Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Adrienne Rich's poem "Design in Living Colors" uses the metaphor of a tapestry to explore themes of perception, symbolism, and the interconnectedness of life. Through rich imagery and reflective language, Rich delves into the layers of meaning that exist within the seemingly mundane and familiar aspects of our world.

The poem opens with a vivid description of a tapestry: "Embroidered in a tapestry of green / Among the textures of a threaded garden, / The gesturing lady and her paladin / Walk in a path where shade and sunlight harden." This imagery sets the scene within a meticulously crafted garden, symbolizing a constructed and idealized reality. The "gesturing lady and her paladin" evoke figures of chivalry and romance, further enhancing the sense of an artful, deliberate creation.

Rich continues to describe this world: "Upon the formal attitudes of trees / By no wind bent, and birds without a tune, / Against the background of a figured frieze / In an eternal summer afternoon." The trees and birds, unaffected by natural forces like wind and song, represent a static and perfect environment, suggesting a timeless, unchanging scene.

The poem then shifts to reflect on the perception of reality within this idealized frame: "So you and I in our accepted frame / Believe a casual world of bricks and flowers / And scarcely guess what symbols wander tame / Among the panels of familiar hours." Here, Rich acknowledges that people often accept their surroundings at face value, not recognizing the deeper symbolic meanings that pervade everyday life.

Rich introduces the possibility of encountering the extraordinary within the ordinary: "Yet should the parting boughs of green reveal / A slender unicorn with jeweled feet, / Could I persuade him at my touch to kneel / And from my fingers take what unicorns eat?" This fantastical imagery suggests that beneath the surface of our familiar world, there exists a realm of magical and profound significance.

The poem continues with a contemplative tone: "If you should pick me at my whim a rose, / Setting the birds upon the bush in flight, / How should I know what crimson meaning grows / Deep in this garden, where such birds alight?" Rich questions the ability to truly understand the deeper meanings and symbols that exist in the world, even in simple acts like picking a rose.

Rich further reflects on the clarity and order found within the tapestry: "And how should I believe, the meaning clear, / That we are children of disordered days? / That fragmentary world is mended here, / And in this air a clearer sunlight plays." The tapestry represents a place where the fragmented and chaotic aspects of life are unified and understood, bathed in a "clearer sunlight."

The concluding lines of the poem emphasize the transformative power of perception: "The fleeing hare, the wings that brush the tree, / All images once separate and alone, / Become the creatures of a tapestry / Miraculously stirred and made our own." The poem suggests that through a shift in perspective, the disparate elements of life can be seen as interconnected and meaningful parts of a larger, cohesive design.

"Design in Living Colors" by Adrienne Rich invites readers to look beyond the surface of their everyday experiences and to recognize the deeper connections and symbols that shape their reality. Through the metaphor of a tapestry, Rich explores the idea that our world, with all its complexity and beauty, is a living work of art that reveals its patterns and meanings through careful observation and reflection.