'Sunday Morning' by Wallace Stevens

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Complacencies of the peignoir, and late
Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair,
And the green freedom of a cockatoo
Upon a rug mingle to dissipate
The holy hush of ancient sacrifice.
She dreams a little, and she feels the dark
Encroachment of that old catastrophe,
As a calm darkens among water-lights.
The pungent oranges and bright, green wings
Seem things in some procession of the dead,
Winding across wide water, without sound.
The day is like wide water, without sound.
Stilled for the passing of her dreaming feet
Over the seas, to silent Palestine,
Dominion of the blood and sepulchre.2
Why should she give her bounty to the dead?
What is divinity if it can come
Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Shall she not find in comforts of the sun,
In pungent fruit and bright green wings, or else
In any balm or beauty of the earth,
Things to be cherished like the thought of heaven?
Divinity must live within herself:
Passions of rain, or moods in falling snow;
Grievings in loneliness, or unsubdued
Elations when the forest blooms; gusty
Emotions on wet roads on autumn nights;
All pleasures and all pains, remembering
The bough of summer and the winter branch.
These are the measure destined for her soul.3
Jove in the clouds had his inhuman birth.
No mother suckled him, no sweet land gave
Large-mannered motions to his mythy mind.
He moved among us, as a muttering king,
Magnificent, would move among his hinds,
Until our blood, commingling, virginal,
With heaven, brought such requital to desire
The very hinds discerned it, in a star.
Shall our blood fail? Or shall it come to be
The blood of paradise? And shall the earth
Seem all of paradise that we shall know?
The sky will be much friendlier then than now,
A part of labor and a part of pain,
And next in glory to enduring love,
Not this dividing and indifferent blue.4
She says, "I am content when wakened birds,
Before they fly, test the reality
Of misty fields, by their sweet questionings;
But when the birds are gone, and their warm fields
Return no more, where, then, is paradise?"
There is not any haunt of prophecy,
Nor any old chimera of the grave,
Neither the golden underground, nor isle
Melodious, where spirits gat them home,
Nor visionary south, nor cloudy palm
Remote on heaven's hill, that has endured
As April's green endures; or will endure
Like her remembrance of awakened birds,
Or her desire for June and evening, tipped
By the consummation of the swallow's wings.5
She says, "But in contentment I still feel
The need of some imperishable bliss."
Death is the mother of beauty; hence from her,
Alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams
And our desires. Although she strews the leaves
Of sure obliteration on our paths,
The path sick sorrow took, the many paths
Where triumph rang its brassy phrase, or love
Whispered a little out of tenderness,
She makes the willow shiver in the sun
For maidens who were wont to sit and gaze
Upon the grass, relinquished to their feet.
She causes boys to pile new plums and pears
On disregarded plate. The maidens taste
And stray impassioned in the littering leaves.6
Is there no change of death in paradise?
Does ripe fruit never fall? Or do the boughs
Hang always heavy in that perfect sky,
Unchanging, yet so like our perishing earth,
With rivers like our own that seek for seas
They never find, the same receding shores
That never touch with inarticulate pang?
Why set pear upon those river-banks
Or spice the shores with odors of the plum?
Alas, that they should wear our colors there,
The silken weavings of our afternoons,
And pick the strings of our insipid lutes!
Death is the mother of beauty, mystical,
Within whose burning bosom we devise
Our earthly mothers waiting, sleeplessly.7
Supple and turbulent, a ring of men
Shall chant in orgy on a summer morn
Their boisterous devotion to the sun,
Not as a god, but as a god might be,
Naked among them, like a savage source.
Their chant shall be a chant of paradise,
Out of their blood, returning to the sky;
And in their chant shall enter, voice by voice,
The windy lake wherein their lord delights,
The trees, like serafin, and echoing hills,
That choir among themselves long afterward.
They shall know well the heavenly fellowship
Of men that perish and of summer morn.
And whence they came and whither they shall go
The dew upon their feet shall manifest.8
She hears, upon that water without sound,
A voice that cries, "The tomb in Palestine
Is not the porch of spirits lingering.
It is the grave of Jesus, where he lay."
We live in an old chaos of the sun,
Or old dependency of day and night,
Or island solitude, unsponsored, free,
Of that wide water, inescapable.
Deer walk upon our mountains, and the quail
Whistle about us their spontaneous cries;
Sweet berries ripen in the wilderness;
And, in the isolation of the sky,
At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
Downward to darkness, on extended wings.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Beauty of Sunday Morning: A Critical Analysis of Wallace Stevens' Poetry

Wallace Stevens is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, known for his complex and evocative works that explore the relationship between language and reality, the nature of perception and imagination, and the role of art in human experience. Among his many famous poems, "Sunday Morning" stands out as a masterpiece of modernist poetry, a dazzling exploration of the themes of religion, nature, and beauty that has captivated readers for generations. In this critical analysis, we will delve into the depths of "Sunday Morning," exploring its imagery, symbolism, and themes, and uncovering the hidden meanings and complexities of this remarkable work.

Overview of the Poem

"Sunday Morning" was first published in 1915, in Stevens' debut collection, Harmonium. The poem consists of 132 lines, divided into seven stanzas of varying lengths, and follows the musings of a woman as she contemplates the nature of life and death on a lazy Sunday morning. The poem is written in free verse, with no regular meter or rhyme scheme, allowing Stevens to experiment with language and form and to create a sense of fluidity and spontaneity that reflects the woman's wandering thoughts. The poem is rich in imagery and symbolism, drawing on a wide range of cultural and philosophical references, from Greek mythology to Christian theology to contemporary science.

Analysis of the Poem

Structure and Form

Although "Sunday Morning" is written in free verse, it is not without structure or form. The poem is divided into seven stanzas, each of which represents a distinct stage in the woman's thought process. The first two stanzas describe the woman's physical surroundings, while the next three stanzas explore her philosophical and spiritual beliefs. The final two stanzas return to the physical world, concluding the poem with a powerful image of the natural world.

The poem also makes use of repetition, with certain words and phrases recurring throughout the text. For example, the word "death" appears several times, serving as a reminder of the woman's mortality and the transience of life. Similarly, the phrase "What is divinity?" is repeated several times, highlighting the woman's search for meaning and purpose in a world that seems indifferent to human concerns.

Imagery and Symbolism

One of the most striking features of "Sunday Morning" is its rich and evocative imagery, which draws on a wide range of sensory experience to create a vivid and immersive world. Throughout the poem, Stevens uses imagery to explore the themes of nature, beauty, and spirituality, often using natural phenomena as symbols for deeper truths.

One of the most powerful images in the poem is that of the sun, which appears repeatedly throughout the text. In the first stanza, the woman describes the "complacencies of the peignoir, and late / Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair," setting the scene for a lazy, languorous day. Later in the poem, she reflects on the "grey unrestful, / Threatening sky," and wonders whether the sun will ever return. The sun thus becomes a symbol of both comfort and danger, suggesting the dual nature of life and the constant interplay between light and darkness.

Another important symbol in the poem is that of the bird, which appears in several stanzas, often as a symbol of freedom and transcendence. In the third stanza, the woman imagines a "young man carbuncular, / Out of the senseless drift, / Wrapt by the shadow of his wings," suggesting a sense of escape from the mundane world. Later in the poem, the woman imagines herself as a bird, soaring above the earth and transcending the limitations of mortality.

Themes and Meanings

At its core, "Sunday Morning" is a poem about the search for meaning and purpose in life, and the tension between religious and secular ways of understanding the world. Throughout the poem, the woman grapples with the idea of divinity, wondering whether there is any higher power in the universe or whether human beings are alone in a meaningless world.

One of the most powerful expressions of this theme comes in the poem's sixth stanza, in which the woman reflects on the nature of art and its relationship to religious experience. She suggests that art can serve as a substitute for traditional religion, providing a sense of beauty and transcendence that is not dependent on belief in a specific deity. She says:

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

But the men she loved were busy elsewhere;
The primes were beautiful, and the farthest stars,
But the hearts remained small and dry as a seed.

What is divinity if it can come
Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Shall she not find in comforts of the sun,
In pungent fruit and bright, green wings, or else
In any balm or beauty of the earth,
Things to be cherished like the thought of heaven?

This passage suggests that while traditional religion may no longer hold sway in modern society, there are other ways of finding meaning and beauty in the world. Whether through art, nature, or human relationships, the woman argues that there are still things to be cherished and celebrated, even if they do not provide answers to the great existential questions.

Conclusion

"Sunday Morning" is a complex and multifaceted poem that rewards close reading and analysis. Through its rich imagery, symbolism, and themes, Stevens explores some of the most fundamental questions of human existence, from the nature of divinity to the meaning of life and death. At once deeply philosophical and intensely personal, the poem stands as a testament to the power of poetry to capture the complexities of human experience, and to inspire us to see the world in new and unexpected ways.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry has always been a medium for expressing the deepest emotions and thoughts of the human mind. It is a form of art that has the power to transcend time and space, and connect people across generations. One such masterpiece of poetry is "Sunday Morning" by Wallace Stevens. This poem is a celebration of life, nature, and the human spirit. In this article, we will analyze and explain the various themes and symbols used in this classic poem.

The poem "Sunday Morning" is a long, complex, and philosophical work that explores the nature of life, death, and the afterlife. The poem is divided into eight sections, each of which explores a different aspect of the human experience. The poem begins with a description of a woman who is waking up on a Sunday morning. The woman is described as being "complacent" and "content" in her surroundings. She is surrounded by the beauty of nature, and she is at peace with herself and the world around her.

The first section of the poem sets the tone for the rest of the work. It establishes the idea that the natural world is a source of beauty and inspiration. The woman in the poem is surrounded by the beauty of nature, and she is able to find peace and contentment in this environment. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world in great detail.

The second section of the poem explores the idea of religion and spirituality. The woman in the poem is described as being "unhallowed" and "unafraid" of the afterlife. She does not believe in the traditional Christian idea of heaven and hell, but instead believes in the idea of reincarnation. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a reflection of the divine.

The third section of the poem explores the idea of death and the afterlife. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being "unafraid" of death, and as being at peace with the idea of her own mortality. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a reflection of the eternal.

The fourth section of the poem explores the idea of art and creativity. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being "creative" and "imaginative". She is able to find beauty and inspiration in the natural world, and she is able to express this beauty through her art. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a source of inspiration for artists and poets.

The fifth section of the poem explores the idea of love and relationships. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being "loving" and "compassionate". She is able to find love and connection in the natural world, and she is able to express this love through her relationships with others. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a source of love and connection for all people.

The sixth section of the poem explores the idea of history and tradition. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being "traditional" and "respectful" of the past. She is able to find meaning and inspiration in the traditions of her ancestors, and she is able to express this meaning through her own life. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a reflection of the traditions and history of humanity.

The seventh section of the poem explores the idea of philosophy and wisdom. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being "wise" and "enlightened". She is able to find meaning and wisdom in the natural world, and she is able to express this wisdom through her own life. This idea is reinforced throughout the poem, as the speaker describes the beauty of the natural world as being a source of wisdom and enlightenment for all people.

The final section of the poem brings all of these ideas together. The speaker describes the woman in the poem as being a "goddess" who embodies all of the qualities that have been explored throughout the poem. She is able to find beauty, inspiration, love, connection, tradition, and wisdom in the natural world. She is able to express these qualities through her own life, and she is able to inspire others to do the same.

In conclusion, "Sunday Morning" by Wallace Stevens is a masterpiece of poetry that explores the deepest aspects of the human experience. The poem celebrates the beauty of nature, the power of creativity, the importance of love and relationships, the value of tradition and history, and the wisdom of philosophy. It is a work that inspires us to find meaning and purpose in our own lives, and to connect with the natural world in a deeper and more meaningful way.

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