Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Kingfisher" by Mary Oliver explores the duality of life and death, joy and sorrow, through the lens of nature-personified by a kingfisher. Oliver's work often imbues the natural world with a sense of spirituality and philosophical depth. Here, she uses the kingfisher as a symbol to interrogate the complexities of human existence.

The kingfisher rises "out of the black wave like a blue flower," carrying "a silver leaf" in his beak. The image is at once vivid and mythic, contrasting the "black wave" with the "blue flower," possibly alluding to the perennial cycle of life and death. Oliver introduces a question about the nature of the world itself, labeling it "the prettiest world-so long as you don't mind a little dying." This almost cheeky observation brings us face-to-face with the paradox of life: it is beautiful because it is transient, and its transience is what lends urgency and joy to its moments.

The mention of "a splash of happiness" is especially poignant. It reminds us that even in a life punctuated by mortality ("a little dying"), there are instances of absolute joy and beauty. The word 'splash' is no accident, tying back to the water from which the kingfisher rises and the elemental nature of the emotions Oliver explores.

Oliver goes on to say that the kingfisher "wasn't born to think about it, or anything else." This line plunges into existentialism. While humans are burdened by consciousness and the dread it can produce, the kingfisher is devoid of such complexities. For him, "hunger is the only story he has ever heard in his life that he could believe." The kingfisher's narrative is one of survival, a storyline not cluttered by philosophy or emotion, but driven by biological necessity.

The poem climaxes in a confession. Oliver writes, "I don't say he's right. Neither do I say he's wrong." Here, Oliver sidesteps making a moral judgment, indicating that perhaps both the human and kingfisher perspectives have their own merits and limitations. The kingfisher's "rough and easy cry" symbolizes a rawness and immediacy that Oliver admits she can't emulate, no matter how "thoughtful" she is.

The conclusion encapsulates a profound longing-to "do something, anything, perfectly." This longing is perhaps the human condition: a desire to achieve a moment of perfection, a 'splash of happiness,' as it were, in an otherwise imperfect and transient life.

Overall, "The Kingfisher" serves as an existential inquiry into the human condition. While the bird is occupied with survival, humans wrestle with emotional and philosophical complexities. Both are different sides of the same coin of life, making this world "the prettiest" even if it involves "a little dying." Mary Oliver's kingfisher becomes a spiritual metaphor, urging us to navigate the troubled waters of our existence, seeking those flashes of perfection that make the journey worthwhile.

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