Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Simpson's poem "Troika" is a surreal and haunting narrative that weaves together imagery of a wintry landscape, lost memories, and fantastical elements to create a dreamlike journey. The poem explores themes of disorientation, the passage of time, and the elusive nature of memory and desire. Through the use of vivid and symbolic imagery, Simpson creates a layered experience that evokes a sense of mystery and the feeling of being caught between reality and the world of dreams.

The poem opens with the repeated cry, "Troika, troika!"—a reference to a traditional Russian carriage drawn by three horses. This exclamation immediately sets the scene in a cold, possibly Russian winter, where the "snow moon whirls through the forest." The image of the "snow moon" adds to the ethereal and otherworldly atmosphere, as if the landscape itself is participating in the surreal journey that is about to unfold.

The speaker then observes a scene through a doorway where "two graybeards" are "bending" over what seems to be a chess game. Chess, often symbolic of strategy and the passage of time, here suggests a moment of intense concentration and perhaps a standstill in the lives of the old men. The line "And then one rises and stands in silence" introduces a moment of eerie stillness, as if the old man is aware of the speaker's presence—or perhaps senses something beyond the immediate, tangible world. The question "Does he hear me passing?" suggests a ghostly or spiritual connection between the speaker and the man, deepening the sense of a crossing between worlds or realities.

The refrain "Troika, troika!" recurs as the speaker's journey continues. The urgency of "I whip the horses on" contrasts with the fleeting images of the landscape, where "The houses vanish" and "The moon looks over fields / littered with debris." This image of desolation and abandonment suggests a world in decline, a place where remnants of life are scattered and the living are reduced to survival, as seen in the "guardsmen stand[ing], wind fluttering their rags." These guardsmen, almost spectral in their tattered uniforms, add to the sense of decay and loss that permeates the poem.

The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker describes walking across a field, "bound on an errand." However, this errand is "forgotten," and the speaker laments, "A nightmare! I have lost my father's horses!" The loss of the horses—symbolic of power, heritage, or guidance—introduces a moment of panic and confusion. The errand, once important, is now forgotten, underscoring the disorientation and the sense of being unmoored from purpose or direction.

In the midst of this confusion, a "white bird rises / and goes before me, hopping through the forest." The bird, a common symbol of freedom, hope, or the soul, becomes a guide in this disorienting journey. However, when the speaker attempts to hold the bird, "it vanished with a cry," further emphasizing the elusive nature of what the speaker is seeking. The sudden appearance of "a girl sat sideways, combing / her long black hair" introduces a sensual and mysterious element to the poem. The girl, with "dew shone on her lips" and "breasts...white as roses," embodies a figure of beauty and perhaps temptation, adding another layer of desire to the speaker's journey.

The poem's refrain returns again: "Troika, troika! Three white horses, / a whip of silver, and my father's sleigh . . ." This image of the sleigh and the horses, now described in more vivid, almost magical terms, represents a connection to the past, to tradition, and to the speaker's lost heritage or direction. The whip of silver suggests control and power, but also the fragility of holding onto such things in the face of overwhelming forces.

In the closing lines, as "morning breaks," the sea is revealed "through the branches," and the "white bird, enchanted, / is flying through the world, across the sea." The transition from night to morning brings a sense of resolution or at least a shift in the journey. The bird, now "enchanted," symbolizes a sense of transcendence or a continuation of the journey beyond the immediate world, suggesting that the search or the quest is not over, but has merely moved onto another plane or into another realm.

"Troika" by Louis Simpson is a richly symbolic and evocative poem that captures the sense of a journey through a landscape that is as much internal as it is external. The poem's blend of surreal imagery, historical references, and dreamlike sequences creates a narrative that is both haunting and mesmerizing, exploring the tension between memory, loss, and the search for meaning in a world where the past and present blur together. Through its rhythmic repetition and vivid descriptions, "Troika" invites readers into a world where the boundaries of reality are fluid, and where the journey is as much about what is sought as it is about what is encountered along the way.

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