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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ST. FRANCIS EINSTEIN OF THE DAFFODILS (FIRST VERSION), by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: In march's black boat / einstein and april Last Line: Shaking the flowers! Subject(s): Mathematics; Statue Of Liberty | |||
In March's black boat Einstein and April have come at the time in fashion up out of the sea through the rippling daffodils in the foreyard of the dead Statue of Liberty whose stonearms are powerless against them the Venusremembering wavelets breaking into laughter -- Sweet Land of Liberty, at last, in the end of time, Einstein has come by force of complicated mathematics among the tormented fruit trees to buy freedom for the daffodils till the unchained orchards shake their tufted flowers -- Yiddishe springtime! At the time in fashion Einstein has come bringing April in his head up from the sea in Thomas March Jefferson's black boat bringing freedom under the dead Statue of Liberty to free the daffodils in the water which sing: Einstein has remembered us Savior of the daffodils! A twig for all the dead! shout the dark maples in the tearing wind, shaking pom-poms of green flowers -- April Einstein has come to liberate us here among the Venusremembering daffodils Yiddishe springtime of the mind and a great pool of rainwater under the blossomy peachtrees. April Einstein through the blossomy waters rebellious, laughing under liberty's dead arm has come among the daffodils shouting that flowers and men were created relatively equal. Oldfashioned knowledge is dead under the blossoming peachtrees. Einstein, tall as a violet in the latticearbor corner is tall as a blossomy peartree! The shell of the world is split and from under the sea Einstein has emerged triumphant, St. Francis of the daffodils! O Samos, Samos dead and buried. Lesbia is a black cat in the freshturned garden. All dead. All flesh that they have sung is long since rotten. Sing of it no longer. Sing of Einstein's Yiddishe peachtrees, sing of sleep among the cherryblossoms. Sing of wise newspapers that quote the great mathematician: A little touch of Einstein in the night -- Side by side the young and old trees take the sun together, the maples, green and red according to their kind, yellowbells and the vermillion quinceflower together -- The tall peartree with foetid blossoms sways its high topbranches with contrary motions and green has come out of the wood upon them also -- The mathematics grow complex: there are both pinkflowered and coralflowered peachtrees in the bare chickenyard of the old negro with white hair who hides poisoned fish-heads here and there where stray cats find them -- find them -- find them. O spring days, swift and mutable, wind blowing four ways, hot and cold. Now the northeast wind, moving in fogs, leaves the grass cold and dripping. The night is dark but in the night the southeast wind approaches. It is April and Einstein! The owner of the orchard lies in his bed with the windows wide and throws off his covers one by one. It is Einstein out of complicated mathematics among the daffodils -- spring winds blowing four ways, hot and cold, shaking the flowers! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE STATUE OF LIBERTY by EDGAR LEE MASTERS THE NEW COLOSSUS by EMMA LAZARUS THE BARTHOLDI STATUE by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER TO THE BARTHOLDI STATUE by AMBROSE BIERCE THE AGING COLOSSUS by JULIAN MOSES DRACHMAN F. HOPKINSON SMITH by JOHN HUSTON FINLEY THE BRAND NEW STATUE OF LIBERTY; TO LEE IACOCCA (ANOTHER MICHIGAN BOY) by JAMES HARRISON AMERICA by MURRAY KETCHAM KIRK FAIREST OF FREEDOM'S DAUGHTERS by JEREMIAH EAMES RANKIN A CELEBRATION by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS |
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