Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "Charms" is a poem of enchantment, an exploration of beauty as an elemental, almost spiritual force that transcends the physical and evokes something deeper—something primal, sacred, and woven into the heart of existence. Dedicated to Michael McClure, a poet deeply attuned to the animal and bodily aspects of being, the poem reflects a shared sensibility between the two writers: a fascination with the sensuality of life, the crossing of human and animal realms, and the recognition of beauty as a force that operates beyond the purely human gaze.

The poem begins with an assertion that beauty is not about exposure: "The beauty of naked or half-naked women, lying in nothing / clear or obvious—not in exposure; but a curve of the back or arm, / as a dance or—evoking 'another world.'" This is a crucial distinction. Snyder does not define beauty as something that is revealed through nudity or explicit display but as something implicit, gestural, and fleeting. The "curve of the back or arm" suggests a natural grace, something that exists in motion, in form, rather than in deliberate revelation. The comparison to dance reinforces this idea—beauty, like movement, cannot be held still; it must be experienced in its unfolding.

Snyder then expands the scope of this beauty beyond the human: "'The Deva Realm' or better, the Delight at the heart of creation." The reference to the Deva Realm—a concept in Buddhist cosmology referring to the celestial world of divine beings—suggests that the beauty he describes is not merely an earthly phenomenon but something transcendent, something that connects to the fundamental joy embedded in the act of creation itself. The phrase "Delight at the heart of creation" suggests that beauty is not just an aesthetic quality but an essential force, something that exists beyond the visual, something inherent in the very fabric of existence.

The poem then takes an unexpected but deeply characteristic turn: "Brought out for each mammal species specifically—in some dreamlike / perfection of name-and-form." Here, Snyder challenges the idea that beauty is a strictly human experience. Instead, he suggests that every species has its own perception of beauty, its own standards of attraction, its own aesthetic experience of life. This is a profound ecological vision—one that recognizes the subjective, species-specific nature of perception. A wolf sees beauty differently than a human; a deer, a horse, a whale, all have their own ways of being charmed, of recognizing something ineffable in the movement or form of another.

This idea leads to the poem’s most startling claim: "Thus I could be devastated and athirst with longing / for a lovely mare or lioness, or lady mouse, in seeing the beauty from THERE / shining through her, some toss of the whiskers or grace-full wave of the tail that enchants." The notion that he could experience longing for a non-human creature is not meant to suggest literal desire, but rather an ability to recognize the beauty that exists for that creature, to see the way the world is enchanted for them. The emphasis on "beauty from THERE" suggests an attempt to see through another species’ eyes, to understand that the world is not shaped solely by human ideals but by a vast array of perspectives, each with its own aesthetic logic. This passage is not about bestiality but about radical empathy—the ability to recognize beauty across the boundaries of species, to see that the same force that makes a human fall in love also animates the longing and delight of other beings.

The repetition at the end—"enchants, and thus CHARMS."—reinforces the poem’s title. To be charmed is to be captivated, to be drawn into something beyond oneself, to experience a force that moves through the body and mind in ways that defy logic. The word "charms" carries multiple meanings: it suggests magic, spellbinding attraction, but also something protective, like a talisman against forgetting the depth of the world’s beauty.

Snyder’s "Charms" is ultimately a poem about perception—how beauty is not just in what we see but in how we see it. It is about stepping outside of human-centered ways of experiencing desire and delight, recognizing that every being, every species, has its own dance, its own grace, its own gestures of enchantment. The poem does not just celebrate beauty; it challenges the reader to think beyond human aesthetic norms, to consider the larger world of sensuality and connection that exists beyond our species. Beauty, for Snyder, is not owned by humans—it is a force that moves through all of creation, a force that charms us into recognition, if we are willing to look beyond ourselves.

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