Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Richard Wilbur's poem "For C." explores the various shades of love and goodbyes, weaving together different scenarios where love is bid farewell. The poem begins with an ordinary scene-elevator gates clashing, a woman emerging into the morning light, and a man waiting for her by the window. The tableau quickly moves from the particular to the universal, showcasing a "grand scale" on which lovers part ways. The narrative then delves into more specific instances of farewell, contrasting the ephemeral goodbye of a dance with the monumental separation of a long-distance relationship. The underlying themes connect these varied experiences, questioning the complexities of love, its endurance, and its simultaneous fragility and strength.

The poem seems to present love as a series of goodbyes, each with its own weight, consequence, and emotional tapestry. From "a dance" that lasts but a moment to a geographical separation spanning "three thousand miles," each goodbye becomes a microcosm of a "whole new life forgone." Wilbur uses cosmic imagery like "Bright Perseids" and "the firmament" to situate these personal dramas in a universal context, suggesting that the melancholy and expanse of the universe itself might echo in our earthly farewells.

One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its nuanced tone, which navigates between "grief" and "something like relief." There's an implication that parting is an essential part of love's experience. These separations, while painful, bring their own sort of clarity, distancing lovers just enough to see what their emotions have constructed or deconstructed. The "knitting seas" that create a barrier also offer the chance for reflection and self-understanding.

The latter part of the poem talks directly to the speaker's love, admitting that their love lacks the dramatic separations and reunions of the earlier examples. Yet, Wilbur argues that this steady, "tame and staid" love has its own form of passion-a "wild sostenuto of the heart." This unbroken, continuous love is likened to art, beautifully crafted like "a good fiddle" or a "rose window," enduring like the "rose's scent" or the heavens themselves.

Wilbur suggests that the value of love doesn't lie solely in its peaks and valleys, its hellos and goodbyes, but also in its steady continuity. The speaker implies that their love, though devoid of dramatic partings, is still vibrant, offering "a certain scope" in its steadfastness. It's a love that, though it may not partake in the "large despair" of grand farewells, is valuable for its consistency and enduring grace.

Thus, "For C." serves as a poetic meditation on love's various forms and the farewells that punctuate it. The poem highlights the universality of parting, whether fleeting or long-lasting, and proposes that each form of love-whether marked by grand separations or characterized by unbroken continuity-has its unique richness and value.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...