Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's "Lullaby for 17" is a tender yet poignant exploration of the generational divide between a mother and her daughter, focusing on the bittersweet transition from youth to adulthood. The poem is imbued with a sense of both protection and helplessness, as the mother reflects on the inevitability of her daughter's encounters with pain, love, and loss. Through vivid imagery and emotionally charged language, Pastan captures the mother's desire to shield her daughter from the harsh realities of life, while also acknowledging the futility of doing so.

The poem begins with an observation of the daughter's resilience: "You are so young you heal as you weep." This line emphasizes the natural ability of youth to recover from emotional wounds quickly, a stark contrast to the mother's own experience, where tears "scald" her face. The mother’s tears are described as harsh and burning, indicative of the deeper scars left by years of accumulated pain and experience. In contrast, the daughter’s tears are likened to rain, cleansing and forgiving, a symbol of her innocence and the transient nature of her suffering.

The mother reflects on her attempts to impart wisdom to her daughter, teaching her "how men in their sudden beauty are more dangerous," and how "love refracting light can burn the hand." These lessons are rooted in the mother’s own painful experiences, warning the daughter of the dangers of being captivated by fleeting beauty and the potential harm that love can inflict. The metaphor of love as light that refracts and burns suggests the dual nature of love—its capacity to illuminate and to wound. The mother also describes memory as "a scorpion" that "stings with its tail," highlighting the lingering pain that memories can cause long after the original experience has passed.

Despite the mother's efforts to teach her daughter these harsh truths, she acknowledges that her daughter "knew my catechism but never believed." The word "catechism" implies a set of teachings or doctrines that the daughter has learned but does not fully accept, reflecting the gap between knowledge and belief, between hearing advice and internalizing it. Now, as the daughter faces pain on her own, she views it "as a discovery all your own," marveling at its invasive nature and the way it disrupts her life. This recognition of pain as something novel underscores the daughter's youthful naivety and the inevitability of her personal growth through hardship.

The mother's protective instincts are laid bare in the lines where she expresses a desire to physically confront the young man who has caused her daughter pain: "I'd like to take your young man by his curls and tear them out." This visceral reaction reveals the depth of the mother's love and her frustration at being unable to protect her daughter from the emotional turmoil of relationships. The young man is described as "a dark planet" that "circles your bright universe," suggesting that while the daughter is the center of her own world, her life is now influenced and affected by external forces—namely, the romantic relationship that has brought both joy and pain.

The daughter’s "bright universe" is still "furnished with curtains you embroidered yourself, an underbrush of books and scarves," imagery that evokes the comfort and safety of a childhood home filled with personal touches and remnants of innocence. However, the poem ends with the mother’s acknowledgment that this phase of the daughter’s life is coming to an end: "a door at which you'll soon be poised to leave." The door represents the threshold between adolescence and adulthood, a point of departure where the daughter will step into a world where her mother’s protection can no longer reach her. The mother’s awareness of this impending transition is tinged with both sorrow and acceptance, recognizing that her daughter must face the world on her own terms.

"Lullaby for 17" is a powerful reflection on the complexities of maternal love, the pain of watching a child grow up, and the inevitability of letting go. Pastan masterfully conveys the tension between the desire to protect and the recognition that each person must experience life’s hardships in their own way. The poem resonates with the universal experience of parents who must watch their children navigate the challenges of life, knowing that their guidance can only go so far. Through its rich imagery and emotional depth, the poem offers a poignant meditation on the passage of time, the loss of innocence, and the enduring bond between mother and daughter.

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