Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Updike's poem "Azores" vividly captures the ephemeral encounter of tourists with the Azores islands, using striking imagery and metaphors to reflect on themes of transience, isolation, and the passage of time. The poem presents the islands as both a physical and temporal anomaly, anchored steadfastly in the midst of the Atlantic, bridging the past with the present in their timeless allure.

The poem begins by likening the Azores to "Great green ships / themselves," suggesting both their large, imposing nature and their isolation, surrounded by the vast expanse of the ocean. This simile also evokes the image of the islands as ancient, steadfast vessels that are permanently moored, with "huge roots of lava / hold them fast in mid-Atlantic / to the past." This imagery emphasizes the geological and historical depth of the islands, anchoring them firmly to a distant, almost mythical past.

The perspective then shifts to the tourists, who from the deck of their passing ship, view the islands with a mixture of excitement and superficial appreciation. The description of the islands as having hillsides "flecked / with cottages / (confetti) and sweet lozenges / of chocolate (land)" paints a picturesque, almost quaint image that contrasts sharply with the grandeur and permanence of the islands themselves. This portrayal suggests a disconnect between the tourists' fleeting, picturesque perception and the islands' enduring, rugged reality.

The tourists' marvel at the "dainty fields and terraces / hand-tilled to yield / the modest fruits / of vines and trees imported by / the Portuguese" further underscores a sense of historical and cultural layering. The agricultural practices, preserved from centuries ago, are highlighted as a charming relic of the past, yet they also signify the human effort to cultivate and tame the wild, volcanic landscape. This section reflects a rural idyll that seems removed from time, an "old-world" charm that the tourists briefly glimpse before moving on.

The poem's structure mirrors the tourists' journey—briefly connecting with the islands before inevitably drifting away. The line "the rift / enlarges" succinctly captures the growing distance between the tourists and the islands as their ship moves on. The concluding lines, "Again the constant music feeds / an emptiness astern, / Azores gone. / The void behind, the void ahead are one," poignantly express the transient nature of the tourists' experience and the existential void that it leaves in its wake. The islands, once a vivid spectacle, recede into memory, merging with the boundless horizon that lies both behind and ahead.

Overall, "Azores" explores the fleeting intersections between the transient and the eternal. Updike's use of rich, evocative language and shifting perspectives invites reflection on how places are perceived and remembered, particularly through the transient lens of tourism, against the backdrop of their enduring presence and historical depth.

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