Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Howard Nemerov’s poem "Crossing" captures the delicate yet profound movement of monarch butterflies as they migrate across the sky, symbolizing the intricate and often unseen processes of nature that lead to significant changes in the natural world. Through vivid imagery and reflective tone, Nemerov explores themes of migration, transformation, and the interplay between randomness and purpose in the natural order.

The poem begins with a serene observation: "September, and the butterflies are drifting / Across the sky again, the monarchs in / Their myriads." This opening situates the reader in the early autumn, a time when monarch butterflies famously migrate. The use of "drifting" suggests a gentle, almost effortless movement, and "myriads" emphasizes the vast number of butterflies, creating a sense of awe at the spectacle.

Nemerov describes the butterflies as "delicate lenses for the light / To fall through and be mandarin-transformed." This imagery captures the fragile beauty of the butterflies and their transformative effect on the light that passes through their wings, turning it into a rich, mandarin color. This transformation is a metaphor for the broader, often subtle changes in nature.

The poet then speculates on the direction of the butterflies' flight: "I guess they are flying southward, or anyhow / That seems to be the average of their drift." This line reflects a human tendency to seek patterns and meaning in natural phenomena, even when individual movements seem random. The phrase "average of their drift" acknowledges that while each butterfly's path may appear aimless, collectively they are moving towards a common goal.

Nemerov further describes their movement as "a random light / Meandering, a Brownian movement to the wind," likening the butterflies' flight to the random motion of particles suspended in fluid, known as Brownian motion. This comparison highlights the apparent randomness of their individual paths, while suggesting an underlying order or purpose.

The poem then broadens its focus to encompass larger natural processes: "Which is one of Nature's ways of getting it done, / Whatever it may be, the rise of hills / And settling of seas, the fall of leaf / Across the shoulder of the northern world." Here, Nemerov suggests that the seemingly random movements of the butterflies are part of nature's grand design, contributing to the shaping of landscapes, the changing of seasons, and the cyclical patterns of life.

The line "The snowflakes one by one that silt the field ..." evokes the gradual accumulation of snow, another natural process that, like the butterflies' migration, transforms the environment over time. This imagery connects the delicate, individual actions to larger, more impactful changes.

Nemerov concludes with a reflection on the cosmic scale of these changes: "All that's preparing now behind the scene, / As the ecliptic and equator cross, / Through which the light butterflies are flying." The mention of the ecliptic and equator, two major celestial circles, situates the butterflies' flight within the broader context of astronomical events, suggesting that their migration is part of a larger, interconnected system.

"Crossing" by Howard Nemerov masterfully captures the interplay between the minute and the monumental in nature. Through the lens of the monarch butterflies' migration, Nemerov explores themes of randomness and purpose, transformation and continuity, and the interconnectedness of natural processes. The poem invites readers to appreciate the beauty and complexity of these processes, recognizing that even the smallest actions contribute to the larger tapestry of life.

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