'Reading An Anthology Of Chinese Poems Of The Sung Dynasty, I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles' by Billy Collins

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It seems these poets have nothing
up their ample sleeves
they turn over so many cards so early,
telling us before the first line
whether it is wet or dry,
night or day, the season the man is standing in,
even how much he has had to drink.Maybe it is autumn and he is looking at a sparrow.
Maybe it is snowing on a town with a beautiful name."Viewing Peonies at the Temple of Good Fortune
on a Cloudy Afternoon" is one of Sun Tung Po's.
"Dipping Water from the River and Simmering Tea"
is another one, or just
"On a Boat, Awake at Night."And Lu Yu takes the simple rice cake with
"In a Boat on a Summer Evening
I Heard the Cry of a Waterbird.
It Was Very Sad and Seemed To Be Saying
My Woman Is Cruel--Moved, I Wrote This Poem."There is no iron turnstile to push against here
as with headings like "Vortex on a String,"
"The Horn of Neurosis," or whatever.
No confusingly inscribed welcome mat to puzzle over.Instead, "I Walk Out on a Summer Morning
to the Sound of Birds and a Waterfall"
is a beaded curtain brushing over my shoulders.And "Ten Days of Spring Rain Have Kept Me Indoors"
is a servant who shows me into the room
where a poet with a thin beard
is sitting on a mat with a jug of wine
whispering something about clouds and cold wind,
about sickness and the loss of friends.How easy he has made it for me to enter here,
to sit down in a corner,
cross my legs like his, and listen.

Editor 1 Interpretation

"I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles" by Billy Collins: A Critical Analysis

Have you ever read a poem and been immediately struck by the title? Billy Collins, in his poem "I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles," expresses his admiration for the titles of Chinese poems from the Sung Dynasty. In this 19-line poem, Collins explores the evocative power of a title and its ability to set the tone and expectations of a work.

The Power of Titles

Collins begins the poem with a rhetorical question: "What a journey it must have been / to nail those titles to the stillness / fluttering inside the mind." Right from the start, Collins acknowledges the power of a title to capture and convey complex emotions and ideas. He imagines the effort required to "nail" those titles, suggesting that the poets of the Sung Dynasty were not only skilled in crafting verse but also in distilling the essence of their work into a few choice words.

Throughout the poem, Collins highlights the rich imagery and evocative language of the titles he encounters, from "On Hearing the Flute at Lo-Chiang" to "On Climbing Up to the Temple of Heavenly Fragrance." He describes these titles as "vessels that contain / everything the poet knew / about loneliness, longing, / and the sound of the wind." Through these descriptions, Collins celebrates the way that titles can encapsulate the essence of a work and provide a roadmap for readers to follow.

The Importance of Clarity

In addition to celebrating the length of these titles, Collins also admires their clarity. He notes that they "resemble / the track of a beetle / across a sheet of white paper." Here, Collins seems to be emphasizing the visual aspect of the titles, suggesting that their clarity and simplicity make them easy to read and remember.

At the same time, the image of a beetle's track also implies a sense of movement and progress. Just as a beetle follows a clear path across a page, the titles of these poems invite readers to follow a clear path through the poet's thoughts and emotions. Collins seems to be suggesting that the clarity of these titles makes them not only beautiful but also effective tools for communication.

Poetic Criticism

While "I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles" is primarily a celebration of the power of poetry, it also contains elements of poetic criticism. Collins seems to be contrasting the evocative power of these titles with the more mundane titles that one might encounter in contemporary poetry. He notes that many modern titles are "no more than labels / stuck on an exhibit of words." Here, Collins seems to be suggesting that modern poetry often lacks the depth and complexity of these older works.

In the final stanza, Collins laments the fact that modern poets seem to have lost the ability to craft titles that are both clear and evocative. He writes:

And I am reminded of the titleless poems
of our own day, those two sleek syllables:
"untitled," as if the poem were too good
for a name, as if it were already
leaving the station of language
and heading straightaway into the vast,
anonymous landscapes of the future.

Here, Collins seems to be suggesting that modern poetry has become too self-important to bother with titles. Rather than using titles as a tool to convey meaning and set expectations, modern poets seem to see their work as too complex or too profound to be captured by a few simple words.

Conclusion

In "I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles," Billy Collins celebrates the power of poetry to evoke complex emotions and ideas through the use of clear and evocative titles. He contrasts the rich imagery of the titles of Chinese poems from the Sung Dynasty with the often mundane titles of modern poetry, suggesting that contemporary poets have lost the ability to craft titles that are both beautiful and effective. Through his celebration of the power of titles, Collins reminds us that language is a powerful tool for communication, and that the right combination of words can capture the essence of a complex idea or emotion.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

As a lover of poetry, I was immediately drawn to Billy Collins' poem "I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles" from his collection "Poetry Reading An Anthology Of Chinese Poems Of The Sung Dynasty". The title alone is enough to pique one's interest, and the poem itself does not disappoint.

Collins begins by describing the titles of the Chinese poems from the Sung Dynasty, marveling at their length and clarity. He notes that the titles are often longer than the poems themselves, and yet they manage to capture the essence of the poem in just a few words. He muses that perhaps the poets of the Sung Dynasty were paid by the word, or that they simply enjoyed the challenge of crafting a title that could stand on its own.

The poem then takes a turn, as Collins admits that he is envious of the clarity and precision of the Chinese titles. He laments that in the Western tradition, titles are often vague or overly abstract, leaving the reader unsure of what to expect from the poem. He cites examples such as "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot or "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", which give little indication of what the poem is actually about.

Collins goes on to suggest that perhaps the Western tradition values ambiguity and complexity over clarity and simplicity. He notes that in the Chinese tradition, poetry is often used to convey a specific message or emotion, whereas in the West, poetry is often seen as a means of exploring the mysteries of the human experience.

Despite his envy of the Chinese titles, Collins ultimately concludes that he would not want to give up the ambiguity and complexity of Western poetry. He acknowledges that there is something thrilling about the challenge of deciphering a poem that is not immediately clear, and that the process of interpretation can be just as rewarding as the poem itself.

Overall, "I Pause To Admire The Length And Clarity Of Their Titles" is a thought-provoking and engaging poem that raises interesting questions about the nature of poetry and the differences between Eastern and Western traditions. Collins' writing is witty and insightful, and his love of poetry shines through in every line. As a reader, I found myself nodding along in agreement with his observations, and I came away with a renewed appreciation for the art of poetry.

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