Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Charles Olson’s "Perfume / Of Flowers! A Quince!" expands on the themes of love and sensory immersion introduced in "Perfume / Of Flowers! A Haw!" but with a more intricate interplay between scent, time, and the figure of the beloved. This poem delves deeper into the ephemeral yet transformative nature of love, using the quince and other floral imagery as metaphors for the beloved’s presence and its impact.

The poem opens with the same exclamatory phrase, "The perfume of flowers!" establishing continuity with its counterpart and drawing attention to the central motif of fragrance. However, the quince introduces a new dimension. Known for its intense and unique fragrance, the quince becomes a symbol of an arresting and all-encompassing experience. Its scent "stops one in the wall of its fall," suggesting that it is not merely encountered but endured, as though the quince exerts a force that halts the speaker in their tracks. The "wall of its fall" implies both the inevitability and the physicality of the encounter, blending sensory and emotional intensity.

The repetition of "The beloved arrests" ties the quince’s overwhelming fragrance to the beloved, whose presence similarly commands attention and demands recognition. The verb "arrests" once again carries dual meanings: it halts motion and captivates. The beloved is not merely an observer but an active participant in the scene, their presence as powerful as the quince’s scent. The phrase links love’s sensory impact to its emotional weight, suggesting that the beloved’s influence is both external and deeply personal.

The poem introduces lime-trees, whose "smoke of night" contrasts sharply with the vivid and arresting scent of the quince. The image of smoke evokes a sense of diffusion and obscurity, as though the lime-trees create an atmosphere that envelops and transforms the night. This smoky night becomes "the night of the beloved," reinforcing the beloved’s centrality to the speaker’s experience of time and space. The smoke serves as a metaphor for the beloved’s enigmatic and pervasive nature, a presence that defines the night without being easily grasped.

The final stanza shifts the focus to jonquils, described as "knobby flowers" that "send up in the air their perfume." Unlike the intense and arresting scent of the quince, the jonquils’ perfume rises lightly, almost playfully, contrasting the earlier imagery of smoke and walls. The description of jonquils as "knobby" adds a tactile quality to the imagery, emphasizing their physicality and grounding their beauty in the mundane. This grounding aligns with Olson’s tendency to celebrate the material and sensory aspects of experience.

The juxtaposition of day and night in the poem highlights the dual nature of the beloved. In the night, the beloved is associated with smoke—mysterious, diffuse, and consuming. In the day, they are likened to a jonquil—delicate, radiant, and uplifting. This duality reflects the complexity of love, which can be both overwhelming and tender, both consuming and life-affirming. By connecting the beloved to both smoke and flowers, Olson underscores their multifaceted impact on the speaker’s perception of time and reality.

The structure of the poem mirrors its thematic exploration of transience and transformation. Its short, fragmented lines and lack of conventional punctuation create a sense of fluidity, as though the poem itself is carried by the movement of scent through the air. The rhythm is conversational yet deliberate, inviting the reader to pause and linger on each image before moving to the next.

Olson’s use of floral imagery enriches the poem’s exploration of love and its effects. The quince, with its intense and lingering fragrance, represents the immediacy and inescapability of love. The lime-trees evoke the atmosphere of mystery and depth that love can create, while the jonquils capture its playful and ephemeral beauty. Together, these images form a sensory tapestry that reflects the beloved’s complexity and the speaker’s response to their presence.

"Perfume / Of Flowers! A Quince!" is a meditation on the ways love transforms and defines the world of the lover. Through its vivid imagery and nuanced exploration of time and sensory experience, the poem celebrates the beloved’s ability to arrest and alter perception, making even the most fleeting moments of love feel profound and eternal. Like the fragrances it describes, the poem lingers, leaving an indelible impression of love’s power to shape and redefine reality.

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