Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Stanley Merwin's poem "Anabasis: 1" intricately explores themes of displacement, the passage of time, and the elusive nature of understanding and fulfillment. Through dense imagery and reflective language, Merwin captures the sense of being in a foreign place, both literally and metaphorically, and the complex emotions associated with this experience.

The poem opens with a sense of arrival and anticipation: "Then we poised, in time's fullness brought / As to a new country, the senses / In the mutations of a sallow light, / A season of signs and speechless." This introduction sets the tone for the journey that follows, emphasizing the unfamiliarity and strangeness of the new environment. The "mutations of a sallow light" suggest a shifting and unsettling atmosphere, while "a season of signs and speechless" conveys a lack of clear communication or understanding.

Merwin reflects on the emptiness of thought and the absence of welcome: "Thought momently on nothing, knew / No oratory, no welcome: / Silence about our silence grew; / Beached by the convenient stream." The repetition of silence highlights the isolation and disconnection felt by the speaker. The imagery of being "beached by the convenient stream" suggests a temporary and somewhat passive state of being, caught between movement and stillness.

The poem continues to explore the theme of estrangement: "Night is familiar when it comes. / On dim gestures does the mind / Exorcise abandoned limbs, / Disbodied of that other land / Estranged almost beyond response." Night, a common and expected occurrence, becomes a comforting familiarity in an otherwise alien environment. The mind's attempt to make sense of "dim gestures" and "abandoned limbs" reflects the struggle to connect with a past that seems distant and almost unreachable.

Merwin introduces the concept of time and memory through vivid imagery: "One dreams fixed beasts that drowse or wonder, / Not blinking; by the stream a few / Poplars and white beeches where / Exhausted leaves, suspended, through / The distant autumn do not fall, / Or, fallen, fired, are unconsumed, / The flame perduring, the still / Smoke eternal in the mind." The fixed beasts and suspended leaves evoke a sense of timelessness, where natural processes are halted or altered. The "flame perduring" and "smoke eternal" suggest memories that persist and remain vivid in the mind, despite the passage of time.

The poem also touches on the idea of ritual and tradition: "Embarrassed, these scarred Penates / Smile, between raw stones supported, / Musing perhaps an anomalous / Speech no longer understood." The Penates, household gods from Roman mythology, symbolize the remnants of ancient beliefs and customs that have become obscure and misunderstood over time. The sense of embarrassment and the musings on forgotten speech highlight the disconnect between past traditions and present understanding.

Merwin reflects on the journey and the knowledge gained along the way: "We ponder, after damp sundown, / The slow boats, departing, heavy, / In another time; our direction / Moved in the cool rain away: / We with brief knowledge hazarded / Alien influence and tropic, / Entered and did diversely thread / What degradations, false music." The journey is marked by a sense of exploration and the encounter with different influences, some of which are described as degrading or false. This highlights the challenges and uncertainties faced during the journey.

The poem continues to explore themes of memory and loss: "Even against those borders led / Lapped by the forgetful rivers / Have stood among the actual dead, / No breath moving the gray flowers. / The remnant of all passage lies / Cold or distorted in the brain / As tall fables of strangers, as / Lisped visions of other men." The imagery of forgetful rivers and gray flowers evokes a sense of fading memories and the inevitability of forgetting. The remnants of the journey, described as cold or distorted, reflect the difficulty of preserving the true essence of past experiences.

Merwin concludes the poem with reflections on faith and belief: "The covenant we could but seize / Fractionally by the ear / And dreamed it substance, that the eyes / Might follow — and its motions were / Hands that toy about a door / In dreams and melt where they caress, / Not displacing the wind they wear — / Brought us to this final place." The covenant, or agreement, is only partially understood and often elusive. The imagery of hands that melt and do not displace the wind suggests the intangible and ephemeral nature of belief and understanding.

"Anabasis: 1" by William Stanley Merwin is a richly layered poem that delves into the complexities of displacement, memory, and the search for meaning. Through intricate imagery and reflective language, Merwin captures the sense of being in a foreign place and the emotional and intellectual challenges that accompany such an experience. The poem invites readers to reflect on their own journeys and the elusive nature of understanding and fulfillment.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...