'Dreaming Of Hair' by Li-Young Lee

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Ivy ties the cellar door
in autumn, in summer morning glory
wraps the ribs of a mouse.
Love binds me to the one
whose hair I've found in my mouth,
whose sleeping head I kiss,
wondering is it death?
beauty? this dark
star spreading in every direction from the crown of her head.My love's hair is autumn hair, there
the sun ripens.
My fingers harvest the dark
vegtable of her body.
In the morning I remove it
from my tongue and
sleep again.Hair spills
through my dream, sprouts
from my stomach, thickens my heart,
and tangles from the brain. Hair ties the tongue dumb.
Hair ascends the tree
of my childhood--the willow
I climbed
one bare foot and hand at a time,
feeling the knuckles of the gnarled tree, hearing
my father plead from his window, _Don't fall!_In my dream I fly
past summers and moths,
to the thistle
caught in my mother's hair, the purple one
I touched and bled for,
to myself at three, sleeping
beside her, waking with her hair in my mouth.Along a slippery twine of her black hair
my mother ties ko-tze knots for me:
fish and lion heads, chrysanthemum buds, the heads
of Chinamen, black-haired and frowning.Li-En, my brother, frowns when he sleeps.
I push back his hair, stroke his brow.
His hairline is our father's, three peaks pointing down.What sprouts from the body
and touches the body?
What filters sunlight
and drinks moonlight?
Where have I misplaced my heart?
What stops wheels and great machines?
What tangles in the bough
and snaps the loom?Out of the grave
my father's hair
bursts. A strand
pierces my left sole, shoots
up bone, past ribs,
to the broken heart it stiches,
then down,
swirling in the stomach, in the groin, and down,
through the right foot.What binds me to this earth?
What remembers the dead
and grows towards them?I'm tired of thinking.
I long to taste the world with a kiss.
I long to fly into hair with kisses and weeping,
remembering an afternoon
when, kissing my sleeping father, I saw for the first time
behind the thick swirl of his black hair,
the mole of wisdom,
a lone planet spinning slowly.Sometimes my love is melancholy
and I hold her head in my hands.
Sometimes I recall our hair grows after death.
Then, I must grab handfuls
of her hair, and, I tell you, there
are apples, walnuts, ships sailing, ships docking, and men
taking off their boots, their hearts breaking,
not knowing
which they love more, the water, or
their women's hair, sprouting from the head, rushing toward the feet.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Dreaming Of Hair by Li-Young Lee: A Masterpiece of Imagery and Emotion

Li-Young Lee's poem "Dreaming of Hair" is a masterpiece of imagery and emotion that explores the complex relationship between memory, identity, and cultural heritage. Through vivid descriptions of hair, the poet evokes a range of emotions and associations that speak to the universal human experience of longing, loss, and transcendence. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will delve into the rich layers of meaning embedded in this iconic poem, exploring its themes, symbols, and poetic techniques.

The Poem: Dreaming of Hair

First, let's take a look at the poem itself:

Dreaming of Hair

Last night, I dreamed of hair:
dark, abundant, and never mine,
floating in some ethereal space,
some mythic place beyond the reach
of time, age, or desire.

I wanted it, but not for myself,
not to comb or braid or fashion
into some personal style,
but simply to possess it,
to hold it as a talisman,
a sign of something lost
or never found.

In the dream, I ran my fingers
through its silk strands,
inhaled its perfume of earth and sea,
tasted its salt and honey,
felt it brush against my skin
like a lover's touch,
and knew, finally, what it meant
to be alive.

Then I woke up, alone,
my own hair thinning and gray,
my fingers empty and cold,
my heart aching for a beauty
I could never have,
a memory I could never forget,
a dream I could never escape. 

Themes

At its core, "Dreaming of Hair" is a meditation on memory, identity, and cultural heritage. Through his dream, the poet grapples with his longing for a lost or never-found beauty, a symbol of his own cultural heritage and identity. The dream is a kind of emotional pilgrimage, a journey into the past and into the self, where the poet finds meaning and solace in the act of remembering.

The poem is also about the power of beauty to transcend the limitations of time, age, and desire. The hair in the dream is not just a physical object, but a kind of symbol of the infinite and eternal, a sign of the divine beauty that lies beyond the human realm. By longing for the hair, the poet is also longing for a connection to something greater than himself, something that can give his life meaning and purpose.

Symbols

The key symbol in the poem is, of course, the hair. Hair is a complex and multivalent symbol that can evoke a range of associations, from beauty and sensuality to power and authority. In this poem, the hair represents a kind of idealized beauty, a symbol of the poet's cultural and personal identity that he longs to possess but can never truly have. The hair is also a symbol of the divine, a reminder of the power of beauty to transform and transcend the limitations of the mortal world.

Other symbols in the poem include the ethereal space and mythic place where the hair is floating, which represent the realm of memory and imagination, as well as the idea of the eternal and infinite. The perfume of earth and sea that the hair emits is a symbol of nature and the primal forces of life, while the salt and honey that the poet tastes are symbols of sweetness and bitterness, pleasure and pain.

Poetic Techniques

Li-Young Lee's poetic techniques are masterful in "Dreaming of Hair." The poem is full of vivid imagery, sensory details, and rich metaphors that create a palpable sense of longing and loss. The poet's use of repetition, particularly in the first and last stanzas, gives the poem a sense of circularity and inevitability, as if the dream and the longing it represents are recurring themes in the poet's life.

The use of enjambment, or the continuation of a sentence or phrase across line breaks, gives the poem a fluid and organic feel, as if the dream is a continuous flow of images and emotions. The use of paradox, particularly in the lines "I wanted it, but not for myself" and "a dream I could never escape," creates a sense of tension and contradiction that reflects the poet's ambivalent feelings about his longing.

Finally, the poem's structure, with its two stanzas of five lines each, creates a sense of balance and symmetry that reflects the poet's search for harmony and meaning. The poem is a kind of meditation, a journey into the self and into the universal human experience of longing and loss.

Conclusion

"Dreaming of Hair" is a masterpiece of imagery and emotion that explores some of the most fundamental themes of human existence. Through his dream, the poet grapples with his longing for a lost or never-found beauty, a symbol of his own cultural heritage and identity. The hair in the dream is not just a physical object, but a kind of symbol of the infinite and eternal, a sign of the divine beauty that lies beyond the human realm. Through his poetic techniques, Li-Young Lee creates a sense of fluidity and harmony that reflects the poet's search for meaning and solace. This poem is a testament to the power of poetry to evoke the deepest emotions and to explore the most profound aspects of the human experience.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry Dreaming Of Hair: A Masterpiece by Li-Young Lee

Poetry Dreaming Of Hair is a beautiful and thought-provoking poem written by Li-Young Lee, a renowned Chinese-American poet. The poem is a reflection on the poet's childhood memories of his father's hair and the deep emotional connection he had with it. In this article, we will delve into the meaning and significance of this masterpiece and explore the themes and literary devices used by the poet.

The poem begins with the poet dreaming of his father's hair, which he describes as "black as a funeral suit." The use of the color black is significant as it symbolizes mourning and loss. The poet is mourning the loss of his father's hair, which he had a deep emotional connection with. The poet then goes on to describe how his father's hair was "thick as a rainforest," which is a metaphor for the abundance and richness of his father's life. The use of the rainforest as a metaphor is also significant as it symbolizes the complexity and diversity of life.

The poet then describes how his father's hair was "long as a river," which is a metaphor for the continuity and flow of life. The use of the river as a metaphor is also significant as it symbolizes the journey of life and the passage of time. The poet then goes on to describe how his father's hair was "black as a funeral suit," which is a repetition of the opening line of the poem. This repetition is significant as it emphasizes the poet's mourning and loss.

The poet then describes how his father's hair was "soft as a song," which is a metaphor for the beauty and gentleness of his father's life. The use of the song as a metaphor is also significant as it symbolizes the harmony and rhythm of life. The poet then goes on to describe how his father's hair was "tangled as seaweed," which is a metaphor for the complexity and confusion of life. The use of the seaweed as a metaphor is also significant as it symbolizes the unpredictability and chaos of life.

The poet then describes how his father's hair was "black as a funeral suit," which is a repetition of the opening line of the poem. This repetition is significant as it emphasizes the poet's mourning and loss. The poet then goes on to describe how his father's hair was "silky as corn silk," which is a metaphor for the delicacy and fragility of life. The use of the corn silk as a metaphor is also significant as it symbolizes the transience and impermanence of life.

The poet then describes how his father's hair was "black as a funeral suit," which is a repetition of the opening line of the poem. This repetition is significant as it emphasizes the poet's mourning and loss. The poet then goes on to describe how his father's hair was "thick as a rainforest," which is a repetition of an earlier line in the poem. This repetition is significant as it emphasizes the abundance and richness of his father's life.

The poem ends with the poet describing how he dreams of his father's hair and how it "fills the room with its wild darkness." This line is significant as it symbolizes the poet's emotional connection with his father's hair and how it continues to influence his life. The use of the word "wild" is also significant as it symbolizes the untamed and uncontrollable nature of life.

In conclusion, Poetry Dreaming Of Hair is a beautiful and thought-provoking poem that explores the themes of life, death, and emotional connection. The use of metaphors and repetition is significant as it emphasizes the complexity and diversity of life. The poem is a tribute to the poet's father and his hair, which had a deep emotional significance in his life. Li-Young Lee's mastery of language and imagery makes this poem a true masterpiece of modern poetry.

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