Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "Haida Gwai North Coast, Haikoon Beach, Hiellen River Raven Croaks" is a raw, immersive poem that captures the dynamism of a coastal ecosystem, the interactions of birds, tides, and rivers set against the backdrop of seasonal transition. The poem’s setting—Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the northern coast of British Columbia—is a place rich in Indigenous history, ecological complexity, and mythic resonance. Snyder, with his characteristic fusion of observation, mythology, and ecological consciousness, renders this environment as a space where nature’s cycles of decay and renewal, struggle and abundance, unfold in a living drama.

The poem’s structure is fluid and kinetic, mirroring the restless movement of the birds and waters it describes. The first lines erupt with sound: “Twelve ravens squawk, squork, crork over the dark tall spruce and down to the beach.” Snyder’s use of onomatopoeia—"squawk, squork, crork"—immediately places the reader in the auditory environment of the Haida Gwaii coast. The repetition of these rough, guttural calls mimics the unpredictability of raven speech, emphasizing their role as active participants in the scene. Ravens, often symbolic of transformation and intelligence in Haida mythology, are not just passive observers but vocal commentators on the shifting elements around them.

The poem then expands its focus to include eagles: “Two eagles squabbling, twitter, meeting, bumping flying overhead.” This description conveys both aggression and playfulness, reinforcing the theme of nature as an arena of constant motion, competition, and negotiation. The eagles, as apex predators, contrast with the more trickster-like ravens, creating a dynamic interplay of power and adaptability.

Snyder’s attention to detail deepens as he shifts from the air to the water: “amber river waters dark from muskeg acids, irons, murk.” Here, he describes the Hiellen River’s tannin-stained flow, a result of decaying vegetation in the surrounding muskeg (boggy wetlands). The river’s rich, earthy hues contrast with the cold clarity of open seawater, emphasizing the mingling of terrestrial and marine forces. This mixing is further dramatized by the arrival of the eagre, a tidal bore that surges upriver, reversing the current with the incoming tide. Snyder presents this phenomenon not as a scientific anomaly but as another element in the ongoing, chaotic conversation between land, sea, and sky.

The poem builds toward the climax of this ecological convergence: “eagles, ravens, seagulls, over surf, / Salal and cedar at the swelling river, / wheeling birds make comment.” This phrase reinforces the idea that the natural world is expressive, that birds, plants, and water all “speak” in their own way, responding to the seasonal shifts around them. The phrase “on gray skies, big swells, storms, the end of summer, the fall run—” locates the moment within a specific seasonal framework. The “fall run” refers to the migration of salmon, particularly humpback (humpy) salmon, who wait offshore before beginning their final journey upriver to spawn. The birds, sensing this imminent movement, are engaged in a kind of collective anticipation, their activity mirroring the teeming energy beneath the water’s surface.

Snyder then turns his attention to the debris carried by the tide and river: “comment on the flot and jet of sea crud / and the downriver wash of inland hard-won forest / natural trash from an older wildness.” This phrase suggests a continuity between past and present, the accumulation of organic material—wood, leaves, sediment—representing the ongoing decomposition and renewal of forest life. The “older wildness” refers to the climax ecosystems of old-growth forests, their resilience tested by time, weather, and natural processes. The phrase “Mother Earth loves to love” introduces a shift in tone, personifying the Earth not as a passive backdrop but as a passionate, participatory force.

Snyder’s depiction of nature as sensual, physical, and full of rough affection intensifies in the next lines: “Love hard, playing, fighting, rough and rowdy love-rassling / she can take it, she gives it, kissing, pounding, laughing—.” This passage transforms ecological interactions into something almost erotic, framing natural processes as a kind of intimate wrestling match between the elements. The phrase “rough and rowdy love-rassling” suggests that creation is not gentle or sentimental but raw, competitive, and full of energy. Snyder sees in nature a force that embraces conflict and struggle, where destruction is as much a part of love as nurturing.

The poem concludes with the image of scavengers returning to the scene: “up from old growth mossy bottoms / twa corbies rork and flutter / the old food the new food tangled in fall flood streams.” The reference to “twa corbies” (Scottish for “two ravens”) evokes an old ballad in which ravens feast on a fallen knight, reinforcing the theme of life feeding on death. Here, the corbies are not ominous figures but participants in the seasonal cycle—feeding on both “old food” (perhaps remnants of the summer’s salmon) and “new food” (fresh fish swept into the floodwaters). The final image of “fall flood streams” ties the poem back to the broader movement of water, linking the Hiellen River’s surge with the larger rhythms of autumn, decay, and renewal.

"Haida Gwai North Coast, Haikoon Beach, Hiellen River Raven Croaks" is a poem deeply attuned to the interconnected forces of land, water, and sky. Through precise sensory detail and dynamic, living language, Snyder captures a moment of transition, where birds, fish, trees, and rivers interact in a chaotic, rhythmic dance. The poem’s vision of nature is neither passive nor sentimental—it is full of struggle, anticipation, and fierce vitality. In Snyder’s world, ravens don’t just observe; they croak, squawk, and argue. Rivers don’t just flow; they carry the voices of past and present. And the Earth itself doesn’t merely exist; it loves, wrestles, and remakes itself with each turning season.

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