Of Mere Being

[floria]

The palm at the end of the mind
Beyond the last though, rises
In the bronze decor,

A gold-feathered bird
Sings in the palm, without human meaning,
Without human feeling, a foreign song.

You know then that is not the reason
That makes us happy or unhappy.
The bird sings. Its feather shines.

The palm stands at the edge of the space.
The wind moves slowly through the branches.
The bird's fire-fangled feathers dangle down.


Wallace Stevens


______


love this poem... just came to share it with everyone~ *^_^*

[yellowfeverlime]

Look down from where you post is. Go to the never ending poem. Contribute... you might be helpful

~stevie~

[mono]

Hello, floria, welcome to the forum.
I have not read this Wallace Stevens poem in a long time; I remember I first read it years ago in a poetry class, and wrote an essay on it, comparing it to one of the more brief poems by Geoffrey Chaucer. I love this idea of comparing the human mind with the universe, but Stevens' concept that 'only a few bird feathers' dangle down to a more conscious state, so to speak. Does he claim that a higher consciousness exists? I would like to think so, though others have debated it.
Thanks for sharing the poem! ;)

[floria]

hey there:
read this one from my creative writing class, comparing to "This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams...
We were not requested to write a essay on this :P (lucky me)... but we were asked to write something that follows this kind of style...