Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "Drinking French Wine in Middle America" captures a poignant moment of nostalgia, bridging the sensory experience of drinking a bottle of Vouvray with vivid memories of youth and travel. This piece elegantly juxtaposes the mundane reality of Middle America with the romanticized and vibrant memory of youth spent on the banks of the Loire River in France.

The poem begins with the act of opening a bottle of Vouvray, which immediately unleashes "its bouquet / of the French countryside / on the plains of Middle America." This sensory experience transcends geographical boundaries, transporting the speaker back to a specific time and place in his past. The "fragrance" of the wine is so powerful that it "floods over" him, metaphorically wafting him back to a "rainy hillside / by the banks of the Loire." The use of the word "floods" suggests an overwhelming and uncontrollable rush of memories, evoking a strong emotional response.

Ferlinghetti continues to deepen the sensory journey by reminiscing about his time in Vouvray, "a tiny village" where he sat as a "twenty-eight years old / seafarer student / uncorking the local bottle." This flashback not only captures the essence of youthful adventure but also highlights a moment of self-discovery and freedom, underscored by his description of himself as a "seafarer student." The "captured scent of spring / fresh wet flowers / in first spring rain" evokes the freshness and renewal of youth, enhancing the nostalgia.

As the memory unfolds, the speaker begins to reflect on the passage of time and the changes it brings. He questions, "Where gone that lonesome hiker / fugace fugitive / blindfold romantic / wanderer traumatic / in some Rimbaud illusionation." The use of terms like "fugace" (fleeting) and "illusionation" (illusion) suggests that the vivid experiences of his youth now feel distant and ephemeral, almost unreal. The reference to Rimbaud, a symbol of youthful revolt and poetic genius, deepens the sense of lost youth and the idealistic fervor that once drove him.

The poem returns to the present with the image of "spring rain falls / upon the hillside flowers / lavande and coquelicots." The "grey light upon them / in time's pearly gloaming" reflects a melancholic realization of time's passage. The "pearly gloaming" suggests a soft, reflective moment at twilight, symbolizing the transition from day to night, mirroring the transition from youth to the current reflective state.

The closing lines, "Where gone now / and to what homing- / Beardless ghost come back again!" express a yearning for the return of his youthful self, now a "beardless ghost" in the speaker's memory. This call for the ghost to "come back again" is a plea for the return of past vitality and the carefree spirit that characterized his earlier life.

In "Drinking French Wine in Middle America," Ferlinghetti uses the act of drinking wine as a metaphorical vehicle to explore themes of memory, aging, and the longing for the past. Through vivid sensory details and reflective questioning, the poem beautifully captures the bittersweet nature of nostalgia, contrasting the permanence of geographical landscapes with the fleeting nature of human experience.

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