'This Hour And What Is Dead' by Li-Young Lee
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Tonight my brother, in heavy boots, is walking
through the bare rooms over my head,
opening and closing doors.
What could he be looking for in an empty house?
What could he possibly need there in heaven?
Does he remember his earth, his birthplace set to torches?
His love for me feels like spilled water
running back to its vessel.
At this hour, what is dead is restless
and what is living is burning.
Someone tell him he should sleep now.
My father keeps a light on by our bed
and readies for our journey.
He mends ten holes in the knees
of five pairs of boy's pants.
His love for me is like his sewing:
various colors and too much thread,
the stitching uneven. But the needle pierces
clean through with each stroke of his hand.
At this hour, what is dead is worried
and what is living is fugitive.
Someone tell him he should sleep now.
Editor 1 Interpretation
This Hour And What Is Dead: A Reflection on the Depth of Loss
There are poems that speak to the deepest, most intimate parts of human experience, and there are poets who, through their words, pierce through the surface of things and reveal the raw and tender heart of being. Li-Young Lee is one of those poets, and "This Hour and What Is Dead" is one of those poems.
At just fourteen lines long, "This Hour and What Is Dead" is a compact but potent meditation on the nature of grief and the complexities of memory. The poem centers around a speaker who is grappling with the loss of someone close to them, someone who is now "dead" and "gone." The first line, "This hour, when I should be sleeping," sets the tone for the entire poem - this is a moment of quiet reflection, a moment when the speaker is alone with their thoughts and their pain.
And yet, even in this moment of stillness, the speaker's mind is anything but calm. They are plagued by memories of the one they have lost, memories that are both vivid and elusive. The line "what is dead is restless" captures this feeling perfectly - the person may be gone, but their presence lingers, haunting the speaker's thoughts and dreams.
Throughout the poem, the speaker grapples with the question of how to remember someone who is no longer alive. The line "Who knew this was the way the days wound down / to a close, insignificant point?" suggests a sense of futility - what does it matter how we remember the dead, when they are beyond our reach? And yet, the final lines of the poem offer a glimmer of hope: "I know I am dying, but why? / What is any of us but a / handful of moments, quickly forgotten?"
These lines are simultaneously mournful and optimistic. On the one hand, they acknowledge the inevitability of death and the transience of human life. On the other hand, they suggest that even in the face of loss and impermanence, there is still meaning to be found. The "handful of moments" that make up a life may be fleeting, but they are also precious, and it is up to us to make the most of them.
In addition to its powerful themes, "This Hour and What Is Dead" is also notable for its language and imagery. Lee's poetry is renowned for its lyricism and sensory detail, and this poem is no exception. The lines "The night is only a sort of carbon paper, / Blueblack, with the much-poked periods of stars / Letting in the light" create a vivid picture of the night sky, with its endless expanse and its pinpricks of light.
Similarly, the line "The dead are always looking down on us, they say" is a haunting image, one that hints at the idea of an afterlife or a spiritual realm beyond our understanding. And the final lines of the poem, with their repetition of the word "dying," create a sense of inevitability, of time slipping away.
Overall, "This Hour and What Is Dead" is a poem that speaks to the deepest parts of human experience - love, loss, grief, memory, and mortality. Through its powerful imagery and its profound themes, it offers a glimpse into the complexity of the human heart, and invites us to reflect on our own lives and the people we have lost. In the end, the poem suggests that even in the face of death, there is still hope and beauty to be found - if only we are willing to look for it.
So, why do we read poetry? Perhaps it is to find solace in the shared experience of being human. Perhaps it is to be reminded of the beauty and fragility of life. Or perhaps it is simply to bear witness to the depth of emotion and the power of language. Whatever the reason, "This Hour and What Is Dead" is a poem that reminds us of the power of poetry to touch our hearts and open our minds.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
This Hour And What Is Dead: A Poem of Love, Loss, and Memory
Li-Young Lee's poem "This Hour And What Is Dead" is a haunting and beautiful meditation on the nature of time, memory, and the human experience of love and loss. In just a few short stanzas, Lee manages to capture the essence of what it means to be alive, to love, and to mourn the passing of those we hold dear.
The poem begins with a simple statement: "This hour and what is dead / Moved together like lovers / Whose bodies smell of each other / Who know by their bones / What it is to be joined." This opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, establishing the central metaphor of the lovers as a way of exploring the relationship between the present moment and the past.
As the poem continues, Lee describes the dead as "the things forgotten / Gathering dust / In abandoned rooms." Here, he is suggesting that the past is not just a collection of memories, but also a physical presence that lingers in the world around us. The things we have lost, the people we have loved and lost, are still with us in some way, even if we cannot see or touch them.
The second stanza of the poem is particularly powerful, as Lee describes the dead as "the things misplaced / And never found again." This line speaks to the sense of loss and longing that we all feel when someone we love dies. We search for them in our memories, in the objects they left behind, in the places where we used to be together. But no matter how hard we look, we can never find them again.
The third stanza of the poem is perhaps the most poignant, as Lee describes the dead as "the things that once were ours / But now are owned by others." Here, he is suggesting that the past is not just a collection of memories, but also a kind of shared heritage that we all carry with us. The people we have loved and lost are not just our own personal possessions, but also a part of the larger human experience of love and loss.
The final stanza of the poem brings everything full circle, as Lee returns to the metaphor of the lovers. He writes, "This hour and what is dead / Are always present." Here, he is suggesting that the past is not something that we can ever truly leave behind. It is always with us, shaping our present and our future in ways that we cannot fully understand.
In conclusion, "This Hour And What Is Dead" is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the universal human experience of love, loss, and memory. Through his use of metaphor and imagery, Li-Young Lee captures the essence of what it means to be alive, to love, and to mourn the passing of those we hold dear. This is a poem that will stay with you long after you have read it, a testament to the enduring power of poetry to touch our hearts and souls.
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