Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Richard Hugo's poem "Duwamish" is a somber and evocative meditation on a river that reflects the decay and desolation of its surroundings. The Duwamish River, with its industrial waste and muted colors, serves as a powerful metaphor for the erosion of both the natural environment and human connection. Through his use of vivid imagery and the interweaving of cultural references, Hugo captures the complex layers of history, poverty, and loss that define this landscape.

The poem begins by describing the river as "Midwestern in the heat," a phrase that immediately suggests a sense of discomfort and sluggishness. The river's "curves are slow and sick," indicating not only the physical state of the river but also the emotional and spiritual malaise that pervades the environment. The water "knocks at mills and concrete plants," evoking a relentless, mechanical presence that has overtaken the natural world. The use of the word "crud" to describe the pollution in the water compounds the sense of degradation, as the river is reduced to a mixture of industrial waste and natural decay.

As the river flows, "half salt water from the sea," it passes through a landscape littered with the detritus of human activity: "a barrel of molded nails, gray lumber piles, moss on ovens in the brickyard no one owns." These images paint a picture of abandonment and neglect, where the remnants of industry have been left to rot, forgotten by those who once depended on them. The boys "snapping tom cod spines and jeering at the Greek who bribes the river with his sailing coins" add a layer of human cruelty and disconnection, as they engage in acts of senseless violence and mockery.

Hugo then shifts focus to the cultural and historical dimensions of the river. The name "Duwamish" is Indian, yet "Indians ignore the river as it cruises past the tavern." This line highlights the disconnection between the river's indigenous origins and its current state, polluted and overlooked by the very people whose heritage it represents. The mention of "gulls diving crazy where boys nail porgies to the pile" further emphasizes the chaos and disregard for life that characterizes this place.

The poem introduces a haunting legend: "No Indian would interrupt his beer to tell the story of the snipe who dove to steal the nailed girl late one autumn, with the final salmon in." This story, left untold, symbolizes the loss of cultural memory and the severing of ties between the past and present. The river, once a vital part of the community's life and stories, is now a place of forgotten myths and silent suffering.

Hugo captures the river's effect on the environment, noting that it "colors day" in a way that is muted and dreary. Even on bright days, "the sun is always setting or obscured by one cloud," and "the shade extended to the far bank just before you came." These descriptions evoke a sense of perpetual twilight, where the promise of light and warmth is always just out of reach. The images of "the Chinese red of a searun's-fin, the futile roses, unkept cherry trees in spring" that are "muted" underscore the lifelessness and stagnation that the river brings to the landscape.

The river's bleakness is not just a matter of natural decay but is deeply intertwined with the social and economic conditions of the area. Hugo writes, "this poverty is not a lack of money but of friends," suggesting that the coldness of the river reflects a deeper emotional and communal emptiness. The speaker comes to the river "to be cold," not in the glittering, crystalline sense of ice, but in the "gray cold" of the river itself—a coldness that is pervasive and inescapable, like "4 P.M. on Sunday" or a "decaying porgy." This coldness is not just a physical sensation but an emotional state, one that is echoed by the landscape around the river.

In the final lines, Hugo reflects on the meaning of words and the difficulty of finding language that can capture the experience of this place. He acknowledges that "there is no word along this river I can understand or say," as if the river's desolation transcends ordinary language. The invocation of "Greek threats to a fishless moon" and "Slavic chants" suggests the presence of immigrant communities, yet even these words fail to resonate with the speaker. Instead, Hugo concludes that "all words are Indian," tying the poem back to the river's original name and the deeper cultural roots that have been obscured by time and neglect. The final lines, "Love is Indian for water, and madness means, to Redmen, I am going home," offer a poignant reflection on the themes of displacement and return, suggesting that the river's coldness is not just a physical reality but a metaphor for the longing for a lost homeland and a fractured identity.

"Duwamish" is a powerful exploration of the intersection between environmental decay, cultural erasure, and emotional desolation. Richard Hugo uses the river as a symbol of the broader forces of neglect and disconnection that have shaped the landscape and the lives of those who inhabit it. Through his evocative imagery and thoughtful reflection, Hugo captures the deep sense of loss that permeates this place, leaving the reader with a haunting sense of the coldness that lies at its core.

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