Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "The Black-Tailed Hare" is a poem that seamlessly weaves together landscape, ecology, and an almost mystical interaction between human perception and the natural world. The poem’s movement is fluid, beginning with an encounter with a hare, shifting to a description of irrigation and human infrastructure, and then expanding into a vision of mountains, trees, and atmospheric forces working together to sustain life. Snyder’s approach reflects his deep ecological philosophy, where all elements—animal, human, water, mountains—are interconnected and engaged in a shared existence.

The poem opens with a personal moment: “A grizzled black-eyed jackrabbit showed me / irrigation ditches, open paved highway, / white line to the hill…” The hare is not just an animal observed; it becomes a guide, revealing the landscape in a way that suggests a deeper relationship between wild creatures and human development. The juxtaposition of “irrigation ditches” and “open paved highway” hints at human intervention in the landscape—diverting water, building roads—yet the hare’s presence reminds the speaker that these elements are part of a larger ecological framework. This framing of nature as a teacher aligns with Snyder’s Buddhist and indigenous-inspired perspectives, where wisdom is found in attentiveness to the non-human world.

The imagery then expands from this initial encounter into a broader vision: “bell chill blue jewel sky / banners, / banner clouds flying.” The language here is strikingly visual, evoking a vast, crisp atmosphere where the sky and clouds move like flags in the wind. The choice of “banners” suggests both natural grandeur and a kind of sacred presence, as if the sky and mountains are adorned with signals of power and meaning. Snyder often uses such direct, elemental descriptions to capture the wonder of being fully present in a landscape, and here, the effect is both immediate and reverential.

As the poem continues, the mountains take on an active role: “the mountains all gathered, juniper trees on their flanks, / cone buds, / snug bark scale in thin powder snow over rock scrabble, pricklers, boulders, / pines and junipers singing.” The phrase “the mountains all gathered” gives them an almost sentient quality, as if they are conscious entities assembling for a purpose. The details of vegetation and terrain—junipers, cone buds, snow, rock scrabble—create a richly textured scene, highlighting the resilience of life in a rugged environment. The trees “singing” reinforces the sense that this landscape is alive and expressive, not merely a backdrop but an active participant in the cycle of existence.

The final section of the poem brings together the themes of water, mountains, and human dependence: “The mountains singing to gather the sky and the mist to bring it down snow-breath / ice-banners— / and gather it water sent from the peaks flanks and folds / down arroyos and ditches by highways the water the people to use it, the mountains and juniper do it for us.” Here, Snyder makes explicit the connection between natural processes and human survival. The mountains “sing” to call down moisture, the snow and ice become water, which then moves through the landscape to reach people who depend on it. The phrase “the mountains and juniper do it for us” underscores this interdependence, reminding the reader that human existence is not separate from these ecological processes but is, in fact, shaped by and reliant upon them.

Throughout the poem, Snyder maintains a tone of awe and humility, positioning the human observer as one element within a vast, intricate system. The hare, which begins the poem as a guide, serves as a bridge between the personal and the ecological, leading the speaker from immediate perception to a recognition of the greater forces at work. This structure mirrors a common movement in Snyder’s poetry—from a single, specific moment to an expansive, almost cosmic awareness.

"The Black-Tailed Hare" exemplifies Snyder’s lifelong poetic project of articulating the deep interconnectedness of life, land, and water. By centering the hare as a kind of guide and emphasizing the role of mountains and trees in sustaining water cycles, the poem conveys a quiet but profound ecological message: that nature is always at work, and humans, whether they acknowledge it or not, are recipients of its gifts. The poem, in its seamless merging of natural description and philosophical reflection, invites the reader to recognize this interconnectedness and to approach the living world with reverence and gratitude.

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