Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's "Evening Plaza, San Miguel" is a reflective and vivid portrayal of an evening scene infused with the transient beauty of changing light, the presence of history, and the stirring emotions of a personal encounter. The poem captures the essence of a specific moment and place, making it a unique experience that resonates with universal themes of love, change, and memory.

The opening lines, "No one will ever understand that evening / Who has not lain the night with a changeable lover, / Changeable as that last evening," set the tone for the poem, drawing a parallel between the mutable nature of both the evening and a lover. This comparison establishes a sense of intimacy and fleetingness, suggesting that both the evening and the lover are experiences that cannot be fully grasped or understood by those who have not directly encountered them.

Rukeyser describes the evening's changing colors and the interplay of light: "No one who has not ever seen that color / Change and travel the hills, the irrelevant bells / Ringing the changes." The hills, the bells, and the shifting colors create a dynamic backdrop that underscores the transient beauty of the scene. The "irrelevant bells" imply a sense of continuity and tradition, ringing despite the constant change around them.

The imagery of "green enter the evening sky, / Reluctant yellow come and the cathedral / Unfold in rose" evokes a rich, almost magical transformation of the landscape. The cathedral, described as unfolding in rose, becomes a central figure in this scene, symbolizing both historical permanence and the ever-changing present.

The poem shifts to a more intimate and personal perspective: "And stood under that rose of stone, remembering rose / Spattered in feasts of rockets, interrupted / By the black downdrawn line / Of the down-turning wheel of carnival." The memory of celebrations and festivities contrasts with the present moment of reflection, adding layers of past joy and current contemplation.

Rukeyser continues to weave sensory details with emotional depth: "The evening color filtered through cinnamon / And how the birds came down / Through the bars of yellow and the bars of green / Into the brandy dusk and the leaves of night." The use of "cinnamon" and "brandy dusk" creates a warm, almost intoxicating atmosphere, while the birds descending through the colored bars of light add a sense of movement and life.

The lines "A touch, a shadow of touch, when breasts / Lift their little branches, and showers and flares of fire / Rise in the blood" bring in a physical and sensual dimension, linking the natural beauty of the evening with human emotions and desires. Despite the looming presence of "the word of war," there is a resilience and vibrancy in the life described.

The closing lines capture the essence of longing and the pull of home: "No one will know who in a stranger land / Has never stood while night came down / In shadows of roses, a cloud of tree-drawn birds, / And said, 'I must go home.'" The phrase "stranger land" suggests a feeling of displacement or being out of place, while the longing for home reflects a deeper, perhaps nostalgic, connection to a place of comfort and familiarity.

"Evening Plaza, San Miguel" is a richly textured poem that captures the interplay of light, color, and emotion in a specific time and place. Through her evocative imagery and reflective tone, Rukeyser conveys the fleeting beauty of an evening and the deeper human experiences of love, memory, and the longing for home.

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