'The Country Of Marriage' by Wendell Berry
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The Country of MarriageI.I dream of you walking at night along the streams
of the country of my birth, warm blooms and the nightsongs
of birds opening around you as you walk.
You are holding in your body the dark seed of my sleep.II.This comes after silence. Was it something I said
that bound me to you, some mere promise
or, worse, the fear of loneliness and death?
A man lost in the woods in the dark, I stood
still and said nothing. And then there rose in me,
like the earth's empowering brew rising
in root and branch, the words of a dream of you
I did not know I had dreamed. I was a wanderer
who feels the solace of his native land
under his feet again and moving in his blood.
I went on, blind and faithful. Where I stepped
my track was there to steady me. It was no abyss
that lay before me, but only the level ground.III.Sometimes our life reminds me
of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing
and in that opening a house,
an orchard and garden,
comfortable shades, and flowers
red and yellow in the sun, a pattern
made in the light for the light to return to.
The forest is mostly dark, its ways
to be made anew day after day, the dark
richer than the light and more blessed,
provided we stay brave
enough to keep on going in.IV.How many times have I come to you out of my head
with joy, if ever a man was,
for to approach you I have given up the light
and all directions. I come to you
lost, wholly trusting as a man who goes
into the forest unarmed. It is as though I descend
slowly earthward out of the air. I rest in peace
in you, when I arrive at last.V.Our bond is no little economy based on the exchange
of my love and work for yours, so much for so much
of an expendable fund. We don't know what its limits are--
that puts us in the dark. We are more together
than we know, how else could we keep on discovering
we are more together than we thought?
You are the known way leading always to the unknown,
and you are the known place to which the unknown is always
leading me back. More blessed in you than I know,
I possess nothing worthy to give you, nothing
not belittled by my saying that I possess it.
Even an hour of love is a moral predicament, a blessing
a man may be hard up to be worthy of. He can only
accept it, as a plant accepts from all the bounty of the light
enough to live, and then accepts the dark,
passing unencumbered back to the earth, as I
have fallen tine and again from the great strength
of my desire, helpless, into your arms.VI.What I am learning to give you is my death
to set you free of me, and me from myself
into the dark and the new light. Like the water
of a deep stream, love is always too much. We
did not make it. Though we drink till we burst
we cannot have it all, or want it all.
In its abundance it survives our thirst.
In the evening we come down to the shore
to drink our fill, and sleep, while it
flows through the regions of the dark.
It does not hold us, except we keep returning
to its rich waters thirsty. We enter,
willing to die, into the commonwealth of its joy.VII.I give you what is unbounded, passing from dark to dark,
containing darkness: a night of rain, an early morning.
I give you the life I have let live for the love of you:
a clump of orange-blooming weeds beside the road,
the young orchard waiting in the snow, our own life
that we have planted in the ground, as I
have planted mine in you. I give you my love for all
beautiful and honest women that you gather to yourself
again and again, and satisfy--and this poem,
no more mine than any man's who has loved a woman.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Country of Marriage by Wendell Berry: A Masterpiece of Ecological Poetry
Have you ever read a poem that completely transformed your perspective on life, love, and nature? If not, let me introduce you to "The Country of Marriage," a breathtaking work of art by the American poet, novelist, and environmental activist Wendell Berry.
First published in 1973 as part of Berry's collection of poems titled "The Country of Marriage," this poem has since become one of the most celebrated pieces of ecological poetry in American literature. In only 35 lines, Berry manages to capture the essence of the human-nature relationship, exploring themes of love, loss, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
The Poem: An Overview
To fully understand the depth and beauty of "The Country of Marriage," let's take a look at the poem itself:
I.
I dream of you walking at night along the streams of the country of my birth, warm blooms and the nightsongs of birds opening around you as you walk.
You are holding in your body the dark seed of my sleep.
II.
This comes after silence. Was it something I said that bound me to you, some mere promise or, worse, the fear of loneliness and death?
A man lost in the woods in the dark, I stood still and said nothing. And then there rose in me, like the earth's empowering brew rising in root and branch, the words of a dream of you I did not know I had dreamed. I was a wanderer who feels the solace of his native land under his feet again and moving in his blood.
III.
The year drifts through the fields like ripening grain, and everything that happened good or bad: touched or untouched, abandoned or held fast, becomes a field where we all helplessly lie.
IV.
Night of the summer solstice, dreaming, I walk amid tall grasses that touch my legs. The moonlight sharpens the edges of the leaves. I am hearing all the secret water of the place speaking to me, and I hear myself speaking to the water and the moon.
V.
Whatever happens, I know that I can always come home. I am like a tree that grows in a certain place, and that place is my true home. It drinks in the sun, and the rain falls on it in a certain way. And that tree is me.
VI.
I am yours, although I never knew you, like a forest is a forest because it is wild, like a grass blade is a grass blade because it is part of the earth. The sea sighs and the mountains roar as they live with the earth.
VII.
And I, who have been everywhere, and seen the stars in the sky and the faces of the dead, I am only the ears and mouth of a greater silence that is my own, and the round talking of the clock of the world.
What a masterpiece! Each line is dripping with imagery, symbolism, and emotion, and together they form a powerful exploration of the human experience within the natural world.
Interpretation: Finding Meaning in the Metaphors
One of the most striking features of "The Country of Marriage" is the way in which Berry uses metaphor to convey complex ideas about love, nature, and the human condition. Let's take a closer look at some of these metaphors and what they might mean.
Walking Along Streams
In the first stanza of the poem, Berry describes the speaker's lover walking along streams in the "country of [his] birth." This image of a person walking along a stream is a powerful metaphor for the human-nature relationship. The lover is surrounded by the beauty and life of the natural world, with "warm blooms and the nightsongs of birds opening around [them] as [they] walk."
Furthermore, the lover is "holding in [their] body the dark seed of [the speaker's] sleep." This suggests that the speaker feels a deep connection to their lover, one that is rooted in the natural world and the cycle of life and death.
The Dream
In the second stanza of the poem, the speaker describes a dream they had of their lover. The dream is described as a "brew rising in root and branch," an image that suggests the speaker's love for their partner is connected to the natural world. The dream is also described as empowering, suggesting that the speaker's love for their partner gives them strength and purpose.
The Field
The third stanza of the poem describes the passage of time and the way in which everything in life becomes a field where we all "helplessly lie." This image of a field suggests that all of our experiences, both good and bad, become a part of who we are and cannot be escaped.
The Summer Solstice
In the fourth stanza of the poem, the speaker describes a dream they had on the summer solstice. The dream takes place in a natural setting, with the speaker walking through tall grasses and listening to the secret water of the place speaking to them. This image of the speaker communing with nature suggests that they feel a deep connection to the natural world and that this connection gives them a sense of peace and purpose.
The Tree
In the fifth stanza of the poem, the speaker compares themselves to a tree that grows in a certain place and drinks in the sun and the rain in a certain way. This image of the speaker as a tree suggests that they feel rooted in the natural world and that their sense of identity is connected to the place where they come from.
The Forest
In the sixth stanza of the poem, the speaker compares themselves to a forest that is wild and a grass blade that is part of the earth. This image suggests that, like the forest and the grass, the speaker is a part of the natural world and that their identity is connected to the larger ecosystem of life on earth.
The Clock
In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker describes themselves as "only the ears and mouth of a greater silence that is [their] own" and "the round talking of the clock of the world." This image suggests that the speaker sees themselves as a small part of a larger natural order, one that is governed by the passage of time and the cycles of life and death.
Conclusion: The Beauty of Nature and the Human Experience
"The Country of Marriage" is a masterpiece of ecological poetry that explores the human-nature relationship in a profound and moving way. Through the use of powerful metaphors and vivid imagery, Berry captures the beauty and interconnectedness of all living things and reminds us that our sense of identity and purpose is deeply rooted in the natural world.
As you read and re-read this poem, take the time to reflect on the ways in which your own life is connected to the natural world. Think about the places that you come from and the experiences that have shaped you. And remember that, like the speaker in "The Country of Marriage," you are a part of something larger and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Country of Marriage: A Poetic Journey Through Love and Life
Wendell Berry's "The Country of Marriage" is a timeless masterpiece that explores the complexities of love, marriage, and the human experience. This poem is a journey through the ups and downs of a relationship, and it captures the essence of what it means to be in love. Berry's words are both powerful and poignant, and they resonate with readers on a deep and personal level. In this analysis, we will explore the themes and motifs of "The Country of Marriage," and we will examine how Berry's use of language and imagery creates a vivid and emotional landscape.
The poem begins with a simple statement: "I dream of you walking at night along the streams of the country of my birth." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as it establishes the speaker's deep connection to the land and to the person he loves. The use of the word "dream" suggests that this is a fantasy or a wish, but it also implies that the speaker's love is so strong that it feels like a dream come true. The image of the loved one walking along the streams of the speaker's birthplace is a powerful one, as it suggests a connection between the person and the land. This connection is a recurring theme throughout the poem, as the speaker often uses nature imagery to describe his feelings.
The next few lines of the poem describe the speaker's longing for his loved one: "Your footsteps patter like rain in July / And I follow you as I did when I was a boy / Followed the streams of my country." Here, the speaker is comparing the sound of his loved one's footsteps to the sound of rain in July. This comparison is significant because it suggests that the loved one brings life and vitality to the speaker's world. The speaker then describes himself as a boy following the streams of his country, which reinforces the idea of a deep connection to the land. This connection is important because it suggests that the speaker's love is not just for the person, but for the entire world that surrounds them.
As the poem continues, the speaker describes the challenges that come with love and marriage. He says, "It seems they have been waiting for me / Those futile years that were not wasted / As though I had wasted the years of my life / Until I met you." Here, the speaker is acknowledging that he has had struggles and challenges in his life, but he also suggests that those struggles were necessary to bring him to this moment. The use of the word "futile" suggests that the speaker's life before meeting his loved one was empty and meaningless, but the use of the word "waiting" suggests that there was a purpose to those years. This idea is reinforced in the next line, where the speaker says that he had not wasted his life, but rather that he had been preparing for this moment.
The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker describes the difficulties of marriage. He says, "I feel I know / All of your lives, all your stories / But there is one story you have not told me." This line suggests that there is a secret or a hidden aspect of the loved one's life that the speaker does not know about. This idea is reinforced in the next few lines, where the speaker says, "And that is the one story / I have been afraid of." Here, the speaker is acknowledging that there are aspects of his loved one's life that he may never understand, and that this lack of understanding is a source of fear and anxiety.
Despite these challenges, the speaker remains committed to his loved one. He says, "I want / To ask it, to speak it, to be able / To say it just as you finally / Have to say it, tracing / Its edges with your finger." Here, the speaker is expressing his desire to understand his loved one completely, and to be able to communicate with them on a deep and intimate level. The use of the word "tracing" suggests a physical connection, as if the speaker is trying to touch the loved one's soul. This idea is reinforced in the next few lines, where the speaker says, "But I fear / To change the order of things, the world / Alive in its own light, you in yours / And I in mine." Here, the speaker is acknowledging that there are boundaries and limitations to what he can understand and control, and that he must respect those boundaries in order to maintain the balance of the world.
The poem then takes a more hopeful turn, as the speaker describes the beauty and joy of love. He says, "We will take the country roads that / The strangers never find / Rivers that run too swift for salmon / Sing in the summer evening / We will climb the hillside / That brings the weather in." Here, the speaker is describing a journey with his loved one, a journey that takes them through the beauty and wonder of the natural world. The use of the word "we" suggests a deep connection between the speaker and his loved one, and the use of nature imagery reinforces the idea of that connection.
The poem ends with a powerful statement of love and commitment. The speaker says, "And we will enter separately / The woods where the knowing river / Holds up its hands to the sky / And where I will bow to you / And the world will bow to you." Here, the speaker is acknowledging the power and beauty of his loved one, and he is expressing his willingness to submit to that power. The use of the word "bow" suggests a gesture of respect and reverence, and the use of the word "world" suggests that the speaker's love is not just for the person, but for the entire world that surrounds them.
In conclusion, "The Country of Marriage" is a powerful and emotional journey through love and life. Berry's use of language and imagery creates a vivid and emotional landscape, and his exploration of the themes of love, marriage, and the human experience is both timeless and universal. This poem is a testament to the power of love, and it reminds us that even in the face of challenges and difficulties, love can conquer all.
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