Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Cold-Blooded Creatures" is a poem written by Elinor Wylie, an American poet, novelist and short-story writer, and was first published in her collection of poems titled "Trivial Breath" in 1928.

Explanation:

The poem describes the cold-blooded creatures, such as lizards and snakes, in a garden that are often overlooked by humans. The speaker notes the creatures' movements and interactions with one another, and how they live in their own world, separate from the human world. The speaker also observes the beauty and mystery of the creatures and their environment.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of five stanzas with varying line lengths and no set rhyme scheme.
• Imagery: The poem is filled with vivid and descriptive imagery, particularly in its descriptions of the cold-blooded creatures and their surroundings.
• Personification: The cold-blooded creatures are personified, given human-like qualities such as "idle and gay" and "making a stir."
• Metaphor: The creatures are described as "jewels" and the garden as a "brooch."
• Symbolism: The cold-blooded creatures and their world are symbols of a mysterious and exotic realm, separate from the human world.

Conclusion:

In "Cold-Blooded Creatures," Elinor Wylie highlights the beauty and mystery of the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. The poem emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the often-overlooked aspects of life and finding value in unexpected places.

Poem Snippet:

"Amid the rubies and the roses,

Rank on rank, the sleek iguanas

Gather the sun on green pavilions,

Bask, idle and gay as princes."