Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PRIMORDIA IN THE NORTHWEST, by WALLACE STEVENS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PRIMORDIA IN THE NORTHWEST, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: All over minnesota
Subject(s): Minnesota


All over Minnesota,
All over Minnesota,
Cerise sopranos,
Cerise sopranos,
Walking in the snow,
Walking in the snow,
Answer, humming,
Answer, humming,
The male voice of the wind in the dry leaves
The male voice of the wind in the dry leaves
Of the lake-hollows.
Of the lake-hollows.
For one,
For one,

The syllables of the gulls and of the crows
The child's hair is of the color of the hay in the haystack,
And of the blue-bird
around which the four black horses stand.
Meet in the name
There is the same color in the bellies of frogs, in clays, withered
Of Jalmar Lillygreen.
reeds, skins, wood, sunlight.
There is his motion

In the flowing of black water.
The blunt ice flows down the Mississippi,
The child's hair is of the color of the hay in the haystack, around
At night.
which the four black horses stand.
In the morning, the clear river
There is the same color in the bellies of frogs, in clays, withered
Is full of reflections,
reeds, skins, wood, sunlight.
Beautiful alliterations of shadows and of things shadowed.
The blunt ice flows down the Mississippi,

At night.
The horses gnaw the bark from the trees.
In the morning, the clear river
The horses are hollow,
Is full of reflections,
The trunks of the trees are hollow.
Beautiful alliterations of shadows and of things shadowed.
Why do the horses have eyes and ears?
The horses gnaw the bark from the trees.
The trees do not.
The horses are hollow,
Why can the horses move about on the ground?
The trunks of the trees are hollow.
The trees cannot.
Why do the horses have eyes and ears?
The horses weary themselves hunting for green grass.
The trees do not.
The trees stand still,
Why can the horses move about on the ground?
The trees drink.
The trees cannot.
The water runs away from the horses.
The horses weary themselves hunting for green grass.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
The trees stand still,
Dee, dum, diddle, dee, dee, diddle, dee, da.
The trees drink.

The water runs away from the horses.
The birch trees draw up whiteness from the ground.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
In the swamps, bushes draw up dark red,
Dee, dum, diddle, dee, dee, diddle, dee, da.
Or yellow.
The birch trees draw up whiteness from the ground.
0, boatman,
In the swamps, bushes draw up dark red,
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?
Or yellow.
O, boatman,
0, boatman,
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?
Are you two boatmen
O, boatman,
Different from each other?
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?

Are you two boatmen
Different from each other?
In the swamps, bushes draw up dark red,
Or yellow
0, boatman,
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?
O, boatman,
What are you drawing from the rain-pointed water?
Are you two boatmen
Different from each other?





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