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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
The opening line, "The room I entered was a dream of this room," suggests an interplay between reality and imagination. It invokes a sense of déjà vu, where the present and the past, or the actual and the imagined, overlap in confusing ways. This is further complicated by the claim, "Surely all those feet on the sofa were mine." The speaker's identity appears fragmented, distributed across multiple selves or moments in time. Are these echoes of past lives, parallel existences, or perhaps the varied selves that one contains within a single lifespan? The "oval portrait / of a dog" cited as representing the speaker "at an early age" continues this theme. It's unclear if this is a metaphorical portrayal of the speaker's past self as innocent and loyal like a dog, or a more surreal claim. Either way, the notion of self becomes fluid, elusive, and multiple. The next lines, "Something shimmers, something is hushed up," introduce elements of both wonder and secrecy. Here, the speaker might be hinting at the ineffable nature of existence or at the secrets we keep from ourselves as we rewrite our pasts to suit our present needs or understanding. These lines offer a glimpse into how our minds operate-a continual push and pull between revelatory experiences and the unspeakable aspects of our thoughts or histories. The seemingly random shift to mundane details about having "macaroni for lunch every day" provides a stark contrast to the surreal nature of the poem so far. The inclusion of these ordinary memories amidst the surreal elements underscores the complexity of human experience-a tapestry woven of the extraordinary and the mundane. Sundays deviate from this routine with "a small quail" for lunch, inducing an air of specialness or ceremony that breaks the monotony. It makes us question the authenticity of memories, the symbolism we attach to them, and how these narratives change depending on the day of the week, or perhaps, the stage of our lives. The final lines, "Why do I tell you these things? / You are not even here," echo the poem's initial ambiguity. The speaker seems to question his own motivations for this retrospection, turning it into a kind of monologue or soliloquy. The absence of the 'you' adds an existential loneliness to the poem, emphasizing the isolation often felt in introspection or in grappling with complex identities. Overall, "This Room" is a microcosm of life's perplexities and the fluid nature of identity. The poem defies easy interpretation, making it a mirror reflecting the reader's own confusions, secrets, and multiplicities. Ashbery crafts an intimate, ambiguous space where memory, identity, and time swirl in an enigmatic dance, leaving us with more questions than answers-a poignant commentary on the human condition. Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AFTER CALLIMACHUS by JOHN HOLLANDER THE EVENING OF THE MIND by DONALD JUSTICE CHRISTMAS AWAY FROM HOME by JANE KENYON THE PROBLEM by CHARLOTTE FISKE BATES WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN by DAVID LEHMAN THIS UNMENTIONABLE FEELING by DAVID LEHMAN |
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