Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Stanley Merwin’s poem “End in Spring” presents a contemplative, somewhat surreal meditation on the impermanence of life, the transient nature of human activities, and the elusive passage of time. Through enigmatic and fragmented imagery, Merwin explores how existence is fleeting, how mundane routines obscure deeper truths, and how the very words we use to describe our experiences ultimately fail to endure.

The poem opens with the line, “It is carried beyond itself a little way,” immediately suggesting a process of transformation or transcendence. This "it"—perhaps representing life, an experience, or even an abstract concept like existence—is taken beyond its usual bounds, hinting at something that moves or evolves but only slightly, suggesting a subtle, almost unnoticed change. The phrase "covered with a sky of old bedding" evokes a sense of weariness and the passage of time. The "old bedding" might symbolize the weight of history or accumulated experiences, now worn and faded, blanketing whatever this "it" is.

The poem then shifts to a critique of everyday life, describing people as "compatriots stupid as their tables" who "go on eating their packages / Selling gloves to the clocks / Doing alright." This depiction of people as mindlessly going about their routines, engaging in activities that seem absurd or meaningless—selling gloves to clocks—highlights the disconnection between human actions and any deeper purpose or understanding. The phrase "doing alright" carries a tone of irony, suggesting that while people may appear to be fine on the surface, their actions are ultimately empty or disconnected from any significant meaning.

The line “Ceasing to exist it becomes a deity” introduces a paradoxical idea: in the very act of ceasing to exist, something attains a divine status. This could be interpreted as the way in which things—perhaps memories, concepts, or even people—are deified or idealized once they are gone. The idea that something becomes a deity upon its disappearance suggests that our reverence or recognition often comes too late, only after it has passed beyond our reach.

Merwin continues to explore the theme of absence with the lines, “It is with the others that are not there / The centuries are named for them the names / Do not come down to us.” Here, the "others that are not there" could represent lost or forgotten entities—people, ideas, or civilizations—that have faded from memory. The centuries are named after them, yet their names are lost to time, indicating how even significant markers of history eventually vanish from our collective consciousness. This reflects on the transitory nature of existence and the inevitability of being forgotten, despite the seeming permanence of history.

The poem concludes with the lines, “On the way to them the words / Die.” This final thought encapsulates the central theme of the poem: the inadequacy of language and the inevitability of its failure. As we attempt to reach or understand these lost entities or concepts, our words—the very tools we rely on to make sense of the world—ultimately fall short. They "die" on the journey, unable to fully capture or convey the essence of what they aim to describe.

“End in Spring” is a meditation on the ephemerality of life and the limitations of human understanding. Through its fragmented, enigmatic imagery, the poem challenges readers to consider how much of existence is beyond our grasp, how the mundane can mask the profound, and how the words we use to make sense of our experiences are themselves subject to decay and disappearance. Merwin’s poem suggests that even as we strive to hold onto meaning, much of it inevitably slips away, leaving us with only the faintest echoes of what once was.

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