Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Frederick Nims’ "Till News of You" is a meditation on the emptiness of time and the transformative power of love. The poem begins in a state of stagnation, where time is depicted as hollow and monotonous, but with the arrival of love, the landscape is suddenly illuminated, filling the void with vibrancy and movement. Nims’ deft use of imagery, rhythm, and contrast creates a piece that moves from inertia to exhilaration, encapsulating the profound shift love brings to human experience.

The first lines immediately establish a sense of vacancy: "Wormholes in time. Hulls, hollows, hours and days / More cratered with vacuities than the moon." The mention of "wormholes" suggests both a distortion in time and a metaphorical emptiness. Nims likens the passage of time to a pockmarked lunar surface, reinforcing the idea that life, in the absence of love, is filled with absences, gaps, and a dull, repetitive quality. The alliteration in "hulls, hollows, hours" and the internal echoes of "cratered with vacuities" enhance the sense of lifelessness, emphasizing the weariness of existence.

This theme continues with "Lassitude, languorings at dawn, malaise / Bogged in lacunas of the afternoon." The word choices—lassitude, languorings, malaise—suggest exhaustion and ennui, while lacunas (meaning both literal gaps and figurative emptiness) reinforce the theme of time as something barren and unfulfilling. The speaker's days stretch out in dull repetition, with no distinction between one and the next, creating a sense of timeless inertia.

Nims then shifts focus to the banal routines of daily life: "Longueurs of tile and porcelain; carious teeth, / The brushing, fussing, and next night again." The mention of tile and porcelain evokes the sterile, impersonal nature of a bathroom, a space of mechanical routine. The phrase "carious teeth" (decayed teeth) introduces a sense of deterioration, reinforcing the idea that time, in this state of emptiness, is wearing away at life itself. The repetition in "next night again" suggests the tedium of an unchanging cycle, where nothing new or meaningful occurs.

The setting expands to a wider world of loneliness: "Boredom in airports, a lone beer beneath / The moon-face clock evasive about when." Airports, places of transit, become symbols of waiting without purpose. The lone beer suggests solitary consumption, a numbing of time rather than an engagement with it. The moon-face clock—a common feature in train stations and airports—further ties the imagery to time, but here, it is "evasive about when," reinforcing the sense of directionless existence. The speaker is trapped in a suspended state, unsure of when (or if) something significant will occur.

Then, in a single, sudden shift, everything changes: "Routes meant eroded ruts—till news of you / Brimmed every hollow with a glittering tide." The transition from past monotony to present vitality is marked by "till news of you." Where before time was a series of "eroded ruts," now those hollows are filled, and not just filled, but "brimmed"—overflowing—with something bright and luminous. The use of "glittering tide" suggests movement, renewal, and transformation, as if love has flooded the previously desolate landscape with life.

The final lines burst into pure radiance: "Sun on the spray reflecting rainbows through / Love’s musty cottage, long unoccupied." The image of "sun on the spray" captures light refracted through water, suggesting joy, renewal, and wonder. The rainbows reinforce this newfound vibrancy, a stark contrast to the earlier bleakness. The phrase "Love’s musty cottage, long unoccupied" suggests that love was once present but had been absent for a long time—perhaps the speaker has been alone, or has forgotten the feeling of passion. Now, however, the house is no longer abandoned; it is full of light and life.

The poem closes with an image of movement and celebration: "But now alive with light, shapes on the wall / Dancing like masquers at a gala ball." This final simile is particularly powerful. Where before time was static and empty, now it is filled with dynamism, energy, and festivity. The masquers at a gala ball evoke a sense of revelry, elegance, and playfulness. It also suggests a kind of dreamlike beauty, as if love has transformed not just reality but also perception itself.

Throughout "Till News of You," Nims masterfully contrasts monotony with vitality, portraying love as the force that fills the hollows of time. The poem's movement mirrors its theme: beginning in a slow, stagnant rhythm and shifting into an exuberant, celebratory cadence by the end. The imagery is rich with light and movement, reinforcing love’s ability to revitalize even the most lifeless spaces. By framing love as a renewal, the poem not only captures the personal joy of the speaker but also speaks to the universal human experience of transformation through connection.

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