'Dream Song 94: Ill lay he long, upon this last return' by John Berryman
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His Toy, His Dream, His Rest1968Ill lay he long, upon this last return,
unvisited. The doctors put everything in the hospital
into reluctant Henry
and the nurses took it out & put it back,
smiling like fiends, with their eternal 'we.'
Henry did a slow burn,collapsing his dialogue to their white ears
& shiny on the flanges. Sanka he drank
until his memories blurred
& Valerie was coming, lower he sank
and lovely. Teddy on his handlebars
perched, her. One word he heardinsistent his broad shortcomings, then lay still.
That middle-sized wild man was ill.
A hospital is where it all has a use,
so is a makar. . So is substantial God,
tuning in from abroad.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Poetry Criticism and Interpretation: "Dream Song 94: I'll lay he long, upon this last return" by John Berryman
Are you ready for a powerful exploration of human nature and the complexities of grief? Look no further than "Dream Song 94: I'll lay he long, upon this last return" by John Berryman. In this haunting poem, Berryman grapples with the aftermath of loss and the struggle to find meaning in the face of tragedy.
Overview
"Dream Song 94" is part of Berryman's larger collection of poems called "The Dream Songs," which he wrote throughout the 1960s. The collection is known for its confessional style and its use of a persona named Henry who narrates many of the poems.
In "Dream Song 94," Henry is reflecting on the death of his friend, known only as "he." The poem is written in free verse and is structured as a dream-like series of images and associations. Henry's language is often fragmented and disjointed, reflecting the disorientation and confusion of grief.
Analysis
The first stanza of the poem sets the tone for the rest of the piece:
I'll lay he long, upon this last return,
his senses and his nerves no more to strain,
I'll think (maybe) of all the love we bore him,
Right away, we see that Henry is grappling with the finality of death. He imagines laying his friend to rest and freeing him from physical pain. However, the parenthetical "maybe" reveals the narrator's uncertainty about how to process his emotions. This lack of clarity and certainty is a recurring theme throughout the poem.
Henry then goes on to describe his friend's funeral:
all the speeches: who said what & when,
the prayers in order of the burial,
the mourners, & the shoveling of the earth—
These lines are full of ritualistic language, emphasizing the solemn, structured nature of funerals. However, the line breaks and punctuation create a sense of fragmentation and dislocation. The use of the ampersand, for example, suggests a hurried, incomplete description of the events.
Henry then moves on to describe his friend's life:
his life, his loves, his daring fames,
his public hates, his private, losses, aims,
his palaces & his scanty homes,
This stanza is a testament to the breadth of human experience. Henry lists the various aspects of his friend's life, both good and bad. The use of the word "palaces" contrasts with "scanty homes," suggesting the highs and lows of his friend's life.
The fourth stanza takes a more introspective turn:
his gardens & his beasts, his libraries
his opinions—which he said were certainly his,
his inborn courtesy, his wit, his tears,
Here, Henry focuses on his friend's personality and character. The repetition of "his" emphasizes the individuality of his friend, while the phrase "which he said were certainly his" adds a note of self-awareness and self-deprecation.
The fifth stanza is perhaps the most poignant:
his hunger for the truth, his humor
What he believed, he could not always do,
he told the eager world Goodbye! & died.
These lines capture the essence of the human experience: the struggle to reconcile our values and beliefs with our actions. The final phrase, "Goodbye! & died," is jarring in its finality, emphasizing the tragedy of loss.
The final stanza of the poem is both cryptic and cathartic:
But why complain? His arrogance was sweet.
He knew his worth, & what he meant to some.
It's his reality & part of mine.
The first line could be interpreted as both criticism and admiration - his friend's arrogance was sweet, but also a flaw. The second line suggests that his friend had a positive impact on others. The final line is a recognition that death is a part of our shared reality, and that we must all grapple with its implications.
Interpretation
"Dream Song 94" is a powerful exploration of grief and the human experience. Through the persona of Henry, Berryman grapples with the complexities of loss and the struggle to find meaning in the face of tragedy.
One of the key themes of the poem is the tension between ritual and emotion. Funerals and other death-related events are often highly structured, emphasizing tradition and convention. However, the emotional impact of loss cannot be contained by ritual alone. Henry's fragmented language and disjointed descriptions suggest the difficulty of reconciling these two aspects of grief.
Another important theme in the poem is the struggle to find meaning in the face of death. Henry lists the various aspects of his friend's life, suggesting that each person's experience is complex and multifaceted. Yet ultimately, death is a final and incomprehensible event. The final lines of the poem suggest a recognition of this reality, while also acknowledging the importance of memory and connection.
Overall, "Dream Song 94" is a haunting and powerful poem that grapples with some of the most profound aspects of the human experience. Berryman's use of language and persona create a vivid and emotional portrait of grief, loss, and the struggle to find meaning in the face of tragedy.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Dream Song 94: I'll lay he long, upon this last return is a powerful and poignant poem written by John Berryman. This classic piece of poetry is a reflection on the inevitability of death and the transience of life. Berryman's use of language and imagery is masterful, and the poem is a testament to his skill as a poet.
The poem begins with the speaker contemplating death and the idea of returning to the earth. The first line, "I'll lay he long, upon this last return," sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The speaker is resigned to the fact that death is inevitable, and that he will eventually return to the earth.
The second line, "Half drunk, I put away the bottle," is a powerful image. The speaker is not only contemplating death, but he is also drunk. This adds a layer of complexity to the poem, as the reader is left to wonder if the speaker is contemplating death because he is drunk, or if he is drunk because he is contemplating death.
The third line, "I'll be sober in the morning," is a stark contrast to the previous line. The speaker is acknowledging that he is drunk, but he is also acknowledging that he will sober up in the morning. This line is a reminder that life goes on, even in the face of death.
The fourth line, "I'll be gone, gone, gone," is a repetition of the word "gone." This repetition emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever.
The fifth line, "The sky's my roof, my bed's the cold, hard ground," is a powerful image. The speaker is acknowledging that he will return to the earth, and that the sky will be his roof and the ground will be his bed. This image is a reminder that we are all connected to the earth, and that we will all return to it eventually.
The sixth line, "I'll sleep, I'll sleep, I'll sleep," is another repetition. This repetition emphasizes the idea of rest and the fact that death is a form of rest.
The seventh line, "And in the morning, I'll be gone," is a repetition of the fourth line. This repetition emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever.
The eighth line, "The wind will blow, the leaves will fall," is a reminder that life goes on, even in the face of death. The wind and the leaves are symbols of the cyclical nature of life, and this line is a reminder that even though we may be gone, life will continue.
The ninth line, "The earth will turn, the sun will rise," is another reminder that life goes on. The earth and the sun are symbols of the natural world, and this line is a reminder that even though we may be gone, the natural world will continue.
The tenth line, "And in the morning, I'll be gone," is a repetition of the seventh line. This repetition emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever.
The eleventh line, "But for now, I'll lay he long," is a reminder that the speaker is still alive. This line is a reminder that even though death is inevitable, we still have time to live.
The twelfth line, "And dream of all the things I've done," is a reflection on the speaker's life. This line is a reminder that we all have a past, and that our past is a part of who we are.
The thirteenth line, "And all the things I've yet to do," is a reminder that even though the speaker is contemplating death, he still has things he wants to do. This line is a reminder that we should never stop living, even in the face of death.
The fourteenth line, "And in the morning, I'll be gone," is a repetition of the seventh and tenth lines. This repetition emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever.
The fifteenth line, "But for now, I'll lay he long," is a repetition of the eleventh line. This repetition emphasizes the fact that the speaker is still alive, and that he still has time to live.
The sixteenth line, "And dream of all the things I've done," is a repetition of the twelfth line. This repetition emphasizes the fact that our past is a part of who we are, and that we should reflect on it.
The seventeenth line, "And all the things I've yet to do," is a repetition of the thirteenth line. This repetition emphasizes the fact that we should never stop living, even in the face of death.
The eighteenth line, "And in the morning, I'll be gone," is a repetition of the seventh, tenth, and fourteenth lines. This repetition emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever.
In conclusion, Dream Song 94: I'll lay he long, upon this last return is a powerful and poignant poem that reflects on the inevitability of death and the transience of life. Berryman's use of language and imagery is masterful, and the poem is a testament to his skill as a poet. The repetition of certain lines emphasizes the finality of death and the fact that once we are gone, we are gone forever. However, the poem also reminds us that even though death is inevitable, we still have time to live and to reflect on our past and our future.
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