deeper human experiences. The poem juxtaposes the simplicity of the periwinkle's existence with the complexity of human emotions and memories, ultimately exploring how our past shapes our present understanding and how time can distort even the most cherished memories.

The poem opens with an evocative description of a rocky shore at low tide, where everything "sparkles" or is made to appear so when considering "what went before." This line suggests that the brightness or significance we perceive in the present is often colored by our memories or past experiences. The "blaze" that the speaker mentions is not just a literal reflection of sunlight on water but also a mental illumination—a flash of insight or realization that emerges when one reflects on the past.

The "pool among the creviced rocks," home to the "archaic periwinkle," becomes a focal point for this reflection. The periwinkles, some twisting and some sleeping, represent the small, seemingly insignificant details of life that cling to the "shadiest wall," perhaps symbolizing the memories that persist in the darker corners of our minds. These creatures, whose ancestors "purpled the cloths of kings," connect the humble and the grand, the present and the historical. The periwinkle's connection to royalty underscores the idea that even the most mundane aspects of life are part of a larger, more significant narrative.

When the speaker picks up a periwinkle and places it upside-down in their hand, the creature's cautious response—extending "one lucent, speckled horn" to test the safety of its new environment—reflects a moment of vulnerability and trust. The periwinkle's gradual, careful exploration of the speaker's hand parallels the way we tentatively explore new experiences or confront our memories. The snail's action of "turning with much interior shifting over" to cover the hand with its spirals suggests how we adapt to and eventually embrace our circumstances, even if they initially seem unfamiliar or threatening.

This encounter with the periwinkle prompts the speaker to shiver, evoking a deeper, more unsettling thought: "Thinking what else is like a creature curled / In a flaky cone which inside is all pearled / With nourishment sucked out from the pulsing world." Here, Merrill draws a parallel between the periwinkle's physical form and the human experience—how we, too, are shaped by our environments, drawing sustenance from the world around us. The periwinkle's shell, both protective and nourishing, becomes a symbol of the self, containing and preserving the essence of our being even as we interact with the outside world.

As the snail drops back to the rock, the speaker is left with lingering thoughts, the "images" that "coil down past the first blunt apologies." These images represent the memories and feelings that lie just beneath the surface, often obscured by time but never entirely forgotten. The speaker is "touched by the crazy trustfulness of the past," reflecting on how the innocence and naivety of earlier times can seem almost irrational in hindsight. This trustfulness is compared to an "old nurse at last / Demented," who once nurtured us but now, in her old age, is lost in a reverie, crooning incoherently.

The poem's conclusion underscores the cyclical nature of time and memory: "It is ourselves shall tell her fairy-tales / Of fountains we scooped dry with bottomless pails. / Then we grow old; her lunacy prevails." This passage suggests that as we age, we, too, become the tellers of tales—stories that may be exaggerated, distorted, or colored by our experiences. The "fountains we scooped dry with bottomless pails" could represent the futile efforts to recapture or fully understand the past, as no matter how much we try to grasp, we are left with an insatiable emptiness. The final line, "Then we grow old; her lunacy prevails," implies that in the end, the irrationality and unpredictability of memory and time take over, leaving us with a sense of inevitability and perhaps a touch of melancholy.

"Periwinkles" is a rich, layered poem that uses the small, almost overlooked creature as a powerful metaphor for human experience. Through vivid imagery and reflective language, Merrill explores the themes of memory, trust, and the passage of time, inviting readers to consider how the past shapes our present selves and how, despite our best efforts, we are all subject to the gentle yet inexorable forces of time and memory.

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