Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Stanley Merwin’s poem “As By Water” is a poignant exploration of love, separation, and the enduring nature of sorrow. Merwin, renowned for his meditative and evocative style, uses the imagery of sailing and water to encapsulate the complex emotions surrounding the departure and inevitable division between lovers. The poem's brevity and rhythmic structure enhance its emotional impact, making it a powerful reflection on the nature of relationships and the forces that pull us apart.

The poem begins with the simple, evocative word "Oh," immediately setting a tone of wistfulness and contemplation. This exclamation captures a moment of realization or emotional intensity, drawing the reader into the intimate and reflective mood of the poem. The following line, "Together / Embracing departure," introduces the central paradox of the poem: the simultaneous unity and separation of the lovers. They are together in the act of parting, embracing both each other and the inevitability of their departure.

Merwin's metaphor of hoisting their love like a sail is particularly striking. This image conveys the idea of love as a driving force, propelling the lovers forward. A sail, driven by the wind, moves a vessel across the water, much like love moves individuals through the currents of life. The reflection of the sail in the water suggests a duality, a mirror image that is both connected and separate. This duality is further emphasized in the line, "However / We move and wherever, We shall be divided as by water / Forever forever."

The repetition of "forever forever" underscores the permanence of their separation, despite their movements and efforts. Water, a powerful and pervasive element, serves as a metaphor for the barrier that will always lie between them. The fluidity of water also suggests the constant and inevitable nature of change and separation, no matter how much the lovers might strive to remain united.

Merwin continues to explore this theme of enduring separation with the lines, "Though / Both sails shudder as they go / And both prows lengthen the same sorrow." The shuddering sails evoke a sense of struggle and reluctance, as if both lovers feel the tremors of parting even as they move forward. The "prows lengthen the same sorrow" suggests that their sorrow grows as they continue on their separate paths, a shared but divided burden that extends over time.

The poem concludes with a profound acknowledgment of the other elements that will extend between the lovers. "Till the other elements / Extend between us also" broadens the scope of their separation beyond just water to include all aspects of the natural world. This final image encapsulates the inevitability of their division, as the forces of nature—time, distance, life itself—conspire to keep them apart.

Merwin’s use of imagery and metaphor in "As By Water" is both evocative and precise, capturing the essence of love and separation with poignant clarity. The poem’s structure, with its short lines and rhythmic flow, mirrors the undulating movement of water, reinforcing the central metaphor. Each line contributes to the overarching theme of inevitable division, making the poem a cohesive and powerful reflection on the nature of human relationships.

In “As By Water,” Merwin masterfully intertwines the themes of love, departure, and the passage of time, using the metaphor of sailing and water to illustrate the enduring nature of sorrow and separation. The poem invites readers to contemplate the paradox of unity and division, the way love can propel us forward while simultaneously acknowledging the forces that keep us apart. Through his eloquent and evocative language, Merwin captures the bittersweet reality of human connection and the enduring impact of parting.

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