Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Howard Nemerov's "View from an Attic Window" is a deeply introspective and poignant poem that explores themes of memory, mortality, and the inexorable passage of time. Through evocative imagery and a reflective tone, Nemerov delves into the intertwining of personal and familial history with broader existential contemplations.

The poem begins with a serene yet melancholic scene: "Among the high-branching, leafless boughs / Above the roof-peaks of the town, / Snowflakes unnumberably come down." This image sets the stage for a meditative observation of the natural world from the vantage point of an attic window. The "high-branching, leafless boughs" signify a stark, wintry landscape, and the "unnumberably" falling snowflakes evoke a sense of endlessness and continuity.

As the speaker watches the snow from the attic, he reflects on "The laced sway of family trees, / Intricate genealogies / Whose strict, reserved gentility, / Trembling, impossible to bow, / Received the appalling fall of snow." The family trees, with their intricate and unyielding structure, symbolize the enduring lineage and heritage that the speaker inherits. The snow, falling gently yet persistently, represents the passage of time and the inevitable encroachment of change and decay upon even the most steadfast traditions.

Throughout the Sunday afternoon, the snow continues to fall, creating "thickening, drunken lines" that "Cobwebbed the sleep of solemn pines." This imagery portrays the snow's transformative power, altering the landscape and blurring the lines of the familiar. The speaker's tears, shed in the attic among "many things / Inherited and out of style," reflect a deep emotional response to the overwhelming beauty and hopelessness of life. The attic, filled with relics of the past, becomes a space where the speaker confronts his own place within the continuum of time.

In the second part of the poem, the speaker delves into a more personal and philosophical reflection: "I cried because life is hopeless and beautiful." This line encapsulates the central tension of the poem, where the speaker grapples with the simultaneous despair and wonder of existence. The attic, "high in the head of the house," serves as a metaphorical vantage point from which the speaker surveys the "steep / Mountains and valleys of the many years / That brought me to tears."

The imagery shifts to the mechanical and mundane workings of the household, "Down in the cellar, furnace and washing machine, / Pump, fuse-box, water heater," which symbolize the essential yet often unnoticed functions that sustain life. These objects, alongside the "cemetery of spare parts / For discontinued men," highlight the contrast between the living and the remnants of those who have passed.

The speaker reflects on the legacy of "portraits and wedding gowns" and "children's rattles, books about lions and clowns," suggesting a lineage of lives lived and memories preserved. The "headless, hanging dresses swayed like drunks" add a haunting, ghostly quality to the attic, emphasizing the lingering presence of the past.

In a moment of profound realization, the speaker acknowledges the dual nature of existence: "The powerful trees, thrusting into the sky / Their black patience," symbolize endurance and growth, while the snow, "Falling in a white chaos from the sky," represents the inevitable dispersal and multiplicity of life. The snow, as numerous "as the sands of all the seas, / As all the men who died or who will die," connects the personal to the universal, encompassing the totality of human experience.

The poem concludes with the speaker's tearful contemplation of "accident, sickness, justice, war and crime," and the recognition that "all died, because I had to die." The unrelenting fall of snow and the steadfast trees encapsulate the enduring and cyclical nature of life. The final lines, "The snow fell, the trees stood, the promise kept, / And a child I slept," offer a moment of reconciliation, where the speaker finds a semblance of peace in the continuity of life and the promise of renewal.

"View from an Attic Window" is a masterful meditation on the complexities of memory, heritage, and the passage of time. Through its richly layered imagery and contemplative tone, Nemerov invites readers to reflect on their own place within the vast, interconnected tapestry of existence.

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