Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"End of a Day" by William Stanley Merwin reflects on the inexorable passage of time and its implications for both human relationships and the natural world. The poem opens in the "long evening of April," drawing us into a serene landscape shared by man and nature alike. Bayle, "a stub of a man," and his two sheepdogs occupy this bucolic world where the land is "combed red" and "bees hang late in cowslips." Yet, this serenity is overshadowed by the unease Bayle's dogs have toward him, and by the changes he has inflicted on the landscape-a discord that belies the tranquil scene.

At first glance, Bayle is a part of the idyllic scenery, his arrival heralded by his dogs "sail[ing] down the lane like magpies." However, the poet introduces dissonance with the phrase "his dogs are afraid of him." The dogs' fear acts as a microcosm of a greater discord between man and nature, revealing Bayle not as a shepherd in harmony with his environment but as a harbinger of change. The dogs, being creatures of instinct, are the first to sense Bayle's unsettling influence on the landscape and, possibly, the future.

The landscape in Merwin's poem is not static but subjected to the alterations of human ambition. "He has bulldozed the upland / pastures and the shepherds' huts into piles of rubble," the narrator informs us, shedding light on Bayle's transformation of the land. The very terrain seems to be losing its organic, undulating features, replaced by man-made flatness and barriers, captured in the chilling line, "has his sheep fenced in everyone's meadows now." These alterations signify more than just an aesthetic loss; they point to an environmental degradation, a curtailing of nature's freedom.

Merwin delves further into Bayle's ambitions with, "Bayle has plans to demolish / the ancient walls of the lane and level it wide." The widening of the lane for trucks is yet another harbinger of change. What was once a peaceful area where lambs lived their short lives is now a site of impending industrialization. This development is not merely a physical alteration but also an ideological one, as it prioritizes commercial efficiency over natural preservation and community tradition.

As the poem closes, Merwin adds a poignant touch: "the hour / turns chill as iron and in the oaks the first nightingales / of the year kindle their unapproachable voices." The nightingales, creatures often symbolic of poetic inspiration and beauty, are a stark contrast to Bayle and his plans. Their "unapproachable voices" are timeless and unchanging, a foil to the constant change Bayle represents. This contrast leaves the reader contemplating what is gained-and more poignantly, what is lost-in the name of progress.

"End of a Day" paints a complex portrait of change, both natural and man-made. It challenges the notion that progress is inherently good, asking us to consider the cost of such advancements. The evening, a transitional time of day, mirrors the transitional moment the landscape is undergoing, caught between an idyllic past and an uncertain future. Like many of Merwin's works, it serves as a call to mindfulness, asking us to consider how our actions echo in the landscapes we inhabit.

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