CHAPTER

18
Imagery and Symbolism
When we read the word roseor, for that matter, finger or thumbwe may more or less call to
mind a picture, an image. he term imagery is used to refer to whate!er in a poem appeals to any of our
sensations, including sensations of pressure and heat as well as of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound.
"onsider the opening lines of Seamus #eaney$s %igging &page '()*+
,etween my finger and my thumb
he s-uat pen rests. snug as a gun.
We may in our mind$s eye see a finger, thumb, and pen. and perhaps, stimulated by s-uat, we may
almost feel the pen. /otice, too, that in #eaney$s line the pen is compared to a gun, so there is yet another
image in the line. In short, images are the sensory content of the wor0, whether literal &the finger, thumb,
and pen* or figurati!e &the gun, to which the pen is compared*. 1dmund Waller$s rose in 2o, 3o!ely
4ose &page '56* is an image that happens to be compared in the first stan7a to a woman &I resemble her
to thee*. later in the poem this image comes to stand for all things rare. 8et we ne!er forget that the
rose is a rose, and that the poem is chiefly a re!elation of the poet$s attitude toward his belo!ed.
If a poet says my rose and is spea0ing about a rose, we ha!e an image, e!en though we do not ha!e
a figure of speech. If a poet says my rose and, we gather, is spea0ing not really or chiefly about a rose
but about something elselet$s say the transience of beautywe can say that the poet is using the rose as
a symbol.
Some symbols are natural symbols, recogni7ed as standing for something in particular e!en by
people from different cultures. 4ain, for instance, usually stands for fertility or the renewal of life. 9 forest
often stands for mental dar0ness or chaos, a mountain for stability, a !alley for a place of security, and so
on. here are many e:ceptions, but by and large these meanings pre!ail.
;ther symbols, howe!er, are conventional symbols, which people ha!e agreed to accept as standing
for something other than themsel!es+ 9 poem about the cross would probably be about "hristianity.
Similarly, the rose has long been a symbol for lo!e. In <irginia Woolf$s no!el Mrs. Dalloway, the
husband communicates his lo!e by proffering this con!entional symbol+ #e was holding out flowers
roses, red and white roses. &,ut he could not bring himself to say he lo!ed her. not in so many words.*
;b=ects that are not con!entional symbols, howe!er, also may gi!e rise to rich, multiple, indefinable
associations. he following poem uses the symbol of the rose, but uses it in a nontraditional way.
WILLIAM BLAKE
A biography of Blake, followed by three additional poems, appears on page 979.
he Sic0 4ose >1'65?
; rose, thou are sic0@
he in!isible worm
hat flies in the night
In the howling storm 5
#as found out thy bed
;f crimson =oy,
9nd his dar0 secret lo!e
%oes thy life destroy. 8
;ne might argue that the worm is in!isible &line )* merely because it is hidden within the rose, but
an in!isible worm A hat flies in the night is more than a long, slender, softBbodied creeping animal.
and a rose that has, or is, a bed A ;f crimson =oy is more than a gardener$s rose.
,la0e$s worm and rose suggest things beyond themsel!esa stranger, more !ibrant world than the
world we are usually aware of. Cany readers find themsel!es halfBthin0ing, for e:ample, that the worm is
male, the rose female, and that the poem is about the !iolation of !irginity. ;r that the poem is about the
destruction of beauty+ woman$s beauty, rooted in =oy, is destroyed by a power that feeds on her. ,ut these
interpretations are not fully satisfying+ the poem presents a worm and a rose, and yet it is not merely about
a worm and a rose. hese ob=ects resonate, stimulating our thoughts toward something else, but the
something else is elusi!e, whereas it is not elusi!e in ,urns$s 9 4ed, 4ed 4ose &page '5D*.
9 symbol, then, is an image so loaded with significance that it is not simply literal, and it does not
simply stand for something else. it is both itself and something else that it richly suggests, a manifestation
of something too comple: or too elusi!e to be otherwise re!ealed. ,la0e$s poem is about a blighted rose
and at the same time about much more. In a symbol, as homas "arlyle wrote, the Infinite is made to
blend with the Einite, to stand !isible, and as it were, attainable there. Frobably it is not fanciful to say
that the 9merican sla!es who sang Goshua fought the battle of Gericho, A 9nd the walls came tumbling
down were singing both about an ancient occurrence and about a new embodiment of the ancient, the
imminent collapse of sla!ery in the nineteenth century. /ot one or the other, but both+ the present partoo0
of the past, and the past partoo0 of the present.
WALT WHITMA
Walt Whitman (119!19"# was born in a farmho$se in r$ral %ong &sland, 'ew (ork, b$t was bro$ght $p
in Brooklyn, then an independent )ity in 'ew (ork. *e attended p$bli) s)hool for a few years (1"+!
1,-#, apprenti)ed as a printer in the 1,-s, and then worked as a typesetter, .o$rnalist, and newspaper
editor. &n 1++ he p$blished the first edition of a )olle)tion of his poems, %ea/es of 0rass, a book that he
re/ised and p$blished in one edition after another thro$gho$t the remainder of his life. D$ring the 1i/il
War he ser/ed as a /ol$nteer n$rse for the 2nion army.
&n the third edition of %ea/es of 0rass (13-#, Whitman added two gro$ps of poems, one )alled
41hildren of Adam5 and the other (named for an aromati) grass that grows near ponds and swamps#
)alled 41alam$s.5 41hildren of Adam5 )elebrates heterose6$al relations, whereas 41alam$s5
)elebrates what Whitman )alled 4manly lo/e.5 Altho$gh many of the 41alam$s5 poems seem )learly
homose6$al, perhaps the /ery fa)t that Whitman p$blished them made them seem relati/ely inno)ent7 in
any )ase, those nineteenth8)ent$ry )riti)s who )ondemned Whitman for the se6$ality of his writing
)on)entrated on the poems in 41hildren of Adam.5
4& 9aw in %o$isiana5 is from the 41alam$s5 se)tion. &t was originally p$blished in the third edition
of %ea/es of 0rass and was re/ised into its final form in the 137 edition. We gi/e it in the 137 /ersion.
We also gi/e the man$s)ript, showing it in its earliest e6tant /ersion.
I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing [1867]
I saw in 3ouisiana a li!eBoa0 growing,
9ll alone stood it and the moss hung down from the branches,
Without any companion it grew there uttering =oyous lea!es of dar0 green,
9nd its loo0, rude, unbending, lusty, made me thin0 of myself,
,ut I wonder$d how it could utter =oyous lea!es standing alone there
without its friend near, for I 0new I could not, (
9nd I bro0e off a twig with a certain number of lea!es upon it, and twined around it
a little moss,
9nd brought it away, and I ha!e placed it in sight in my room,
It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear friends,
&Eor I belie!e lately I thin0 of little else than of them,*
8et it remains to me a curious to0en, it ma0es me thin0 of manly lo!e. 1H
Eor all that, and though the li!eBoa0 glistens there in 3ouisiana solitary in a wide flat
space,
Ittering =oyous lea!es all its life without a friend a lo!er near,
I 0now !ery well I could not.
I ;FI" E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
B"ompare the final !ersion &18K'* of the poem with the manuscript !ersion of 18KH. Which !ersion
do you preferL WhyL
!AM"EL TA#L$R C$LERI%&E
9am$el :aylor 1oleridge (177"!1,;# was born in De/onshire in <ngland, the son of a )lergyman. *e
attended 1hrist=s *ospital s)hool in %ondon and 1ambridge 2ni/ersity, whi)h he left witho$t re)ei/ing a
degree. With his friend William Wordsworth in 179 he p$blished, anonymo$sly, a /ol$me of poetry,
%yri)al Ballads, whi)h be)ame the manifesto of the >omanti) mo/ement.
Kubla Khan [1798]
;r, 9 <ision in a %ream. 9 Eragment.
In Manadu did Jubla Jhan
9 stately pleasureBdome decree+
Where 9lph, the sacred ri!er, ran
hrough ca!erns measureless to man
%own to a sunless sea. (
So twice fi!e miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round+
9nd here were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incenseBbearing tree.
9nd here were forests ancient as the hills, 1H
1nfolding sunny spots of greenery.
,ut oh@ that deep romantic chasm which slanted
%own the green hill athwart a cedarn co!er@
9 sa!age place@ as holy and enchanted
9s e$er beneath a waning moon was haunted 1(
,y woman wailing for her demonBlo!er@
9nd from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
9s if this earth in fast thic0 pants were breathing
9 mighty fountain momently was forced.
9mid whose swift halfBintermitted burst )H
#uge fragments !aulted li0e rebounding hail,
;r chaffy grain beneath the thresher$s flail+
9nd $mid these dancing roc0s at once and e!er
It flung up momently the sacred ri!er.
Ei!e miles meandering with a ma7y motion )(
hrough wood and dale the sacred ri!er ran,
hen reached the ca!erns measureless to man,
9nd san0 in tumult to a lifeless ocean+
9nd $mid this tumult Jubla heard from far
9ncestral !oices prophesying war@ DH
he shadow of the dome of pleasure
Eloated midway on the wa!es.
Where was heard the mingled measure
Erom the fountain and the ca!es.
It was a miracle of rare de!ice, D(
9 sunny pleasureBdome with ca!es of ice@
9 damsel with a dulcimer
In a !ision once I saw+
It was an 9byssinian maid,
9nd on her dulcimer she played, 5H
Singing of Count 9bora.
"ould I re!i!e within me
#er symphony and song,
o such a deep delight $twould win me,
hat with music loud and long, 5(
I would build that dome in air,
hat sunny dome@ those ca!es of ice@
9nd all who heard should see them there,
9nd all should cry, ,eware@ ,eware@
#is flashing eyes, his floating hair@ (H
Wea!e a circle round him thrice,
9nd close your eyes with holy dread,
Eor he on honeyBdew hath fed,
9nd drun0 the mil0 of Faradise.
When "oleridge published Jubla Jhan in 181K, he prefaced it with this e:planatory note+
he following fragment is here published at the re-uest of a poet of great and deser!ed celebrity,
and, as far as the author$s own opinions are concerned, rather as a psychological curiosity, than
on the ground of any supposed poeti) merits.
In the summer of the year 1'6', the author, then in ill health, had retired to a lonely
farmhouse between Forloc0 and 3inton, on the 1:moor confines of Somerset and %e!onshire. In
conse-uence of a slight indisposition, an anodyne had been prescribed, from the effects of which
he fell asleep in his chair at the moment that he was reading the following sentence, or words of
the same substance, in ?$r)has= ?ilgrimage@ #ere the Jhan Jubla commanded a palace to be
built, and a stately garden thereunto. 9nd thus ten miles of fertile ground were inclosed with a
wall. he author continued for about three hours in a profound sleep, at least of the e:ternal
senses, during which time he has the most !i!id confidence that he could not ha!e composed less
than from two to three hundred lines. if that indeed can be called composition in which all the
images rose up before him as things, with a parallel production of the correspondent e:pressions,
without any sensation or consciousness of effort. ;n awa0ing he appeared to himself to ha!e a
distinct recollection of the whole, and ta0ing his pen, in0, and paper, instantly and eagerly wrote
down the lines that are here preser!ed. 9t this moment he was unfortunately called out by a
person on business from Forloc0, and detained by him abo!e an hour, and on his return to his
room, found, to his no small surprise and mortification, that though he still retained some !ague
and dim recollection of the general purport of the !ision, yet, with the e:ception of some eight or
ten scattered lines and images, all the rest had passed away li0e the images on the surface of a
stream into which a stone has been cast, but, alas@ without the after restoration of the latter@
hen all the charm
Is bro0enall that phantom world so fair
<anishes, and a thousand circlets spread,
9nd each misshape>s? the other. Stay awhile,
Foor youth@ who scarcely dar$st lift up thine eyes
he stream will soon renew its smoothness, soon
he !isions will return@ 9nd lo, he stays,
9nd soon the fragments dim of lo!ely forms
"ome trembling bac0, unite, and now once more
he pool becomes a mirror.
"oleridge, The Picture; or, the Lovers Resolution, lines 91100
8et from the still sur!i!ing recollections in his mind, the author has fre-uently purposed to
finish for himself what had been originally, as it were, gi!en to him. No ow
>today I shall sing more sweetly?+ ,ut the tomorrow is yet to come.
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. B"oleridge changed the palace of his source into a dome &line )*. What do you thin0 are the
rele!ant associations of domeL
). BWhat pairs of contrasts &e.g., underground ri!er, fountain* do you findL What do you thin0 they
contribute to the poemL
D. BIf "oleridge had not said that the poem is a fragment, might you ta0e it as a complete poem, the
first thirtyBsi: lines describing the creati!e imagination, and the remainder lamenting the loss of
poetic powerL
'RE%ERICK M$R&A
Arederi)k Morgan was born in 'ew (ork 1ity in 19"". *e attended pri/ate grammar and high s)hools,
and then went on to re)ei/e his $ndergrad$ate degree from ?rin)eton 2ni/ersity. After ser/ing in the
army d$ring World War &&, he ret$rned to 'ew (ork 1ity and in 19;7 )o8fo$nded a literary .o$rnal, :he
*$dson >e/iew. Aor the ne6t twenty years he fo)$sed on his editorial work, b$t in response to the sho)k
of his son=s s$i)ide in 193 he t$rned to serio$s and s$stained writing of poetry. *is books of poetry
in)l$de ?oems of the :wo Worlds (1977#, Death Mother (1979#, 'orthbrook (19"#, and ?oems@ 'ew and
9ele)ted (197#.
We reprint a poem abo$t a painting of a horse, attrib$ted to *an 0an (formerly )alled *an Ban#, a
1hinese painter of the eighth )ent$ry who was famo$s for his paintings of horses belonging to the
emperor. :he white horse depi)ted here was named 'ight89hining White, or 9hining %ight of 'ight,
be)a$se his whiteness was said to ill$minate the dark. (Many s)holars belie/e that the painting is an old
)opy of a lost work by *an 0an, rather than an original.#
The as!er [1986]
When #an Jan was summoned
to the imperial capital
it was suggested he sit at the feet of
the illustrious senior court painter
to learn from the refinements of the art. (
/o, than0 you, he replied,
I shall apprentice myself to the stables.
9nd he installed himself and his brushes amid the dung and the flies,
and studied the horsestheir bodies$ 0een alertness
eyeBspar0le of one, another$s sensiti!e stance, 1H
the way a third mo!ed graceful in his bul0
and painted at last the emperor$s fa!orite,
the charger named /ightshining White,
whose li0eness after centuries still da77les.
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BWhich does Corgan ma0e you see more clearly, the illustrious senior court painter or the
stablesL 1:plain how and why.
). BIn the last line Corgan says that the painted li0eness of the horse da77les us. ,ut the
li0eness to a li!e horse ob!iously is not !ery great in, say, the small legs, the disproportionately
large head, and the upBstanding mane. 9ccording to Corgan, #an 2an &the modern spelling for the
painter whose name used to be spelled #an Jan* apprenticed himself to the stables &line '*, but does
the painting re!eal that he wasted his timeL 1:plain.
D. BIn the final line, what does da77les meanL Why do you thin0 Corgan ends the poem with this
wordL
5. BCorgan puts a space after lines (, ', 11, and 1D. 1:plain what, if anything, these spaces do.
(. B%o you thin0 the title of the poem is effecti!eL In!ent two other titles, and in two paragraphs
indicate why they are better than or inferior to Corgan$s title.
CLA"%E McKA#
1la$de M)Bay (19!19;#, born in Camai)a, briefly ser/ed as a poli)e offi)er in Camai)a, p$blished
two books of diale)t poems in 191", and in the same year left Camai)a fore/erDaltho$gh, as the poem we
reprint shows, it remained a so$r)e of inspiration. &n the 2nited 9tates he st$died briefly at :$skegee
&nstit$te, then for two years at Bansas 9tate 2ni/ersity, and then went to 'ew (ork, writing poems and
working on a radi)al .o$rnal, :he %iberator. &n 19"" he /isited >$ssia, and from 19", to 19,; he li/ed
abroad, )hiefly in Aran)e and 'orth Afri)a, writing fi)tion and .o$rnalism as well as poetry. *e ret$rned
to the 2nited 9tates, re)anted his 1omm$nist beliefs, and in 19;+ )on/erted to 1atholi)ism. *e then
wrote a good deal of prose and poetry that did not get p$blished in his lifetime.
Altho$gh the earliest poems were in diale)t, M)Bay E$i)kly rep$diated s$)h di)tion7 his later work
$ses traditional di)tion and traditional British poeti) forms (here, three E$atrains, with alternating
rhymes#, in )ontrast to the /erna)$lar lang$age $sed by his )ontemporary, %angston *$ghes.
The Tro"i#s in $ew %ork[19&&]
,ananas ripe and green, and gingerBroot,
"ocoa in pods and alligator pears,
9nd tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,
Eit for the highest pri7e at parish fairs, 5
Set in the window, bringing memories
;f fruitBtrees laden by lowBsinging rills,
9nd dewy dawns, and mystical blue s0ies
In benediction o!er nunBli0e hills. 8
Cy eyes grew dim, and I could no more ga7e.
9 wa!e of longing through my body swept,
9nd, hungry for the old, familiar ways,
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept. 1)
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. B%escribe as fully as possible the effect of the details gi!en in the first three lines. What 0ind of
basis or foundation do these details establish for the rest of the poemL
). BWhat is the purpose of the religious terms and images that the poet usesL
D. BIs the poem sentimentalL &;n sentimentality, see page 18)).* If it is sentimental, is that a bad
thingL Why, or why notL
A%RIEE RICH
Adrienne >i)h=s most re)ent books of poetry are :he 9)hool Among the >$ins@ ?oems "---8"--;, and
Ao6@ ?oems 1998"--- ('orton#. A sele)tion of her essays, Arts of the ?ossible@ <ssays and
1on/ersations, was p$blished in "--1. A new edition of What is Ao$nd :here@ 'otebooks on ?oetry and
?oli)iti)s, appeared in "--,. 9he is a re)ipient of the %annan Ao$ndation %ifetime A)hie/ement Award,
the %ambda Book Award, the %enore MarshallF'ation ?riGe, the Walla)e 9te/ens Award, and the
Bollingen ?riGe in ?oetry, among other honors. 9he li/es in 1alifornia.
'iving in!o !he (re#k [197)]
Eirst ha!ing read the boo0 of myths,
and loaded the camera,
and chec0ed the edge of the 0nifeBblade,
I put on
the bodyBarmor of blac0 rubber (
the absurd flippers
the gra!e and aw0ward mas0.
I am ha!ing to do this
not li0e "ousteauO with his
assiduous team 1H
aboard the sunBflooded schooner
but here alone.
here is a ladder.
he ladder is always there
hanging innocently 1(
close to the side of the schooner.
We 0now what it is for,
we who ha!e used it.
;therwise
it$s a piece of maritime floss )H
some sundry e-uipment.
I go down.
4ung after rung and still
the o:ygen immerses me
the blue light )(
the clear atoms
of our human air.
I go down.
Cy flippers cripple me,
I crawl li0e an insect down the ladder DH
and there is no one
to tell me when the ocean
will begin.
Eirst the air is blue and then
it is bluer and then green and then D(
blac0 I am blac0ing out and yet
my mas0 is powerful
it pumps my blood with power
the sea is another story
the sea is not a -uestion of power 5H
I ha!e to learn alone
to turn my body without force
in the deep element.
9nd now+ it is easy to forget
what I came for 5(
among so many who ha!e always
li!ed here
swaying their crenellated fans
between the reefs
and besides (H
you breathe differently down here.
I came to e:plore the wrec0.
he words are purposes.
he words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done ((
and the treasures that pre!ail.
I stro0e the beam of my lamp
slowly along the flan0
of something more permanent
than fish or weed KH
the thing I came for+
the wrec0 and not the story of the wrec0
the thing itself and not the myth
the drowned face always staring
toward the sun K(
the e!idence of damage
worn by salt and sway into this threadbare beauty
the ribs of the disaster
cur!ing their assertion
among the tentati!e haunters. 'H
his is the place.
9nd I am here, the mermaid whose dar0 hair
streams blac0, the merman in his armored body
We circle silently
about the wrec0 '(
we di!e into the hold.
I am she+ I am he
whose drowned face sleeps with open eyes
whose breasts still bear the stress
whose sil!er, copper, !ermeil cargo lies 8H
obscurely inside barrels
halfBwedged and left to rot
we are the halfBdestroyed instruments
that once held to a course
the waterBeaten log 8(
the fouled compass
We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way
bac0 to this scene 6H
carrying a 0nife, a camera
a boo0 of myths
in which
our names do not appear.
"hristina 4ossetti
1hristina >ossetti (1,-!19;# was the da$ghter of an e6iled &talian patriot who li/ed in %ondon and the
sister of the poet and painter Dante 0abriel >ossetti. After her father be)ame an in/alid, she led an
e6tremely as)eti) life, de/oting most of her life to doing )haritable work. *er first and best8known
/ol$me of poetry, 0oblin Market and Hther ?oems, was p$blished in 13".
*"hill [18+8]
%oes the road wind uphill all the wayL
8es, to the !ery end.
Will the day$s =ourney ta0e the whole long dayL
Erom morn to night, my friend. 5
,ut is there for the night a restingBplaceL
9 roof for when the slow dar0 hours begin.
Cay not the dar0ness hide it from my faceL
8ou cannot miss that inn. 8
Shall I meet other wayfarers at nightL
hose who ha!e gone before.
hen must I 0noc0, or call when =ust in sightL
hey will not 0eep you standing at that door. 1)
Shall I find comfort, tra!elBsore and wea0L
;f labor you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who see0L
8ea, beds for all who come. 1K
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BSuppose that someone told you this poem is about a person preparing to go on a hi0e. he person
is supposedly ma0ing in-uiries about the road and the possible hotel arrangements. What would you
replyL
). BWho is the -uestionerL 9 womanL 9 manL 9ll human beings collecti!elyL Iphill does not use
-uotation mar0s to distinguish between two spea0ers. "an one say that in Iphill the -uestioner
and the answerer are the same personL
D. B9re the answers unambiguously comfortingL ;r can it, for instance, be argued that the roof is
&perhaps among other things* the lid of a coffinhence the -uestioner will certainly not be 0ept
standing at that doorL If the poem can be read along these lines, is it chilling rather than
comfortingL
WALLACE !TE(E!
Walla)e 9te/ens (179!19++#, ed$)ated at *ar/ard and at 'ew (ork %aw 9)hool, earned his li/ing as a
lawyer and an ins$ran)e e6e)$ti/e7 at his death he was a /i)e president of the *artford A))ident and
&ndemnity 1ompany. While p$rs$ing this )areer, howe/er, he also a)hie/ed distin)tion as a poet, and
today he is widely regarded as among the most important Ameri)an poets of the twentieth )ent$ry.
,ne#-o!e o. !he /ar [19&)]
I placed a =ar in ennessee,
9nd round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slo!enly wilderness
Surround that hill. 5
he wilderness rose up to it,
9nd sprawled around, no longer wild.
he =ar was round upon the ground
9nd tall and of a port in air. 8
It too0 dominion e!erywhere.
he =ar was gray and bare.
It did not gi!e of bird or bush,
3i0e nothing else in ennessee. 1)
Ste!ens as0ed for an interpretation of another poem, said &in :he <6pli)ator, /o!ember 1658*+
hings that ha!e their origin in the imagination or in the emotions &poems* . . . !ery often ta0e on a
form that is ambiguous or uncertain. It is not possible to attach a single, rational meaning to such
things without destroying the imaginati!e or emotional ambiguity or uncertainty that is inherent in
them and that is why poets do not li0e to e:plain. hat the meanings gi!en by others are sometimes
meanings not intended by the poet or that were ne!er present in his mind does not impair them as
meanings.
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BWhat is the meaning of line 8L "hec0 port in a dictionary.
). B%o you thin0 the poem suggests that the =ar organi7es slo!enly nature, or that the =ar
impo!erishes abundant natureL ;r both, or neitherL What do you thin0 of the !iew that the =ar is a
symbol of the imagination, or of the arts, or of material progressL
The 01"eror o. I#e-2rea1 [19&)]
"all the roller of big cigars,
he muscular one, and bid him whip
In 0itchen cups concupiscent curds.
3et the wenches dawdle in such dress
9s they are used to wear, and let the boys
,ring flowers in last month$s newspapers.
3et be be finale of seem.
he only emperor is the emperor of iceBcream.
a0e from the dresser of deal,O
3ac0ing the three glass 0nobs, that sheet
;n which she embroidered fantails once
9nd spread it so as to co!er her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
o show how cold she is, and dumb.
3et the lamp affi: its beam.
he only emperor is the emperor of iceBcream.
) *eal fir or pine wood.
I ;FI" E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
BWhat associations does the word emperor ha!e for youL he word iceBcreamL What, then, do
you ma0e of the emperor of iceBcreamL he poem describes the preparations for a wa0e, and in
line 1( &3et the lamp affi: its beam* it insists on facing the reality of death. In this conte:t, then,
what do you ma0e of the last line of each stan7aL
E%&AR ALLA P$E
<dgar Allan ?oe (1-9!1;9# was the son of tra/eling a)tors. *is father abandoned the family almost
immediately after his birth, and his mother died when ?oe was two. :he )hild was adoptedDtho$gh ne/er
legallyDby a prospero$s mer)hant and his wife in >i)hmond. :he tensions were great, aggra/ated by
?oe=s drinking and hea/y gambling, and in 1"7 ?oe left >i)hmond for Boston. *e wrote, ser/ed briefly
in the army, attended West ?oint b$t left within a year, and be)ame an editor for the remaining eighteen
years of his life. &t was d$ring these years, too, that he wrote the poems, essays, and fi)tionDespe)ially
dete)ti/e stories and horror storiesDthat ha/e made him famo$s.
To 3elen4[18)15186)]
#elen, thy beauty is to me
3i0e those /iceanO bar0s of yore,
hat gently, o$er a perfumed sea,
he weary, wayBworn wanderer bore
o his own nati!e shore. (
;n desperate seas long wont to roam,
hy hyacinth hair,O thy classic face
hy /aiadO airs ha!e brought me home
o the glory that was 2reece
9nd the grandeur that was 4ome. 1H
3o@ in yon brilliant windowBniche
#ow statueBli0e I see thee stand@
he agate lamp within thy hand
9h@ Fsyche,O from the regions which
9re #oly 3and@O1(
+ ,yacint, ,air naturally curling hair, li0e that of #yacinthus, beautiful 2ree0 youth belo!ed by
9pollo. - aia* a nymph associated with la0es and streams. ./ Psyc,e 2ree0 for soul. .0 Holy
Lan* ancient 4ome or 9thens, i.e., a sacred realm of art.
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BIn the first stan7a, to what is #elen$s beauty comparedL o whom does the spea0er apparently
compare himselfL What does wayBworn in line 5 suggest to youL o what in the spea0er$s
e:perience might the nati!e shore in line ( correspondL
). BWhat do you ta0e desperate seas to mean in line K, and who has been tra!eling themL o what
are they contrasted in line 8L #ow does home seem to be defined in this stan7a &stan7a )*L
D. BWhat further light is shed on the spea0er$s home or destination in stan7a DL
5. B%o you thin0 that o #elen can be a lo!e poem and also a poem about spiritual beauty or about
the lo!e of artL Why or why notL
HERMA MEL(ILLE
*erman Mel/ille (119!191# was born into a prospero$s family in 'ew (ork 1ity. :he bankr$pt)y and
death of his father when Mel/ille was 1" for)ed the boy to lea/e s)hool. D$ring his early years he worked
first as a bank )lerk, then as a farm laborer, then as a store )lerk and a bookkeeper, and then as a
s)hoolmaster. &n 1,7 he sailed to <ngland as a )abin boy and signed on for other /oyages, notably on
whalers in the 9o$th ?a)ifi), where he spent time in the MarE$esas &slands and :ahiti. H$t of his marine
ad/ent$res he prod$)ed )ommer)ially s$))essf$l books, :ypee (1;3#, Hmoo (1;7#, Mardi (1;9#, and
>edb$rn (1;9#, b$t the book for whi)h he is best known today, Moby Di)k (1+1#, was a )ommer)ial
fail$re. &n 133 a book of poems abo$t the 1i/il WarDwe print one of the poems hereDwas p$blished,
b$t it, too, was a fail$re. Abandoning his attempt to li/e by his pen, Mel/ille s$r/i/ed on some inherited
money, and on a politi)al appointment as a )$stoms inspe)tor in 'ew (ork 1ity.
'u7on!8s 9oun- :igh!4 [1866]
('o/ember, 131#
In time and measure perfect mo!es
9ll 9rt whose aim is sure.
1!ol!ing rhyme and stars di!ine
#a!e rules, and they endure. 5
/or less the Eleet that warred for 4ight,
9nd, warring so, pre!ailed,
In geometric beauty cur!ed,
9nd in an orbit sailed. 8
he rebel at Fort 4oyal felt
he Inity o!erawe,
9nd rued the spell. 9 type was here,
9nd !ictory of 39W.1)
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BIn the first stan7a Cel!ille says that all art is characteri7ed by measure. a0e any art in which
you ha!e some interestpoetry, potting, dancing, music, whate!erand e:plain in an essay of )(H
words how measure is essential.
). BIn the third line Cel!ille says that the stars no less than poems ha!e rules. What is he getting
atL
D. B"hec0 a dictionary for the !arious meanings of type, and see which meaning best fits line 11.
TH$MA! HAR%#
Aor a brief biography of the <nglish poet :homas *ardy (1;-!19"#, see page 7-3.
$eu!ral Tones [1898]
We stood by a pond that winter day,
9nd the sun was white, as though chidden of 2od,
9nd a few lea!es lay on the star!ing sod.
hey had fallen from an ash, and were gray. 5
8our eyes on me were as eyes that ro!e
;!er tedious riddles of years ago.
9nd some words played between us to and fro
;n which lost the more by our lo!e.8
he smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
9li!e enough to ha!e strength to die.
9nd a grin of bitterness swept thereby
3i0e an ominous bird aBwing. . . . 1)
Since then, 0een lessons that lo!e decei!es,
9nd wrings with wrong, ha!e shaped to me
8our face, and the 2odBcursed sun, and a tree,
9nd a pond edged with grayish lea!es. 1K
I ;FI"S E;4 "4II"93 #I/JI/2 9/% W4II/2
1. BIn a sentence or two, summari7e the story implicit in the poem. What has happened between the
time of the episode narrated and the time of this utteranceL
). B%o you thin0 that the spea0er is actually addressing the woman, or is he recollecting her and
addressing her imageL ;r does it matterL
D. BWhy do you thin0 that 0een lessons that lo!e decei!es always remind the spea0er of this
sceneL
5. B"haracteri7e, in a sentence or two, the spea0er$s state of mind in the first stan7a. Is he
composed, or agitatedL ,itter, or meditati!eL ;r whatL /e:t, characteri7e his mind as it seems to be
re!ealed in the final stan7a.
A $TE $ HAIK"
;ne form of poetry that puts a great emphasis on sharp images is the ,ai1u, a Gapanese poem of se!enteen
syllables, arranged in three lines of fi!e, se!en, and fi!e syllables. Gapanese poetry is unrhymed, but
1nglish !ersions sometimes rhyme the first and third lines. he sub=ect matter can be high or lowthe
Cil0y Way or the screech of automobile bra0esbut usually it is connected with the seasons, and it is
described ob=ecti!ely and sharply. Cost hai0u set forth a sense of where, what, and whenbut the when
may be implicit, as in the first hai0u.
M$RITAKE 2./034.0/56
:allen "e!als rise
:ranslated by *arold 0. *enderson
Eallen petals rise
bac0 to the branchI watch
oh . . . butterflies@
"oncentrating his attention on the phenomenon &butterflies mo!ing upward*, the poet ne!ertheless
con!eys an emotion through the images &wonder, and then the recognition of the familiar*, stirring the
reader$s imagination to supply the emotion that completes the e:perience.
!7KA 2./804.0096
I. onl; we #oul-
:ranslated by Benneth (as$da
If only we could
9dd a handle to the moon
It would ma0e a good fan.
!HIKI 2.-8+4.)536
9iver in su11er
4i!er in summer
there is a bridge, but my horse
wal0s through the water.
RICHAR% WRI&HT
>i)hard Wright (19-!193-#, the grandson of a sla/e, was born on a )otton plantation near 'at)heG,
Mississippi. *e dropped o$t of s)hool after )ompleting the ninth grade, took a /ariety of odd .obs, and in
19"7 mo/ed to 1hi)ago, where he ser/ed as a dire)tor of the Aederal 'egro :heater. &n 19,9 he be)ame
the *arlem editor of :he Daily Worker, a )omm$nist newspaper in 'ew (ork, and in the following year
he p$blished 'ati/e 9on, the first book by an Afri)an8Ameri)an a$thor to rea)h a wide white a$dien)e.
Wright and his family mo/ed to ?aris in 19;7, where they li/ed $ntil he s$ffered a fatal heart atta)k.
Eour #ai0u
9 balmy spring wind
4eminding me of something
I cannot recall.
he green coc0leburrs
"aught in the thic0 wooly hair
;f the blac0 boy$s head.
Standing in the field,
I hear the whispering of
Snowfla0e to snowfla0e.
It is September
he month in which I was born,
9nd I ha!e no thoughts.
Writing a Hai1u
9lthough the hai0u originated in Gapan, it is now written throughout the world.
Eor a start, you may want to ta0e some ordinary e:periencetying your shoelaces, seeing a cat at the
foot of the stairs, glancing out of a window and seeing une:pected snowfla0es, hearing the alarm cloc0
and present it interestingly. ;ne way to ma0e it interesting is to construct the poem in two partsthe first
line balanced against the ne:t two lines, or the first two lines balanced against the last line. If you
construct a poem on this principle, the two sections should be related to each other, but they should also in
some degree ma0e a contrast with each other. Eor instance, in the following poem by aigi, there is a
contrast between pleasant sociability &the first two lines* and loneliness &the last line*.
TAI&I 2.+394.++86
Look< O look< !here go
:ranslated by Benneth (as$da
3oo0, ; loo0, there go
Eireflies, I would li0e to say
,ut I am alone.
,asho said, #e who creates three to fi!e hai0u during a lifetime is a hai0u poet. #e who attains to
ten is a master.
Cyber:Hai1u
It has come to our attention that students ha!e en=oyed composing hai0u as substitutes for Cicrosoft$s
error messages. #ere are two e:amples+
Eirst snow, then silence.
his thousandBdollar screen dies
So beautifully.
9 crash reduces
8our e:pensi!e computer
o a simple stone.
Why not try your hand at something on this topicL
In "hapter )' &page 6K)* we reprint additional hai0u and we offer suggestions about translating
them.
Walt Whitman
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, I Saw in 3ouisiana a 3i!eB;a0 2rowing, manuscript of 18KH. ;n the first leaf, in
line D Whitman deleted with. ;n the second leaf &see page 'KH*, in the third line &line 8 of the printed
te:t* he added, with a caret, lately. In the si:th line on this leaf he deleted I write these pieces, and
name them after it, replacing the deletion with it ma0es me thin0 of manly lo!e. In the ne:t line he
deleted tree and inserted li!e oa0. When he reprinted the poem in the 18K' !ersion of %ea/es of
0rass, he made further changes, as you will see if you compare the printed te:t with this manuscript
!ersion.
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism

Samuel aylor "oleridge
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
Erederic0 Corgan
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
#an 2an, 'ight89hining White, 8th century, in0 on paper, painting only+ 1D DA8 1) 1A8 in. &he
Cetropolitan Cuseum of 9rt, Furchase, he %illon Eund 2ift 16'' >16''.'8?.*
9drienne 4ich
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
) Jacques Cousteau (19101997) French under wat er explorer.
9drienne 4ich
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
Wallace Ste!ens
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
;Helen #elen of roy, considered the most beautiful woman of ancient times 3 icean perhaps referring
to /icea, an ancient city associated with the god %ionysus, or perhaps meaning !ictorious, from /i0e,
2ree0 goddess of <ictory.
#erman Cel!ille
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
Cel!ille probably saw this map, printed in the 'ew (ork *erald :rib$ne, shortly after the battle.
P9t the ,attle of Fort 4oyal Sound &South "arolina*, /o!ember ', 18K1, "ommander Samuel Erancis
%uFont led a Inion s-uadron of ships that sailed down the ,road 4i!er, assaulted Eort ,eauregard on the
north, reloaded on the elliptical return, bombarded Eort Wal0er, two and a half miles south, and continued
the circuit to bombard Eort ,eauregard again, and so on for four and a half hours, finally destroying and
capturing both forts.
homas #ardy
"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism
4ichard Wright

"hapter 18 A Imagery and Symbolism