Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" is a poem by Richard Wilbur, first published in 1956. It is known for its religious themes and vivid imagery.

Explanation:

The poem follows a man who is awakened by the sound of church bells, and as he gets out of bed and looks out the window, he sees laundry hanging on a clothesline. The man then has a realization that love and beauty are present in the ordinary things of life, even in the mundane task of doing laundry. The poem ultimately suggests that love and beauty are not limited to the spiritual realm, but can also be found in the material world.

 Poetic Elements:

• Structure: The poem is divided into three stanzas of varying length, with a total of 22 lines. The lines are mostly in iambic pentameter, with occasional variations.
• Rhyme scheme: The poem has a complex rhyme scheme that varies throughout, with the final word of each line typically rhyming with the first and third words of the next line.
• Imagery: The poem is known for its vivid imagery, particularly in its depiction of the laundry hanging on the clothesline and the man's realization of beauty in the mundane.
• Religious themes: The poem contains several references to Christian theology, including the idea of the incarnation and the resurrection.

Conclusion:

"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" is a powerful meditation on the relationship between the spiritual and material realms, and the role of love and beauty in both. The poem's structure, rhyme scheme, imagery, and religious themes all contribute to its impact and lasting significance in the canon of modern poetry.

Poem Snippet:

It is the mind's eye that sees the world,

And the heart that chooses its way.

So we come, sight and heart, to what befell

And cannot but remember what befell.