'The Errand' by Anne Sexton
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I've been going right on, page by page,
since we last kissed, two long dolls in a cage,
two hunger-mongers throwing a myth in and out,
double-crossing out lives with doubt,
leaving us separate now, fogy with rage.
But then I've told my readers what I think
and scrubbed out the remainder with my shrink,
have placed my bones in a jar as if possessed,
have pasted a black wing over my left breast,
have washed the white out of the moon at my sink,
have eaten The Cross, have digested its lore,
indeed, have loved that eggless man once more,
have placed my own head in the kettle because
in the end death won't settle for my hypochondrias,
because this errand we're on goes to one store.
That shopkeeper may put up barricades,
and he may advertise cognac and razor blades,
he may let you dally at Nice or the Tuileries,
he may let the state of our bowels have ascendancy,
he may let such as we flaunt our escapades,
swallow down our portion of whisky and dex,
salvage the day with some soup or some sex,
juggle our teabags as we inch down the hall,
let the blood out of our fires with phenobarbital,
lick the headlines for Starkweathers and Specks,
let us be folk of the literary set,
let us deceive with words the critics regret,
let us dog down the streets for each invitation,
typing out our lives like a Singer sewing sublimation,
letting our delicate bottoms settle and yet
they were spanked alive by some doctor of folly,
given a horn or a dish to get by with, by golly,
exploding with blood in this errand called life,
dumb with snow and elbows, rubber man, a mother wife,
tongues to waggle out of the words, mistletoe and holly,
tables to place our stones on, decades of disguises,
wntil the shopkeeper plants his boot in our eyes,
and unties our bone and is finished with the case,
and turns to the next customer, forgetting our face
or how we knelt at the yellow bulb with sighs
like moth wings for a short while in a small place.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Errand by Anne Sexton: A Masterpiece of Poetic Artistry
When it comes to exploring the depths of human experience and emotion, few poets can match the skill and insight of Anne Sexton. Her work has been hailed as some of the most powerful and poignant of the 20th century, and one of her most striking poems is undoubtedly "The Errand." In this piece, Sexton delves into the complex themes of love, loss, and the human condition with a depth and nuance that is both breathtaking and haunting.
Overview
At its core, "The Errand" is a poem about the pain of losing someone we love. The speaker begins by describing a journey she has taken to deliver a message to someone, but as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that this message is a final one – a goodbye to a lover who has died. Through the use of vivid and evocative imagery, Sexton paints a portrait of a woman consumed by grief and struggling to come to terms with her loss.
Analysis
One of the most striking aspects of "The Errand" is the way Sexton uses language to create a vivid, almost cinematic atmosphere. From the opening lines, we are transported into a world of vivid colors and sensations:
I have gone out, a possessed witch,
haunting the black air, braver at night;
dreaming evil, I have done my hitch
over the plain houses, light by light:
lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.
Here, we can almost feel the night air on our skin, hear the sound of the speaker's footsteps on the pavement. Sexton's use of color – "black air," "plain houses, light by light" – creates an atmosphere that is both eerie and beautiful, drawing us into the speaker's world and setting the stage for the emotions to come.
As the poem continues, we are drawn deeper into the speaker's sense of grief and loss. She describes her lover's death in harrowing detail:
The night keeps staring at me
with its glass eye.
I am a light on a hill,
a possession, a piece of history.
Here, Sexton uses powerful metaphors to convey the speaker's sense of isolation and despair. She is a "light on a hill," a solitary figure standing out against the darkness. Her lover's death has turned her into a "possession," something owned and controlled by the past. The use of the word "history" is particularly poignant – it suggests that the speaker's grief is not just personal, but part of a larger, ongoing narrative of human suffering and loss.
Throughout the poem, Sexton uses vivid sensory imagery to convey the intensity of the speaker's emotions. We can feel the "glass eye" of the night staring at us, taste the "salt of the apple," and hear the "squeal of rats" as they scurry through the walls. These details create a visceral sense of the speaker's pain and create a haunting, almost surreal atmosphere.
At the same time, Sexton uses language to convey a sense of transcendence and beauty. The final lines of the poem are particularly powerful:
I have come to a still, but not a deep center,
a point outside the glittering current;
my eyes stare at the bottom of a river,
at the irregular stones, iridescent sandgrains,
my mind moves in more than one place,
in a country half-land, half-water.
Here, the speaker describes a sense of detachment from the world around her – a feeling of being outside the "glittering current" of life. But this detachment is not purely negative – she is still capable of appreciating the beauty of the natural world, of finding wonder in the "iridescent sandgrains" and the "country half-land, half-water." This sense of beauty and transcendence offers a glimmer of hope amidst the overwhelming pain of loss.
Interpretation
Ultimately, "The Errand" is a poem about the human experience of grief and loss. Sexton captures the intensity of these emotions with a clarity and precision that is both devastating and beautiful. The use of vivid, sensory imagery creates a haunting atmosphere that draws us into the speaker's world, while the metaphors of possession and history convey a sense of the magnitude and universality of human suffering.
At the same time, Sexton's use of language offers a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. The final lines of the poem suggest that even in the midst of grief, we can find beauty and transcendence in the natural world. This is a message of resilience and strength, reminding us that even in the face of the most profound loss, we can find reasons to keep going.
Conclusion
In "The Errand," Anne Sexton offers a masterful exploration of the human experience of grief and loss. Through the use of vivid, sensory language and powerful metaphors, she creates a haunting portrait of a woman consumed by sadness and struggling to come to terms with her loss. But even amidst the darkness, Sexton offers a glimmer of hope and beauty, reminding us of the resilience of the human spirit. This is a poem that lingers in the mind long after the final lines have been read, a testament to the power of poetry to capture the full range of human experience.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Errand: A Poem of Life and Death
Anne Sexton's "The Errand" is a hauntingly beautiful poem that explores the themes of life and death, love and loss, and the human condition. Written in Sexton's signature confessional style, the poem is a deeply personal reflection on the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
The poem begins with the speaker receiving an "errand" from a "dead man" who has come to her in a dream. The dead man tells her to "go to the limits of your longing" and to "embrace the world as it is." The speaker is hesitant at first, but eventually agrees to carry out the errand.
As she sets out on her journey, the speaker encounters a series of vivid and surreal images that reflect the beauty and brutality of life. She sees a "woman with a baby in her arms" who is "weeping over a wounded dog," a "man with a broken leg" who is "crawling through the snow," and a "girl with a broken heart" who is "sitting by the roadside."
Each of these images represents a different aspect of the human experience, from the joys of motherhood to the pain of loss and heartbreak. The speaker is moved by these scenes and feels a deep sense of empathy for the people she encounters.
As she continues on her journey, the speaker begins to feel the weight of her own mortality. She realizes that she too will one day be "a dead woman" and that her time on earth is limited. This realization fills her with a sense of urgency and she becomes determined to make the most of her life while she still can.
In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker returns to the dead man who gave her the errand. She tells him that she has completed the task and asks him what she should do next. The dead man responds by telling her to "live in the world as it is" and to "love the things mortal." The poem ends with the speaker embracing the dead man and feeling a sense of peace and acceptance.
At its core, "The Errand" is a poem about the human experience and the struggle to find meaning in a world that is often cruel and unpredictable. Sexton's use of vivid imagery and confessional language creates a powerful emotional impact that resonates with readers long after they have finished reading the poem.
One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its exploration of the theme of mortality. The speaker's realization that she too will one day die is a universal experience that many readers can relate to. This realization is both terrifying and liberating, as it forces the speaker to confront the reality of her own mortality and to make the most of the time she has left.
Another important theme in the poem is the idea of embracing life as it is. The dead man's advice to "embrace the world as it is" is a reminder that life is not always easy or fair, but that it is still worth living. The speaker's encounters with the wounded dog, the man with the broken leg, and the girl with the broken heart are all reminders that life is full of pain and suffering, but that it is also full of beauty and joy.
The poem also explores the theme of love and connection. The speaker's empathy for the people she encounters on her journey is a reminder that we are all connected and that our actions have an impact on those around us. The dead man's advice to "love the things mortal" is a reminder that our time on earth is limited and that we should cherish the people and experiences that make life worth living.
Overall, "The Errand" is a powerful and moving poem that explores the complexities of the human experience. Sexton's use of vivid imagery and confessional language creates a deeply emotional impact that resonates with readers long after they have finished reading the poem. The poem is a reminder that life is both beautiful and brutal, and that it is up to us to make the most of the time we have left.
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