Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's "Landscape with Wave Approaching" is a rich and evocative poem that intertwines natural imagery with reflections on memory and human experience. The poem unfolds in six stanzas, each contributing to a complex tapestry of imagery and meaning.

The poem opens with a dramatic depiction: "All of the people of the play were there, / swam in the mile-long wave, among cliff-flowers / were pierced, hung and remembered a sunlit year." This imagery sets the stage for a narrative that is both personal and communal. The use of "the people of the play" suggests a cast of characters from a shared past, possibly from the poet's own experiences or from collective memory. The "mile-long wave" and "cliff-flowers" create a vivid, almost surreal landscape where memory and reality blend. The piercing and hanging evoke a sense of sacrifice or transformation, hinting at deeper emotional or existential trials.

The second stanza shifts to a more ethereal tone: "By day white moths, the nightlong meteors / flying like snow among the flowery trees— / hissing like prophecy above those seas." Here, the natural elements become almost mystical. White moths and meteors suggest fleeting, fragile beauty, while the "hissing like prophecy" introduces an element of forewarning or revelation. The juxtaposition of day and night imagery emphasizes the passage of time and the cyclical nature of experience.

Rukeyser then anchors the poem in the theme of memory: "The city of the past. The past as a city / and all the people in it, your childhood faces, / their dances, their words developing, their hands." The city metaphor encapsulates the complexity and density of memory, filled with "childhood faces" and "their dances, their words." This stanza evokes a sense of nostalgia, with the past depicted as a vibrant, populated place, alive with movement and interaction.

The fourth stanza introduces a darker tone: "The fertile season ending in a glitter; / blight of the forest, orange, burning the trees away, / the checkered light. Full length on naked sand." The imagery of fertility ending and the forest blight suggest decay and destruction. The "orange, burning the trees away" and "checkered light" create a visual of fragmented, chaotic change. The "naked sand" implies a barren, exposed state, perhaps reflecting the aftermath of loss or transformation.

Returning to the refrain-like opening, the fifth stanza repeats: "All of the people of the play were there, / smiling, telling their truths, coming to crisis. / This water, this water, this water. These rocks, this piercing sea." The repetition reinforces the presence and significance of these "people of the play." Their "smiling" and "telling their truths" suggest moments of honesty and confrontation. The insistent repetition of "this water, this water, this water" underscores the elemental force of nature as both a setting and a symbol. The "piercing sea" echoes the earlier imagery of piercing, reinforcing a theme of sharp, transformative experiences.

The final stanza melds the themes of time and transformation: "Flower of time, and a plague of white trilling in sunlight, / the season advancing on the people of the play, / the scars on the mountains and the body of fire." The "flower of time" suggests the unfolding of life and events, while the "plague of white trilling in sunlight" evokes an image of both beauty and destruction. The advancing season implies the inevitable march of time, bringing change to the "people of the play." The "scars on the mountains" and "body of fire" convey a sense of lasting impact and intensity.

In summary, "Landscape with Wave Approaching" is a meditation on memory, time, and transformation. Rukeyser's use of vivid, often surreal imagery, and her blending of personal and communal experiences, create a powerful and evocative poem. The structure, with its repeated refrains and shifting imagery, mirrors the complexity of memory and the interplay of past and present. The poem invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of change and the enduring impact of the past on the present.

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