Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Yesterday" by W.S. Merwin is a haunting meditation on regret, filial duty, and the passage of time, manifest in a conversation between the poet and a friend. Though straightforward in language and form, the poem carries a weight that belies its simplicity. The dialogue is terse, filled with silences that speak volumes, and replete with the poignant "oh yes" and "you know," acknowledging mutual understanding between the two speakers.

As the conversation unfurls, the friend recounts an experience with his late father. It's clear that the visit was one of infrequency, perhaps even reluctance, punctuated by the checking of a wristwatch. Merwin captures the eternal gravity of that moment-when the father, sensing his son's urge to leave, assures him that it's fine to go, implying that the son's time could be better spent elsewhere. The coldness of "my father's hand the last time" becomes emblematic of a relationship unwarmed by time and presence, contrasting sharply with the father's still-warm desire to connect with his son.

The poem doesn't mention the friend's mother, focusing solely on the relationship with the father. This is significant. Traditionally, paternal relationships are often laden with unspoken expectations and emotionally charged silences, and Merwin draws us into that complex emotional terrain. The father's graciousness in letting his son go, his unwillingness to impose, intensifies the poem's tragic undertone. When the friend admits he left, "though there was nowhere I had to go / and nothing I had to do," he lays bare the regret and self-reproach filling those silences in their conversation.

W.S. Merwin masterfully utilizes the window as more than a physical object; it becomes a symbol of reflection and a frame through which the speaker and his friend observe the passing of time and opportunity. The friend is "older" than the speaker, adding another layer of urgency and sorrow to the narrative. Time is running out for both men, yet their acknowledgment of this doesn't seem to bring catharsis or resolution. Instead, it hangs heavy in the air, a shared burden yet to be alleviated.

The poem, placed in the context of Merwin's broader oeuvre, also aligns with the poet's interest in themes of loss, memory, and time. It can be read as a cautionary tale about the need to be present in our relationships, to not take the time we have with our loved ones for granted. It also serves as a study in the fine line between freedom and isolation that adult children often walk in their relationships with aging parents. The freedom to leave, symbolized by the checked wristwatch, becomes an isolating chasm, widening with each unspoken word, each missed visit, until all that remains is an abyss of regret.

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