Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Coming Day" by Eamon Grennan is a contemplative and richly detailed poem that captures the subtle transformations and anticipations of a winter morning. Through vivid imagery and reflective observations, Grennan explores themes of change, routine, and the interconnections between personal and historical moments.

The poem opens with the speaker rising in darkness, setting the tone of a day beginning to unfold: "Up as usual in the dark. / An invisible woman starts to patch the day together / On a snow-quilt in front of my window." The metaphor of an "invisible woman" stitching the day together suggests a quiet, almost magical process of morning coming into being. The "snow-quilt" symbolizes the fresh, untouched nature of the day, pristine and ready to be shaped.

Grennan then describes the gradual awakening of the world: "A solid geometry of housefronts / Stiffens to attention; fledged pelts of hemlock / And spruce darken; dollops of snow grow to gleaming / On yew bushes and the rhododendron." The use of "solid geometry" and "fledged pelts" emphasizes the stillness and solidity of the scene, as if nature is bracing itself for the day ahead. The transformation of snow into gleaming patches on plants further enhances the imagery of a world coming to life.

The poem includes a passing figure, the paper-boy, who becomes a symbol of routine and historical continuity: "The shadow / Of the paper-boy passes, his sack dangling / Like the seed-bag of some dawn-striding / Nineteenth-century farmer whose head swells with / Revolution." This comparison to a farmer filled with revolutionary ideas links the everyday act of delivering newspapers to larger historical movements and aspirations, suggesting the continuity of human endeavors across time.

As dawn breaks, the garden lightens and the moon fades: "Moonwhite the garden lightens / And the moon, a peeled clove of garlic, pales." The imagery of the moon as a "peeled clove of garlic" conveys both its brightness and its diminishing presence as daylight takes over. The description of the morning cold and the child's playful interaction with snow capture the simple, tactile joys of a new day: "The day quickens cold on my face when I open the door / To let the cat out and see the small explosion / Of snow in the child's raised hand."

Grennan continues to paint a picture of the awakening world: "A bluejay bristles on the fence, his / Harsh anarchic screech rattles morning. Like old / Hand-tinted photographs the world is taking shape / Out there." The bluejay's call and the gradual shaping of the world likened to old photographs evoke a sense of both familiarity and discovery. The changing colors and textures of the scene are depicted with a keen eye for detail: "beige, olive-drab, bleached rust / On a sepia ground of air, the houses fatten."

The poem shifts to a broader reflection on history and leadership: "What are those old iron leaders / Thinking, I wonder, who lie awake at the walled-in / Heart of things in the big world, grizzled infants / Of history." This contemplation of historical figures, likened to "grizzled infants," suggests a meditation on the burdens and legacies of leadership. The "dim murmur" they strain to hear represents the persistent echoes of history.

Grennan juxtaposes the personal and the historical with a poignant image of mourning: "In Derrylin the mourners, more and more of them, / Creep between burnt-out schoolbuses and the dripping / February hedges, their coffins cocked and / At the ready. There is no going back." This scene of mourners navigating a landscape of destruction underscores the themes of loss and the irrevocable passage of time.

The poem returns to the speaker's immediate surroundings, noting the cold brightness of the garden and the cat's desire to return indoors: "This minute / The undercover gardens on Wing Road grow cold / And bright. My nightshade cat scratches to come in / From the chill." The day is described as a "blank page," signifying new possibilities and the unknown: "The day opens before me its blank page."

"The Coming Day" by Eamon Grennan masterfully captures the intricate details and reflective moments that characterize the transition from night to day. Through its vivid imagery and contemplative tone, the poem invites readers to appreciate the beauty and complexity of each new day, as well as the interwoven threads of personal experience and historical continuity.

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