Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"In Smooth Water The Mountains Suspend Themselves" by Jane Hirshfield takes the reader through a rich tapestry of nature, exploring themes of interconnectedness, perception, and transcendence. Hirshfield weaves a nuanced tapestry where distinctions between sky and water, animals and angels, and the earthly and divine blur, ultimately leaving us with a sense of awe for the world's layered complexities.

The opening lines introduce us to a landscape where "shallows and hillside echo each other / so perfectly." Here, we're immediately faced with a challenge to our usual ways of perceiving the world. What is water and what is sky? The landscape suggests a sense of unity and inseparability between elements we often view as distinct.

In the midst of this natural scenery, the squirrel becomes a focal point, embodying the theme of transcendence. He is not just an ordinary animal but represents something far grander. He seems to "arch" effortlessly "from oak tree to pine, thirty feet in the air," displaying an angelic grace. And yet, the squirrel is unaware of his celestial qualities. To him, his actions are as natural as "the dim, suspended fluttering of a fish" that he crosses on his journey.

The poem further elevates the squirrel's significance by likening him to ancient creatures depicted on cathedral walls. These mythical beings, "lion-mouthed, vulture-clawed, with bulging eyes," observe the human world from a place of detachment, much like the squirrel. Their perspective is larger, less concerned with the human scale of things. In this, Hirshfield invites us to question our anthropocentric viewpoint. Do we, like those cathedral figures, overlook the grand tapestry of life to which we belong?

As the poem continues, Hirshfield brings in the image of the "big brown" fish, who briefly intersects with the squirrel. This moment of connection goes unnoticed by both. Here, the poem emphasizes that while all things are interconnected, these connections often go unrecognized. This serves as a metaphor for how humans interact with nature-taking from it, "quarry[ing] the earth for silver and granite," yet failing to recognize the grand design in which we play a part.

Towards the end, the imagery of "green clouds of treetops, green clouds of weeds" resting "like folded wings in the clear water," captures a sense of serenity and completion. These elements are "patient, waiting, having borne us this far," reminding us that we are sustained by the larger world, whether we recognize it or not.

"In Smooth Water The Mountains Suspend Themselves" thus offers a compelling meditation on the beauty and complexities of the natural world. It encourages us to broaden our perspectives-to see beyond our limited view of what enters and departs from our personal "doors and windows," and to perceive the grand architecture of life in which we are but a single, though integral, piece.

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