Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Stanley Merwin's "Air" is an evocative, somber journey through the landscapes of memory, loss, and existence. The poem begins with a straightforward statement: "Naturally it is night." This line sets the tone for the exploration that follows-a contemplation often best suited for the silence and solitude that night brings.

The "overturned lute with its / One string" is an intriguing image that appears early in the poem. This solitary string perhaps symbolizes a sense of incompleteness or even loss. Even so, the speaker goes on his way, one that has "a strange sound." This ambiguous, strange sound may represent the dissonance between reality and memory, or even the existential echoes that resonate when one confronts the vastness of the unknown.

"This way the dust, that way the dust" - these lines capture a sense of inevitability and futility. No matter the path one takes, the end remains the same: a return to dust. Yet, in this bleak landscape, the speaker listens to "both sides" but continues his journey undeterred. The forward motion could signify a certain acceptance of life's uncertainty and mortality.

The poem then transitions into memories of changing seasons-"the leaves sitting in judgment / And then winter." These lines poignantly distill the essence of life's transient beauty, as well as its inherent harshness. The image of the rain "taking all its roads" speaks to the idea that life's journey often leads to the same destination-"Nowhere."

The phrase "Young as I am, old as I am" encapsulates the human condition-the eternal cycle of birth and decay. In this context, the speaker's forgetfulness becomes a mechanism to deal with the overwhelming sense of existential despair. "I forget tomorrow, the blind man," he declares, alluding perhaps to the uncertainty of future events, or the blindness that comes with not knowing what tomorrow holds.

"I forget silence / The owner of the smile" - silence here is personified as owning a smile, and this image, in its vagueness, has a hauntingly mystical quality. It suggests that in silence, one might find something worth smiling about, even if it's just the calm acceptance of one's existential situation.

The final lines offer some semblance of resolution or, at least, acceptance. The speaker finds himself "Walking at night between the two deserts, / Singing." This suggests that the act of singing-or perhaps the broader act of creation-is a way to bridge the gap between the two "deserts," which could be metaphors for life and death, past and future, or even hope and despair.

"Air" seems to take us on a journey through the complexities of life, touching upon the ephemeral nature of existence and the haunting beauty that often accompanies its harsh realities. It's a rich tapestry woven from the threads of introspection, memories, and the indefinable spaces that lie between the known and unknown.

Poem Snippet:

I forget tomorrow, the blind man.

I forget the life among the buried windows.

The eyes in the curtains.

The wall

Growing through the immortelles.

I forget silence

The owner of the smile.

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