Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Zukofsky’s “A -- 17: A Coronal” is a minimalist yet densely layered poem, an exemplary piece from his monumental A sequence. It encapsulates his Objectivist principles through a blend of vivid imagery, abstraction, and philosophical underpinnings. The poem's brevity and precise use of language create an intricate exploration of nature, art, and poetic creation, while its incorporation of visual and textual elements further complicates its layered meanings. The accompanying abstract image, situated after "*Catullus LI?," adds a significant nonverbal dimension to the text, amplifying the poem’s themes of fragmentation, synthesis, and sensory experience.

The poem begins with “Anemones,” immediately immersing the reader in the natural world. The choice of this flower, delicate and transient, evokes themes of ephemerality and renewal. Anemones have symbolic resonance in various cultural traditions, often representing the fleeting nature of life or anticipation of spring. Here, their appearance marks the beginning of a meditation on creation and temporality, as they “spring where she pressed” and “cresses / stood green in the slender source.” The imagery of plants responding to human touch suggests a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, a motif that aligns with Zukofsky’s broader poetic ethos of interconnectedness.

The phrase “new books of poetry will be written” shifts the focus to the act of artistic creation, blending the natural cycle of growth with the human impulse to create. This line gestures toward the future, implying that poetry, like nature, is perpetually regenerative. Yet, the subsequent lines introduce hesitation: “Not boiling to put pen to paper / Perhaps a few things to remember.” This ambivalence reflects the tension between the urgency to create and the reflective pause necessary to achieve true sincerity and depth in art. Zukofsky's poetry often embodies this tension, balancing spontaneity with meticulous craftsmanship.

The allusion to Catullus, particularly Catullus LI, deepens the poem’s thematic complexity. Catullus’s poem, a reworking of Sappho’s ode, captures the visceral intensity of love and desire, where emotion becomes almost unbearable. Zukofsky’s reference here suggests a parallel between the ancient poet’s exploration of overwhelming sensation and his own quest to distill profound experiences into the concise language of modern poetry. The abstract image that follows "Catullus LI?" reinforces this connection. Its curved, brushstroke-like form, coupled with dots, might symbolize the fleeting, incomplete nature of human emotion and perception. Just as Catullus’s speaker is overcome by the immediacy of desire, the visual element gestures toward the limits of language and the ineffability of certain experiences.

Zukofsky’s incorporation of visual elements in A -- 17 aligns with his Objectivist commitment to treating poetry as a material object. The image, with its simplicity and abstraction, mirrors the poem’s own economy of language. Its placement disrupts the linearity of the text, inviting the reader to pause and engage with the poem on a sensory level. This interplay between verbal and visual forms echoes the Objectivist principle of seeing a poem as “an objective”—a crafted artifact that focuses the reader’s attention on the thing itself.

The poem’s final lines pivot back to themes of rest and art’s relationship to life: “when rather like thick peasants / out of Brueghel after working / you stretch out.” Here, Zukofsky invokes the earthy, communal imagery of Brueghel’s paintings, grounding the poem’s abstractions in the physicality of labor and leisure. The act of stretching out after work suggests both relief and a return to the rhythms of the natural world, an artless existence that contrasts with the deliberate effort of artistic creation. Yet, this moment of simplicity is not devoid of art; it reflects the interconnectedness of human activity, nature, and creativity that permeates the poem.

The line “art's high effort vying with the sun's heat” encapsulates Zukofsky’s vision of poetry as both a natural and deliberate act. Art competes with the elemental forces of nature, striving to capture and distill their essence. The mention of “shadows small” hints at the fleeting nature of human endeavors compared to the vastness of the natural world, yet it also suggests that even the smallest gestures—like the shadows cast by Brueghel’s peasants—carry significance.

The image placed within the poem functions as a coronal, a crown-like visual emblem that reinforces the cyclical and regenerative themes of the text. Its abstract, brushstroke-like form suggests motion and fluidity, paralleling the natural rhythms described in the poem. Just as the poem itself oscillates between abstraction and vivid imagery, the visual element bridges the gap between language and experience, inviting the reader to consider poetry as a multisensory art form.

In “A -- 17: A Coronal”, Zukofsky weaves together natural imagery, classical allusion, and visual abstraction to explore the interplay between life, art, and poetic creation. The poem’s brevity belies its depth, offering a meditation on the cycles of nature and the enduring impulse to create. The inclusion of the abstract image, coupled with references to Catullus and Brueghel, enriches the text’s layered meanings, making it both a celebration of art’s potential and a reflection on its limits. Through this synthesis of word and image, Zukofsky crafts a work that is as much an object of contemplation as it is a piece of poetry.

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