Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Howard Nemerov's poem "Market-Place" is a vivid and intense depiction of a scene that intertwines the mundane with the profound. The poem's dialogue, imagery, and themes create a rich tapestry that explores identity, the passage of time, and the visceral connection between the speaker and their environment.

The poem opens with a direct question and response: "Do you know me, my lord? / Excellent well; you are a fishmonger." This interaction immediately sets a scene that is both personal and archetypal. The term "my lord" suggests a formal or respectful address, while "fishmonger" grounds the interaction in a specific, earthy occupation. This juxtaposition of high and low, formal and common, frames the rest of the poem, inviting readers to look deeper into the layers of meaning.

The imagery that follows is both striking and evocative: "The armored salmon jewel the ice with blood / Where cobblestones are steaming in the sun." The description of salmon as "armored" conveys a sense of strength and resilience, yet their blood on the ice highlights their vulnerability and mortality. This contrast between life and death, strength and fragility, is heightened by the juxtaposition of the coolness of ice with the heat of the sun-soaked cobblestones. The marketplace is depicted as a place of commerce but also of stark, raw life and death.

The speaker's heart is described as draining deeply, an image that suggests profound emotional or physical exhaustion: "Witness my heart drains deep, if now, at noon." The use of "noon" and "August" situates the poem in the height of summer, a time associated with heat and decay. The phrase "salt corrupting year" evokes the passage of time and the inevitable process of decay and corruption that accompanies it. This is not just a physical decay but a metaphorical one, suggesting the wearing down of the soul or spirit over time.

The next lines, "Stirs a chill cloud, raises a silver flood / To savage in the marrow of my weir," introduce a sudden shift from the heat and corruption of the market to an image of a "chill cloud" and a "silver flood." This transformation suggests a cleansing or purifying force, yet it is also described as "savage," indicating a violent or intense process. The word "weir," a structure used to control the flow of water, becomes a metaphor for the speaker's own inner barriers and defenses. The flood "savages" the marrow, the innermost part of the speaker, suggesting a deep and perhaps painful transformation or revelation.

In summary, "Market-Place" by Howard Nemerov uses vivid and contrasting imagery to explore themes of identity, the passage of time, and the interplay between strength and vulnerability. The dialogue between the speaker and the addressed lord, the intense depictions of the marketplace, and the profound metaphors all combine to create a powerful and evocative poem that resonates with the complexities of human experience. Through its rich language and layered meanings, the poem invites readers to contemplate the deeper currents that run beneath the surface of everyday life.

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