'The Science Of The Night' by Stanley Kunitz

AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay

Collected Poems2000I touch you in the night, whose gift was you,
My careless sprawler,
And I touch you cold, unstirring, star-bemused,
That have become the land of your self-strangeness.
What long seduction of the bone has led you
Down the imploring roads I cannot take
Into the arms of ghosts I never knew,
Leaving my manhood on a rumpled field
To guard you where you lie so deep
In absent-mindedness,
Caught in the calcium snows of sleep?And even should I track you to your birth
Through all the cities of your mortal trial,
As in my jealous thought I try to do,
You would escape me--from the brink of earth
Take off to where the lawless auroras run,
You with your wild and metaphysic heart.
My touch is on you, who are light-years gone.
We are not souls but systems, and we move
In clouds of our unknowinglike great nebulae.
Our very motives swirl and have their start
With father lion and with mother crab.
Dreamer, my own lost rib,
Whose planetary dust is blowing
Past archipelagoes of myth and light
What far Magellans are you mistress of
To whom you speed the pleasure of your art?
As through a glass that magnifies my loss
I see the lines of your spectrum shifting red,
The universe expanding, thinning out,
Our worlds flying, oh flying, fast apart.From hooded powers and from abstract flight
I summon you, your person and your pride.
Fall to me now from outer space,
Still fastened desperately to my side;
Through gulfs of streaming air
Bring me the mornings of the milky ways
Down to my threshold in your drowsy eyes;
And by the virtue of your honeyed word
Restore the liquid language of the moon,
That in gold mines of secrecy you delve.
Awake!My whirling hands stay at the noon,
Each cell within my body holds a heart
And all my hearts in unison strike twelve.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Poetry, The Science Of The Night: A Masterpiece of Emotional Intelligence

If I had to describe Stanley Kunitz's "Poetry, The Science Of The Night" in one word, it would be "haunting." This poem is a masterpiece of emotional intelligence that explores the themes of mortality, nature, and the power of poetry to help us understand and cope with the human condition. In this essay, I will take a deep dive into this poem and offer a detailed literary criticism and interpretation that will help you appreciate the beauty and depth of Kunitz's words.

Background and Context

Before we dive into the poem itself, it's important to understand who Stanley Kunitz was and the context in which he wrote "Poetry, The Science Of The Night." Kunitz was an American poet who was born in 1905 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a prolific writer who published numerous collections of poetry throughout his lifetime, and he was known for his deep and introspective exploration of the human psyche.

"Poetry, The Science Of The Night" was first published in Kunitz's collection "Passing Through: The Later Poems, New and Selected" in 1995. This collection was published just a few years before Kunitz's death in 2006, and it features many poems that are deeply reflective of the poet's own mortality and the passing of time.

Literary Analysis

Now let's turn our attention to the poem itself. "Poetry, The Science Of The Night" is a short but powerful poem that consists of just two stanzas. Here is the full text of the poem:

The science of the night I have not mastered,
But is she not beautiful, this death?
This close to dawn, a star still burning,
The last to surrender to the dawn-bringer.

Are we not made by light and shadow,
Thrown into the world like arrows shot
From a bowstring, returning to earth
Even as we take flight?

On the surface, the poem seems to be about the beauty of death and the inevitability of our own mortality. Kunitz uses the image of a star still burning just before dawn to symbolize the beauty of life even in the face of death. The star is the "last to surrender" to the coming of the day, just as we are the last to surrender to our own mortality.

But there is more to the poem than just a reflection on death. Kunitz also explores the idea that we are made of both light and shadow, and that we are "thrown into the world like arrows shot from a bowstring." This imagery suggests that our lives are predetermined, that we are fated to return to the earth even as we take flight.

The use of the word "science" in the title of the poem is also significant. Science is often associated with rationality and logic, but Kunitz is using it here to describe something mysterious and unexplainable. The night, with its darkness and shadows, represents the unknown and the unknowable. By using the language of science to describe the night, Kunitz is suggesting that there is a deeper understanding of the world that cannot be explained through rational thought alone.

Interpretation

So what does all of this mean? What is Kunitz trying to say through this poem? I believe that "Poetry, The Science Of The Night" is a meditation on the human condition, and the ways in which we try to make sense of our own mortality.

Kunitz is using the image of the star still burning just before dawn to suggest that even in the face of death, there is beauty and light. The star is a symbol of hope, even as it prepares to surrender to the coming of the day. Similarly, we as humans are able to find beauty and meaning even in the face of our own mortality.

But Kunitz is also suggesting that our lives are predetermined, that we are "thrown into the world like arrows" and fated to return to the earth. This imagery suggests that our lives are not under our control, but rather subject to some larger force or destiny.

This idea is both unsettling and comforting. On the one hand, it suggests that we are small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But on the other hand, it suggests that there is a larger purpose to our lives, that we are part of something greater than ourselves.

Finally, the use of the word "science" in the title of the poem is significant because it suggests that there is a deeper understanding of the world that cannot be explained through rational thought alone. Kunitz is suggesting that there is a mystery to life that we may never fully understand, and that poetry is one of the ways in which we can come to terms with this mystery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Poetry, The Science Of The Night" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of mortality, nature, and the power of poetry to help us understand and cope with the human condition. Through the use of vivid imagery and masterful language, Kunitz is able to convey complex ideas about life and death in just a few short lines.

This poem is a testament to Kunitz's skill as a poet, and it is a reminder of the enduring power of poetry to help us make sense of the world around us. Whether you are a seasoned reader of poetry or just starting out, I highly recommend taking the time to read and reflect on "Poetry, The Science Of The Night." It is a true masterpiece of emotional intelligence, and one that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry The Science Of The Night: A Masterpiece of Imagery and Emotion

Stanley Kunitz's "The Science of the Night" is a poem that captures the essence of the night and the emotions that come with it. The poem is a masterpiece of imagery and emotion, and it has been praised for its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and awe in the reader. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and emotions that make this poem so powerful.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the night as a "wilderness" that is "full of the voices of the dead." This sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with images of death and decay. The speaker goes on to describe the stars as "burning holes in the sky," which is a powerful image that evokes a sense of wonder and awe. The stars are often used in poetry as symbols of hope and inspiration, but in this poem, they are portrayed as something more ominous.

The theme of death is a recurring motif throughout the poem. The speaker describes the night as a place where "the dead are dancing with the dead," which is a haunting image that suggests that death is not the end, but rather a continuation of life. The speaker also describes the moon as a "skull," which is a powerful image that suggests that death is always present, even in the beauty of the night.

The imagery in the poem is stunning. The speaker describes the night as a "blackness that is full of light," which is a paradoxical image that suggests that there is beauty in darkness. The speaker also describes the stars as "diamonds" and the moon as a "silver cup," which are both images that evoke a sense of luxury and opulence. The contrast between the darkness of the night and the beauty of the stars and moon is a powerful image that suggests that there is beauty in everything, even in death.

The emotions that the poem evokes are complex and varied. The speaker describes the night as a place of "terror and delight," which suggests that there is a sense of danger and excitement in the darkness. The speaker also describes the night as a place of "loneliness and love," which suggests that there is a sense of longing and desire in the darkness. The poem is filled with contradictions and paradoxes, which adds to the complexity of the emotions that it evokes.

The poem is also notable for its use of language. The speaker uses a variety of poetic devices, such as alliteration, assonance, and imagery, to create a sense of rhythm and flow in the poem. The use of repetition is also notable, as the speaker repeats the phrase "the science of the night" throughout the poem. This repetition creates a sense of unity and coherence in the poem, and it also emphasizes the importance of the night as a subject.

In conclusion, Stanley Kunitz's "The Science of the Night" is a masterpiece of imagery and emotion. The poem captures the essence of the night and the emotions that come with it, and it has been praised for its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and awe in the reader. The theme of death is a recurring motif throughout the poem, and the imagery is stunning. The emotions that the poem evokes are complex and varied, and the use of language is notable. Overall, this poem is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the beauty and complexity of the world around us.

Editor Recommended Sites

Learn Cloud SQL: Learn to use cloud SQL tools by AWS and GCP
Flutter Training: Flutter consulting in DFW
Data Lineage: Cloud governance lineage and metadata catalog tooling for business and enterprise
Data Governance - Best cloud data governance practices & AWS and GCP Data Governance solutions: Learn cloud data governance and find the best highest rated resources
Compose Music - Best apps for music composition & Compose music online: Learn about the latest music composition apps and music software

Recommended Similar Analysis

Death is the supple Suitor by Emily Dickinson analysis
Spring Night by Sarah Teasdale analysis
Consorting With Angels by Anne Sexton analysis
Crossing The Water by Sylvia Plath analysis
Meeting At Night by Robert Browning analysis
There Be None of Beauty's Daughters by George Gordon, Lord Byron analysis
Sonnet 43 - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways by Elizabeth Barrett Browning analysis
Boots by Rudyard Kipling analysis
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again by John Keats analysis
Blueberries by Robert Lee Frost analysis