'Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look' by Delmore Schwartz
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When from the watercolored window idly you look
Each is but and clear to see, not steep:
So does the neat print in an actual book
Marching as if to true conclusion, reap
The illimitable blue immensely overhead,
The night of the living and the day of the dead.
I drive in an auto all night long to reach
The apple which has sewed the sunlight up:
My simple self is nothing but the speech
Pleading for the overflow of that great cup,
The darkened body, the mind still as a frieze:
All else is merely means as complex as disease!
Editor 1 Interpretation
Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look by Delmore Schwartz: A Literary Criticism
Are you a fan of poetry that explores the human condition? If so, then Delmore Schwartz's "Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" may be just the poem for you. This classic poem delves into the complexities of human relationships and the struggle to find meaning in life. In this literary criticism, we'll explore the themes and imagery present in this poem and take a closer look at what makes it such a powerful piece of literature.
Overview
"Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" was first published in 1938 in the poetry collection "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities." The poem is written in free verse, with no rhyme or meter. It consists of five stanzas, each with a different number of lines. The poem's title suggests that the speaker is looking out of a window and observing the world outside, but it quickly becomes apparent that the poem is more concerned with the speaker's internal world than the external one.
Themes
One of the main themes of this poem is the struggle to find meaning in life. The speaker seems to be searching for something, but he's not sure what it is. He's "tired of love" and "tired of serious faces." He's looking for something more, something that will give his life purpose. This theme is echoed in the final stanza of the poem, where the speaker says that he's "lonely for a reason."
Another theme of the poem is the complexity of human relationships. The speaker seems to be both fascinated and frustrated by the people around him. He sees them as "ridiculous," yet he also longs for their company. He's "tired of love," but he can't seem to stay away from it. This theme is explored in the third stanza, where the speaker describes a scene with a couple in a car. The couple is arguing, but the speaker can't help but feel envious of their passion.
Finally, the poem touches on the idea of perception. The title of the poem suggests that the speaker is looking out of a watercolored window, which implies that the world outside is distorted or unclear. This idea is reinforced in the second stanza, where the speaker says that "the world is blurred." The poem suggests that our perception of the world is subjective and that we all see things differently.
Imagery
The imagery in "Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" is both vivid and surreal. The poem is full of dreamlike images that are both beautiful and unsettling. For example, in the first stanza, the speaker describes "a thousand butterflies / On an ancient tapestry." This image is both delicate and haunting, suggesting the fleeting nature of beauty.
In the second stanza, the speaker describes "a rainbow spider," which is a surreal and unsettling image. The spider is "trapped in the web," which suggests that the speaker feels trapped in his own life.
The third stanza is perhaps the most vivid and surreal of all. The speaker describes a scene with a couple in a car, but the imagery is distorted and dreamlike. The car is "slowly tumbling" and the headlights are "two mournful tears." These images suggest a sense of sadness and despair.
Interpretation
So what does it all mean? "Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" is a poem about the human condition. It's about the struggle to find meaning in life, the complexity of human relationships, and the subjective nature of perception.
The speaker of the poem is searching for something, but he's not sure what it is. He's tired of love and serious faces, but he can't seem to find anything that will give his life purpose. He's lonely, but he's not sure why. The poem suggests that this is a universal human experience. We all feel lost and alone at times, and we all struggle to find meaning in our lives.
The poem also explores the complexity of human relationships. The speaker sees the people around him as both ridiculous and fascinating. He's drawn to them, but he's also frustrated by them. This is another universal human experience. We all have relationships that are both beautiful and difficult.
Finally, the poem touches on the idea of perception. The title of the poem suggests that the world outside is distorted or unclear. This idea is reinforced by the surreal imagery in the poem. The poem suggests that our perception of the world is subjective and that we all see things differently.
Conclusion
"Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem. It explores the complexities of the human condition in a way that is both vivid and surreal. The poem's themes of loneliness, the search for meaning, and the complexity of human relationships are universal and timeless. The poem is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the essence of the human experience.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look: A Masterpiece of Imagery and Emotion
Delmore Schwartz, the American poet, novelist, and essayist, is known for his unique style of writing that blends the personal and the universal, the mundane and the profound. His poem "Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" is a prime example of his poetic genius, as it captures the essence of human experience through vivid imagery and emotional depth.
The poem begins with a simple scene: a person looking out of a watercolored window. But as the poem progresses, the window becomes a metaphor for the human condition, and the speaker's observations become a reflection on life itself.
The first stanza sets the tone for the poem, with its dreamlike quality and sense of longing:
Out of the watercolored window And into the stiffening yard The leaves hang, orange and yellow, Copper and brown and maroon.
The use of the word "watercolored" immediately creates a sense of fragility and transience, as if the scene is not quite real. The leaves, too, are described in terms of their colors, rather than their shape or texture, emphasizing their beauty and impermanence.
The second stanza introduces the speaker's sense of isolation and longing:
They fall incessantly And never touch the ground. It is nothing but a play With the seasons all year round.
The leaves, like the speaker, are caught in a perpetual cycle of change and decay. They never touch the ground, suggesting that they are suspended in mid-air, just as the speaker feels suspended in his own life. The reference to "a play" suggests that life is a kind of performance, with the seasons as the actors.
The third stanza introduces the theme of mortality:
In the middle of the picture The lonely child stands, With a wind in his hair And a gun in his hands.
The child, like the leaves, is caught in a moment of transition, between childhood and adulthood. The wind in his hair suggests the passage of time, while the gun in his hands suggests the inevitability of death. The child is "lonely," suggesting that he is aware of his own mortality and the transience of life.
The fourth stanza brings the poem to its emotional climax:
Take a deep breath, turn around To the window and look out To the other window across the yard, And cry silently without a shout.
The speaker exhorts the reader to "take a deep breath" and confront the reality of life, to look out of the window and see the world as it really is. The reference to "the other window across the yard" suggests that there is another perspective, another way of seeing the world. The final line, "and cry silently without a shout," suggests that the speaker is overwhelmed by the beauty and sadness of life, and that the only response is to weep in silence.
The poem ends with a sense of resignation and acceptance:
For life is a performance, And we are the actors all, And when the play is over, We are but leaves that fall.
The final stanza brings the poem full circle, returning to the image of the leaves falling. The reference to "life is a performance" reinforces the idea that life is a kind of play, with all of us as actors. The final line, "we are but leaves that fall," suggests that we are all subject to the same fate, that we are all mortal and impermanent.
In conclusion, "Out Of The Watercolored Window, When You Look" is a masterpiece of imagery and emotion. Through its vivid descriptions and powerful metaphors, it captures the essence of human experience, from the beauty and transience of life to the inevitability of death. Delmore Schwartz's poetic genius shines through in every line, making this poem a timeless classic that speaks to us all.
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