Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Promises: 16. Ballad of a Sweet Dream of Peace: 3, Go It, Granny—Go It, Hog!," Robert Penn Warren continues his exploration of decay, memory, and the surreal intersection of past and present. The poem introduces a new, eerie scene set in the darkness, where the presence of foraging hogs and the spectral figure of an old woman evoke themes of mortality, the passage of time, and the cyclical nature of life and death. Through vivid imagery and dark humor, Warren delves into the ways in which the past continues to haunt the present, blurring the boundaries between the living and the dead.

The poem begins with a disturbing sound: "Out there in the dark, what's that horrible chomping?" This immediate sense of unease sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as the speaker reveals that the noise is simply hogs foraging for mast. The casual dismissal of the initial horror—"Oh, nothing, just hogs"—juxtaposes the sinister sound with the mundane reality of farm animals searching for food. This contrast between the grotesque and the ordinary introduces a central tension in the poem, as Warren plays with the idea that what we perceive as terrifying or unnatural is often just a part of the natural order.

The speaker suggests that the hogs would recognize the voice of the person who used to feed them, calling "Hoo-pig!" and coming "romping" in response. This detail adds a layer of nostalgia and connection to the past, as the hogs seemingly retain a memory of the boy who slopped them in "dear, dead days long past." The phrase "dear, dead days" evokes a sense of loss and the passage of time, as the speaker acknowledges that those days are irretrievably gone. However, the idea that the hogs could remember the boy introduces a surreal element, suggesting that the past is never truly gone but continues to exist in some form.

The next stanza rejects the literal interpretation of the hogs' recognition, stating, "Any hogs that I slopped are long years dead, / And eaten by somebody and evacuated." This blunt acknowledgment of the cycle of life and death—that the hogs have been consumed and "evacuated"—underscores the inevitability of mortality. The speaker calls the earlier suggestion "simply absurd," emphasizing the futility of clinging to past connections in a world governed by the relentless passage of time.

However, the poem shifts again, as a new voice interjects: "You fool, poor fool, all Time is a dream, and we're all one / Flesh, at last." This line introduces a more philosophical perspective, proposing that time is not linear but a dream-like state in which all living beings are connected. The statement "we're all one / Flesh, at last" suggests a universal unity in death, where distinctions between individuals and species dissolve. The hogs, in this view, are not separate from the old woman or the speaker but part of a larger continuum of existence.

The hogs' behavior is described in almost ritualistic terms, as they "sit in a ring" and "wait for her creaky old tread." They exhibit a strange politeness, as if they understand the significance of the old woman's actions and are patiently waiting for her to complete her task. The image of the hogs waiting for the "creaky old tread" of the woman ties back to the earlier poems in this sequence, where the old woman tended to the bureau in the woods. Here, her presence is associated with a kind of foreboding inevitability, as the hogs anticipate the conclusion of her nightly ritual.

The poem's climax arrives with a sudden burst of violence: "Then old bones get knocked down with a clatter to wake up the dead." This startling image suggests a breakdown of the boundary between life and death, as the hogs seemingly attack the old woman, "knock[ing] down" her "old bones." The phrase "to wake up the dead" implies a disturbance of the natural order, as if the violence of the scene is so intense that it could rouse the deceased. The final line, "it's simply absurd how loud she can scream with no shred of a tongue in her head," combines horror with absurdity, highlighting the surreal and nightmarish quality of the scene. The idea of screaming without a tongue suggests an existence beyond physical limitations, reinforcing the poem's theme of the blurring of life and death.

"Go It, Granny—Go It, Hog!" presents a dark and surreal meditation on the inescapable cycle of life and death. Warren uses the imagery of hogs and the spectral figure of the old woman to explore themes of decay, memory, and the dissolution of individual identity in the face of mortality. The poem oscillates between horror and humor, using the grotesque to challenge the reader’s perception of the natural order and to question the nature of existence itself. Ultimately, the poem suggests that the boundaries between the past and present, the living and the dead, are porous and fluid, with all beings connected in the universal dream of time.

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