Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Stanley Merwin's poem "By Day and By Night" is a brief yet profound meditation on the relationship between light and shadow, exploring themes of existence, identity, and the inescapable connection between presence and absence. Through the personification of shadow, Merwin delves into the paradoxical nature of identity and the way in which one entity is defined by its relationship to another.

The poem begins with an address to the shadow, described as the "index of the sun." This metaphor positions the shadow as a marker or indicator of the sun's presence, suggesting that the shadow's very existence is dependent on the light of the sun. The shadow is not just a passive byproduct of the sun's rays; it is an essential counterpart, a necessary presence that gives shape to the sun's brilliance by casting darkness.

Merwin then poses a rhetorical question: "Who knows him as you know him, / Who have never turned to look at him since the beginning?" This question emphasizes the intimate yet indirect relationship between the shadow and the sun. The shadow, by its very nature, cannot face the sun; it is always oriented away from the light, its back turned, so to speak. Despite—or perhaps because of—this perpetual turning away, the shadow possesses a unique understanding of the sun. This suggests that true knowledge or understanding of something might not always come from direct engagement, but rather from a different, more indirect form of connection.

The poem continues by describing the shadow's role in the "court of his brilliance," where it "sets up his absence like a camp." Here, Merwin uses the imagery of a court, a place of judgment and display, to convey the idea that the shadow establishes the sun's absence even in the midst of its overwhelming presence. The shadow, in this sense, is a reminder of the limits of the sun's reach, the spaces where light does not penetrate. By "setting up his absence like a camp," the shadow is depicted as both a marker of where the sun is not and as something that thrives in the very spaces where the sun's light fails to reach. This camp, or temporary dwelling, suggests that absence is as integral to existence as presence.

The final lines of the poem bring this relationship to a powerful conclusion: "And his fire only confirms you. And his death is your freedom." The shadow's existence is not only confirmed by the sun's fire but is also brought into sharper relief by it. The brighter the light, the darker and more defined the shadow. In this way, the sun's fire—the source of its life and energy—paradoxically gives life to the shadow, making it more vivid and real.

The poem ends with the assertion that the sun's death is the shadow's freedom. This line carries a deep significance, suggesting that the shadow, which has always been defined by its relationship to the sun, is finally liberated when the sun ceases to exist. The shadow's freedom could be interpreted as a kind of release from the need to be the counterpart, to be defined solely by the presence of the sun. It may also suggest that when the source of light is extinguished, the shadow no longer has a reason to exist in its previous form, and thus it achieves a different kind of existence—one that is no longer tied to its origin.

"By Day and By Night" is a powerful reflection on the dualities that define existence: light and shadow, presence and absence, life and death. Through the personification of the shadow, Merwin explores how identity and meaning are constructed through relationships and contrasts. The poem invites readers to consider the ways in which their own identities are shaped by the forces and entities around them, and how these relationships might change or dissolve when those forces are removed.

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