Donald Hall's Poetry. The Iowa Review. Ralph J. Mills Jr. Volume 2 Issue 1 Winter. Article 31

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1 Iow Review Volume 2 Issue 1 Wter Article Donld Hll's Poetry Rlph J. Mills Jr. Follow this dditionl works t: Prt Cretive Writg Commons Recommended Cittion Mills, Rlph J. Jr.. "Donld Hll's Poetry." Iow Review 2.1 (1971): Web. Avilble t: This Contents is brought you for free open ccess by Iow Reserch Onle. It hs been ccepted for clusion Iow Review by n uthorized dmistrr Iow Reserch Onle. For more formtion, plese contct lib-ir@uiow.edu.

2 Donld Hll's Poetry Rlph J. Mills, Jr. "I wke sleep, tke my wkg slow"?odore Roethke "Je ferme les yeux simplement/pour mieux voir"?philippe Soupult recent ppernce Alligr Bride; volume new selected s, provides good occsion for lookg t development Donld Hll's writg, where his work begn importnt ltertions it hs subsequently undergone. Of ic genertion 1950's Hll is one most ter estg fluentil figures. As n edir, nthologist, sometime critic, he hs helped shpe sense current ic hisry, its multiple ides ims, he hs been n open proponent plurlism contemporry ry opposed estblished criticl ories dogms. Nowhere does he declre his ttitudes more clerly succctly thn dmirble troduction his nthology Contemporry Americn Poetry (1962). re he strts by notg grdul downfll New Criticism s "orthodoxy" domtg Amer icn ry from " ," n rightly observes tht "typiclly modern rtist hs llowed be his considertion. He hs cted nothg beyond s if restlessness were conviction hs his own order destroyed pst crete future. He hs sid himself, like " policemn vgrnt, 'Keep movg.' For present purposes I should like shift ttention from generl pplicbility this sttement regrd it sted s perfectly suitble Hll's own creer s. Indeed, he hs, his own life writg, certly imgtion feelg which lies behd it, chrted kd course he detects work mny his course tht dems t contemporries, some crucil juncture rdiclly decisive gestures, destruction "pst order crete future." Tht Hll's cse pst becomes evident his quite first two collections, Exiles Mrriges (1955) Drk Houses (1958), though ltter revels tngible growth desire for chnge. itil book, however, shows how closely he dhered n previlg require ments? his own words?"symmetry, tellect, irony, wit" derived from Eliot's criticism thought prctice vrious modern critics. In re cent unpublished lecture, Inwrd Muse, Hll remrks tht he "grew up thick new critcism" s he worked on his erly s "could some times her voice Mr. Rnsom" (whom he did not know) remdg him 82 University Iow is collbortg with JSTOR digitize, preserve, extend ccess Iow Review

3 be ppropritely ironic; he dds tht "it ok ten yers rid get tht voice."* Doubtless, or Hll's hve known sme or s genertion similr In lter experiences. 1950's, however, brek with criticl es tblishment begn, first with rrivl Gsberg Bets, but soon cme from rejections every As it qurter. ppers now, this movement hs de livered ry bck hs s. Hll's erly s, which he rets wisely only few? se revised? usully Alligr Bride, re not wholly devoid terest, es sce reder cn m some res pecilly glimpse experience most cert mes his work. But one mengful persistg cn dismiss without s Hll regret, does, slick, witty such s " pieces Lone "A Rnger," Novelist," "Conduct Work," "Apology," "Syllbles Smll Fig Tree," "Some Oddities," "Crol," "Cops Robbers," "Nefs Tnger e," "Six Poets Serch Lwyer," "Lycnthropy Revisited," cludg long "Exile" (wner Newdigte Prize t Oxford), which lter re ppers, only reduced from one hundred five les, vrious ors. For ml skills, dexterity, irony, re ll on view telligence here, with oc long csionl echoes menrs, but best one cn sy for se s is tht y exhibit gift for knowledgeble, polished versifyg; dy y seem dted very slight. More cn be mustered support for severl or s which must hve from sources emerged deeper, uch correspondgly, pro found, sensitive truly chords reder. Some se re feelg s New where Hll summers on Hmpshire, spent his frm from grprents' time he ws smll nnul boy. visits, frm lbors, his love for his grprents complex ttchment slowly dyg wy life y knew mteril for few provide quite s his first book fter. It is lso structive, s well s red fe plesurble, prose memoirs se frm experiences, published 1961 s Strg Too Short To Be Sved; from this book bckground mny detils such s movg "Elegy for Wesley Wells" (his become cler. Tht grfr) "Old Home m Dy"?both shortened revised?re best New erly Hmp shire pieces ones only Hll hs In first version slvged. "Elegy" lost somethg its force through lengthess; its present form it is still long, but ded frmer, his pst, hisry region he hbited hve become more timtely vitlly relted. We relize soon fter 's begng tht Hll is writg from Engl; his distnce from his home country not creses sense only loss but fers perspective exile which his vision conurs Wells' life shrpens Wesley heri tnce, flly confirmg his solidrity with it. openg effectively renders * I m gretly debted Mr. Hll for me use llowg unpublished lecture brodcst mterils, for me see permittg mnuscript version his new book. Yellow Room Love Poems. 83 Criticism

4 bsence tmosphere scended upon frm: deprivtion deth cretes which hs now de Agst clpbords wdow pnes loud Mrch whes with r hevy wd, In drk New Hmpshire where his widow wkes. She cnnot sleep. fmilir length is gone. I thk cross clmorous Atlntic To where frm lies hrd gst foot Of Rgged Mount, underneth Kersrge. I his nme se. spek gst betg His dogs will whimper through webby brn, Where close his ols spiders ple guze And wit for flies. nervous woodchuck now Will wddle plumply through world weeds Etg wild pes s if he owned l, And ft hedgehog rob pple trees. When next Ocber's frosts hrden ground And fsten yer's ctstrophe, frm will lie like driftwood, frmer ded, deep his crved erth. Followg this pssge, Hll shifts hisricl considertions, richness this region before Civil Wr, which "ok f hired men" who cultivted fields, so tht time se ls returned ir origl stte "thick with shy pe." contues by recountg stedily worsen g fortunes hbitnts?those who remed? through bizrre, n boned rilrod disturbg imge locomotive evokes deprture progress prosperity. (A more detiled description this enge its settg occur Strg Too Short To Be Sved. ) : forest Deep now, hlf-covered up, reddened trck n boned rilrod Heved frosts, roots tll pes; A locomotive sod Like strnge rock, red s fllen needles. Recllg dily sesonl routes frm tht formed bsis for his existence for so grfr's mny yers, chieves n essentil, durble mn be reted one picture memory, which corportes honesty, stbility, unobtrusive heroism tht life: I number out virtues tht re ded, his Rememberg st, consistent voice, His gentleness, most, bone tht showed ech deliberte word. 84

5 shows Hll 's closg portion keepg solitry "on vigil Engl's crowded shore" tht his ties re relizg tht fr f "plce people" " drk New he ends his Hmpshire"; envisgg grfr's body crried cemetery for buril. "I cnnot see wtch on my wrist/without tht I m knowg dy Hll writes g," from his second collection, Drk Houses; tht cute sensitivity time t mortlity, cquired prt lest from his New constnt element his work. Hmpshire experiences, develops most ccomplished erly s seem possessed by timtions deth, loss, isoltion, In guilt. shortened, version "Old Home rerrnged Dy" itil stnz blends imges mn lscpe condition generl decy: Under eyeless, strg lid, And pucker mouth, Gullied hyfields cve ger And crumble August drouth. And from lengthy, rr tedious origl text "Exile," once four pges, Hll hs extrcted wht were three prenticl couplets set middle different stnzs mke brief yet highly suggestive summries personl dilemms. Ech stnz designtes reltionship vlued by which hs now been violted, eir through deth, through 's own be tryl, or through chngg circumstnces tht fluence n dividul's life. None violtions is elborted much detil; sted simplicity ln guge stimultes reder's him description imgtion, permittg tese out discover similrities his own possibilities experience. fl while it moment reliztion couplet, depicts prticulr knowledge, tht person grows wy even from his roots tht he will return deepest plce his origs only fd it lien strnge becuse he hs himself ltered, should not be undersod merely s third stnce perplexg loss. For if we view three stnzs sequence we cert comprehend kd movement. In first couplet deth deprives good friend, still his boyhood; second, most complex, he breks f reltion ship with girl while he yet loves her?out wht hidden motives we re not sure? suffers period remorse, n dismisses cident from conscious ness, it hs not vnished sce he must clude it t center though obviously (this experience turns up elsewhere Hll's erly ry); flly, concludg stnz, he visits his thks it hs com birthplce chnged pletely. Wht ppers primry importnce, I believe, is tht ll se events cuse ltertions, lst with its couplet rhyme grew/new emphsizes contuity chnge ech life. exile title denotes n unvoidble, recurrent spect existence: time deth exile us, we even exile ourselves from ors, we yet mture grow from such experiences, lwys impelled forwrd by promise wht is yet come. Loss, n, cretes possibility g, so, this light, third slides couplet mbiguously between estrngement potentility: 85 Criticism

6 A boy who plyed tlked red with me Fell from tree. mple I loved her, but I ld her I did not, And wept, n forgot. I wlked streets where I ws born And ll streets were new. grew, "Weddg Prty," Hll uses beg both Exiles Mr riges Alligr Bride (though shorter, improved form ltter volume), tkes up this me erosion trets it temporl chnge fntstic slightly mnner, s irrtionl especilly elements re llowed domte new, condensed version with its tl bonment verisimili tude. At very strt vision dicttes imgtive order detils, which re not s we for given might expect, focus flls t once upon somewht omi nous figures rr thn bridl couple: pock-mrked plyer ccordion Empties fills his squeeze box corner, K mn ty who pours chmpgne, K cterer. se solemn men, Amid sounds silk poppg corks, St like pillrs. This odd group, rulg over occsion s it turns out, mutes qulifies conventionl giety from outset. bride ppers fter se men, lst le hlf stnz, bizrre nlogy Virg or some or femle st crried effigy by religious procession through throng wor shippers : And white bride Moves through crowd s chired relic moves. "chired Certly, relic" duces phrse feelg strngeness ides lso?quite importntly?first implies time, deth so gg, centrl climctic vision. With end 's itil stnz, n, s unplesnt expecttions, though yet defite, hve been estblished. In his origl version Hll cluded middle stnz which identified 's speker s vited t lst guest moment, "friend bride's rejected suir," dded furr unnecessry filler, fished with "summer twilight" thret n srm. This stnz pprochg merely curious tmo dissipted sphere generted by one mde concessions precedg ordress or which normlcy reder, tent ujn irrelity sitution, couldn't cre bout less. Now, with such externls removed, lst stnz immeditely picks up mgnifies disquietg detils. ccordionist suddenly s sumes gigntic, terrifyg proportions god or fte presidg over se ceremonies; under his s if n spell, hlluction, bride's mrrige future life re s envisged lredy trnsformed few fded completed, memories,, by impliction, nerg deth. (It is perhps worth notg tht 86

7 neir version is groom mentioned.) srm which breks, no longer relted thunder shower omitted stnz, thus cn be undersod s metphoriclly tempest time strikg bride, I believe, her guests s well, ir rvgg lives, while bove m looms his ccordionist-god, strument directg rhythms existence, ir out lungs: Now ll t once pock-mrked plyer grows Immense terrible beside bride Whose wirs rd mrrige yers And curlg phogrphs dry box; And srm tht hurls upon room Above crowd he holds his brethg box Tht only empties, fills, empties, fills. In Drk Houses Hll's work develops long les similr those distguishg better pieces his first book; re re fewer s tht seem ll skill fncy, more tht try rech those conceled roots ex on which thrives. Once s perience imgtion with most g, superior s from Exiles re is n Mrriges, obvious concern with deth, time's pssge, with missed for opportunities full existence. In "Christms Eve Whitney ville," n for his elegy fr, revels n cisive socil wreness which drws ironic pictures middle clss isoltionism on this fest dy; ech fmily is locked its home s if it were cell: Ech cr is put wy ech grge; Ech husb home from work, celebrte, Hs closed his house round him like cge, And wedged tree until tree sod stright. Hll summrize his fr's busess proceeds creer, how fter success he could fford trips Europe where, unble forget work, he "ok time thk how yerly gs,/prit volume mde busess grow." Now, dyg t erly fifty-two, he hs cquired money but hs seen little life or world; his comment, reclled by, discloses mbivlence he feels regret wrd close his ftl illness : " thgs you hd miss," you sid lst week, "Or thought you hd, tke your breth wy." You propped yourself on pillows, where your cheek Ws hollow, stubbled lightly with new gry. on Reflectg this devotion cquisitiveness, Hll comes g imge enclosure; house which resembled becomes "cge" synonymous with mode livg tht is itself form imprisonment. looks elsewhere for libertion rewrd: This love is jil; nor sets us free. Without nger but mood determtion, Hll leves his fr buried 87 Criticism

8 mong who still people pursue sme ends he hs for rejected; it is moment frewell serch deprture different, more bundnt existence. drkness lks wn's imgery hbitnts with sleepg ded who lie its cemetery: different wys ll m re denied life: lights go out it is Christms Dy. snes re white, is grss blck I will go bck leve you here sty, While drk houses hrden sleep. deep; Cert or s this second collection lso exhibit socil ter ests criticism;* best se re "1934," which trets effects De New " Foundtions Americn pression Hmpshire, Industry," ironic wsted life u shrp, depiction mong workers whose frs hd l bored government projects durg 1930's; ir jobs re mechnized by ssembly le ir leisure is imless techniques, empty: In Ford plnt generrs move quickly on belts, thous now n hour. New men move belt when shift comes. For most prt men re young, go home ir Fords, drive round, or wtch TV, n sleep, wrds pydy; go work, when y wlk home y wlk on sidewlks mrked W PA 38; ir old men mde m, y wlk on ir frs. Notble here is successful entirely doption delibertely flt, convers tionl mnner, with coupled type observtion movement rhythmicl ssocited with Willim Crlos Willims, lter, Dvid One senses Ignw. * For perceptive [Robert Bly]: " discussion socil dimensions Hll's see ry, Poetry Donld Hll," Fifties, , pp "Crunk" 88

9 on ttempt Hll's prt "mke it new," Pound's look phrse, beyond forml confements most his writg up this reduce pot between mrg his mteril, or put it terms Imgists, from Pound: "Direct tretment wher g borrowg 'thg subjective or While his lter such s objective." s?with strikg exceptions "Wool worth's" "Crew-cuts" from venture res Alligr Bride?rrely socil or politicl commentry, present piece fers hts strong kd freedom, economy, directness sttement simplicity (even when re or implictions imgery strnge Hll will rrive t six oblique) yers fterwrds with A Ro Tiger Lilies (1964). A few more s Drk Houses re effective ir quite dividul wys prepre for furr chievements. se clude "Religious " Articles" (shortened, revised, clled "T Come Grden Alone' Alligr Bride), "Three Poems from Edvrd Munch," " Three Movements," on Corners" "Witg (reduced first seven sections its lter ver sion), " Presences Deth," "Reveltions, Contrdictions" ( lst two omitted from Alligr Bride). In ech se s Hll struggles wrd or seeks more tuition greter degree self-knowledge penetrtg circumstnces humn existence; he is grdully brekg wy from tht rules his conclusion superficil telligence previous writg. "Religious Articles," which visits n old church he ttended child hood thks bout ded members his fmily lmentg deprivtion loss ir lives, on urges him n gnostic, skepticl ttitude, but one which will lso force him tke up burden his own life. voices ded, he relizes, re voices he lends m; s stripped wy: "We who do not exist mke noises only you. Your illusion sys tht we who re cheted broken croon our words livg g. You must not believe nythg; you who feel cheted re croong." y spek ll pretense is And "Reveltions, Contrdictions" Hll scrutizes his tently lterntg perceptions order disorder, with frgmenttion nothgness sym metry fullness between m sts self. At beg; perceivg end he is s compelled ccept contrriety fundmentl prciple: "Thgs re ir To opposites. underst/tody's solution mkes morrow's lie." furr Pressg beyond surfces brriers flse pper nce convention with which is experience frequently msked, con fronts emptess, cruelty violence, metphysicl terror, deth Munch's three " s spired by pictures, Screm," "Mrt's Deth," " Kiss" ( lter, shortened versions re most stisfcry), "Witg on Corners." Wht Hll sys " Screm" is true for ll se s: "Existence is lid bre," it is n existence turned bck upon itself, without 89 Criticism

10 Spiritul ppel. " blood not Christ's,/blood deth without resurrection,/ wds fltly ir," Hll observes surgg bckground Munch's concludes tht this hs "not even gonized figure, picture puse,/ repose rt tht hs distnce." Distnce. It is such emotionl ex exctly perientil spcg we hve lredy seen Hll begng elimte from his ry. third origl sequence on "Witg Corners" brgs new lucidity timcy vision ber upon himself. In keepg with one m mes sequence, fishes on level psychologicl spiritul vcncy, but prior tht conclusion it enters highly re subjective speker's life, probg drmtizg vividly pulsg rhythms crisis self, n excrucitg symbolic deth rebirth psyche which leves its victim chnged but lso emptied out. In its own fshion this displys ffities with some odore Roethke's work, " Re turn," for exmple, with tense ry self-reveltion written by Anne Sexn Sylvi Plth; but it is chiefly significnt terms Hll's efforts crese depth unticity his ic experience: At lest once before my sk hs felt rough fgers pull my eyelids down, my body lid on floor like clos. I struggled gst pit like bull yrds. I tried lift myself out by willg, for I knew wht I hted most. After I died, my eyes opened fd colors s bright s knives. It ws necessry die, for few moments only give up whtever I owned, ll I might become, sight, tste, uch, smell prticulr world. re, pit, ll willg gone from me, no more n niml htred, "You" (I herd voice) "who hve lost everythg wnt nothg." 90

11 terior concentrtion o! this emotionl stresses dilemms Hll's work will soon tke. plces it s its redg prophetic o? brometer o? hidden deliberte turng fl Drk Houses is " Three Movements," les through irregulr phrsg, suggestive uncert, ef serchg forts 's md, it lso leds him wrd brk nticipted chnges his writg. volves or his ic imgtive quest replenish rt, but it cnnot be chieved simply by lookg trdition, from lerng ors: It is not books tht he is lookg, nor for new book, nor documents ny kd... lck desire for " new book" dictes, I thk, wish rech beyond restrictions literry convention; but wht he seeks is not vilble effortlessly eir, occurrg like sudden event nture:... nor does he expect it be like wd, tht, when you uch it, ters without sound like r wter tht grss becomes sun. terg, nor imge tht comes him when he envisges his gol is tht person, lert, sensitive, resolute, ttentive it is experience; difficult not see this s re-cretion figure 's self, sense which, sy, Whitmn, Yets, Rilke, or Nerud mke mselves over ir rt ssimilte more life, more relity ry. In short, Hll mke himself over order trnsform his writg; "Sce country [Americ] hs no imge must lern himself": velop imge expects when it will be He he fds it, like mn, visible, live wht hs hppened wht will hppen, with firmness its fce, seeg exctly mesure like or r wht documents, is, without chnge, grss. not recognizes or s Robert s, tht he must Bly remrks, de 91 Criticism

12 In second stnz he enterts his doubts hesittions; perhps wht he "is not/for dismissed lterntives must requires fdg," previously be s fter ll. ccepted only But lst stnz he possibilities cknowl edges tht he hs slighted " movement/tht trigues/ll thkg," process whereby covert, unconscious oblique, spects md re drwn focus; from this "movement" will emerge strtlg, unexpected imge self whose is ic identity exct, unmistkble: It is movement which works which discovers itself lleys, not sleep, expected not books words nor vrious pts scenery. It is, he sys, fmilir when come upon, glimpsed s mirror unpredicted, it ppers underst. like himself, It is only visible. through, phrses edges With wreness new resources imgtive nnounced t close " Three Movements" Hll's ry deprts from pst prctices sets out for terriries res which unexplored experience. he moves fter his own fshion re regions wrdness, preconscious, peripheries moods reverie sleep, dydrem, which is sy, wherever en ergies terior life, life imges drems rich with ssocition, wht Hll hs termed " vtic voice" cn be herd. In persist, spek this endevor he hs some remrkbly illustrious modern such s predecessors Whitmn, Rilke, Lwrence, Bren, Trkl, Desnos, Nerud, Vllejo, Elurd, Roethke, mong ors, cert his more immedite contemporries?rob ert Bly, Jmes Wright, W. S. Merw, for exmple?who begn crete ry "which," s Bly noted n terview prted Sullen Art ( 1963 ), "simply conscious tellectul structure md disregrds entirely, by use imges, tries brg forwrd nor relity from wrd experi ence." Menwhile, severl New York s, John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, lte Frnk O'Hr, closely lked with fluentil ptg vnt grde (, oddly students t Hrvrd t enough, sme time s Hll origlly were ir own Bly) mode irrtionlism surrelist tech troducg niques ry. 92

13 In vrious essys lectures Hll discusses cretive process himself work or s (see, for stnce, his troduction A Choice Whitmns Verse, 1968), he observes tht criticl tech nicl powers operte stctively upon flow imges, tuitions, de tils which md fers moments spirtion; thus he rejects, Inwrd Muse, "oreticl dulism cretion which provides mteril, criticism which it." But lter shpes lecture on Vtic Voice: Witg Listeng (prted Michign Qurterly Review, Fll 1969) he tries describe ttendnce on pssive cretivity, comg ges sudden relese, nture this expression ourselves. Hll begs by seekg fundmentl prciple: A with premise: every humn re is vtic beg voice. Vtes ws Greek word for spired brd, words To most this voice spekg god. people, speks only drem, only unremembered drem. voice my shout messges sleepg er, but t gurd horned gte prevents wkg md from It is vtic rememberg, listeng, terpretg. voice (which is not necessrily ble write good ry, or even pssble grmmr) which rushes forth words excited recognition, which supplies wht we cll And is spirtion. spirtion, brethg-, perfectly "Not expressive metphor: I, not I, but wd tht blows me!" s Lwrence through sys. Or "Ode Shelley's West Wd." We re vtic pssive voice, s cloud or tree is pssive wd. words im from fr with For deed, for ny mn, it is necessry Hll's opion her this voice, listen for it, wy from strictures or logic resong, dems noise distrction our urbnized prcticlity, society, "not only mke or s, vent new ory lguistics, but becuse it feels becuse it is becuse it us under good, helg rpeutic, helps st ourselves be ble love or Attention this voice re people." vives nimtes imgtive life, pprehension world, s Hll sys, children know, mong ors, needs rediscover if his work is chieve depth, resonnce, true A few devoted ic qulity. prgrphs Hll's personl hbits, deliberte relce on drem reverie s mens vtic voice stimultg imgtion stirrg speech (he notes tht "Two chrcteristics tht vtic voice from norml distguish discourse re tht it is lwys tht we feel it. We re origl, pssive surprised by it, we my very well, uttered its hvg words, not know wht we men") re prticulr terest for light y cst on experiences bck much ry cluded A Ro Tiger Lilies Alligr Bride. n o se disclosures my remd us, s Gsn Bchelrd remrks, how order wht comprehend hs formulted from his cretive reverie we must him it s we red. One cn likewise see resemblnces between jo dremg 93 Criticism

14 Hll's tentions vestigtion experimenttion with sleep, drems, ir imgery conducted by Andr? Bren, Robert Desnos, or Sur relists. Sometimes I hve tried keep uch with this vtic voice by lot. short cn sleepg Tkg nps be mens gret keepg chnnel open. re is tht wonderful long, delicious slide or drift down hevy ir botm sleep, which you uch for only moment, n re is more flotg up g swiftly, n credible world sometimes through imges, colors. bright I come out se fifteen or twenty mute not nps, with phrses ry, but wholly refreshed with experience losg control enterg world pprent tl freedom. I wke with gret energy. On occsion, I remember or scenes from drems? phrses eir night drems, or np drems, or wkg fntsy drems? tke se or phrses imges directly. Tht hppens, but it is not only virtue drem. Drem is spirit dyg underworld, born beg g. re is lso deliberte frmg dydrem. re is wy which cn you but lso observe dydrem quite loosely, yourself. You wtch strnge ssocitions, movements. se ssoci tions re tell us ssocition is frequently tryg somethg. re for some reson. Listen. When lwys you hum tune, re member words tht go with tune you will usully her some prt your md on nor commentg prt your md, or on some recent ction. re is I wnt cll somethg peripherl vision, I don't men If nythg opticl. you tlk bout drem with n nlyst, re is n old bttered tble drem tht you csully mention, he my well sy, "Wht bout this tble? Wht did it look like?" Often se little detils re so When I m importnt. listeng somethg out pssively spekg me, I don't ttempt choose wht is most importnt, I try listen ll it. I never know wht is gog be most importnt messge until I hve lived with it for while. Very frequently, rel subject mtter is somethg only glimpsed, s it were out corner eye. Often ssocition which t first glnce ppers crzy irrelevnt ultimtely leds un derstg, tells wht we did not know before. With se observtions Hll's before us we cn better underst nture tht "movement" md ct m discoverg terils. And se mterils, whose sources lie subterrnen levels self, when gred shped fl form completed, will result ry drem wrd vision, kd surrelism lredy 94

15 fmilir modern Lt Americn Europen literture, "ultimtely ry md ll men deep shre," Hll's words bout Whitmn. Emphsis, n, shifts from outside or externl techniques verse-mkg, spects, or "spirit" vision, force with relt nimtg his g imges. Obviously, this does not men tht forml considertions re dispensed with one lger; still fds Hll employg vrious prosodie de vices; but is generl tendency wrd greter looseness or openness form, wy from imbics rhymg. strength such ry depends con siderble degree on phrsg, rhythm movement les s both musicl units with imgtive whole, s well s on diction, imgery, or tensity unticity vision. Its im is flly, prdoxicl phrse, wken reder drems, which is sy, turn him wy from super ficilities tht consume his outwrd existence dicte immense hidden reservoirs life with him. Poetry this order rehbilittes powers imgtion, dremg on world, my even be sid revive sense scred, s it certly does some s Hll's, Merw's, Bly's, Dick ey's, Wright's, though re is no specificlly orthodox ologicl frmework volved. mysterious rnge ic possibilities disclosed Hll through this trnsformtion his rt is best described, however, by himself briefly but evoctively " Poem," plced first section A Ro Tiger Lilies: It discovers by night wht dy hid from it. Sometimes it turns itself n niml. In summer it tkes long wlks by itself where medows fold bck from ditches. Once it sod still quiet row mches. Who knows wht it is thkg? Wht this kd ry is thkg is question reders comg upon it for first time my well sk, for unlike, sy, Metphysicl witty conceits lerned llusions, it little reson yields rigorous logicl nlysis? perhps why Surrelism, Expressionism, contemporry s Frnce, Ger mny, Lt Sp, Itly, Americ, with few exceptions such s Vl?ry Rilke, never most our critics engged importnt pst three decdes, while Europen critics hve long been studyg m. If tht sitution Amer ic is beg revised now, it is chiefly due prose writgs s m selves crese trnsltion. Hll's extrordry enterprise " Poem" sts both s sttement sources his new procedures work s n it. We underst tht this is exmple so, yet t sme time we cnnot trnslte substnce from its more imges 95 Criticism

16 rtionl redily ssimilble prose prphrse?tht is, borrow phrse use Jmes Dickey's, up or cretive mtter which is imgtive by process exegesis. Just s this type ry origtes terior life evokes tht life, so imgery implictions drw wrd, reder must follow m wrd center rr thn try pull m wy from for spection explntion. Of course, I m not syg tht mens nothg, but rr tht meng is implicit, herent prticulr rrngement imges movement les berg m. To be sure, this is true virtully ll s, but we re delg here with kd tht is purposively irrtionl, with whose imgtive context meng emerges only by suggestion, evoction, direction, or obliquity. Only by livg with body imges, or flotg on m, use Hll's own de scription, do we pproch pot comprehension; n mes motifs mke mselves felt, ptterns emotion re reveled. As openg les " Poem" imply, ic imgtion looks "night" world drem, reverie, preconscious unconscious preference dylight world which dems lucidity, not mystery, rtionl coherence, not d?fite ness or suggestion. This lso exhibits wht might be clled fite cpcity ic imgtion for extendg itself, for rejectg ny kds restriction upon relms experience it cn prtke?nimls, summer medows, mches: strnge evoctiveness se possibilities for tells reder somethg how such ry should be pprehended. In correspondence with se remrks, domnt mood or tmo sphere mjority s A Ro Tiger Lilies is tht reverie, dy drem, or more enigmtic nrrtive night drem which displys chr cteristic qulities ellipsis, condenstion, displcement. Frequently, strts f with n externl, objective sitution or observtion, n grd ully, s 's md loosens its nrrow or rigid focus, brriers fll, s socitions, memories, imges beg ssert mselves: thus slips wrd, unfoldg its terior drm. mes se s rem close those Hll's erlier writg, but now y re explored from with, ir roots psyche become essentil mteril for his work. "Snow," first collection, provides n troducry illustrtion. In be gng stnzs speker wtches snow fllg outside his wdow; s it tkes over his perceptions, memories re stirred, n hidden ffective resonnces un til, t close second stnz, his seems sight blurred, s if he were physi clly outside bldg snow, though he hs relly moved side himself, border his ner world its vision: Snow is ok. Behd thick, whiteng ir which wd drives, weight sun presses snow on pne my wdow. I remember snows my wlkg 96

17 through ir first fll cities, sleep or drunk with slow, desperte fllg. snow blurs my eyes with or snows. In his lecture, Inwrd Muse Review, Wter 1967), Hll notes: (published Michign Qurterly Poems beg ny number wys, but here is frequent wy. It is first snow snowg, yer. I become with sleepy snow, I relx, enter tht dydrem, lmost stte I sleepy hlluctg s recognize preludg ; my wers out spirit myself snow, come phrses my hed. I relize Suddenly, tht snow does this me, every yer, first snow. I must write especilly bout it order underst it. Snow is, ln psychonlytic guge, over-determed for me. It is burdened with ffect, hevy with nmeless emotion. Beg over-determed, it must hve multi sources. I ple try keep my ttention diffuse responsive sug s gestion, my one pen leds movg, nor down thg pge. I m tryg rech, be true, sources exploit? multiple this over-determtion. It must be dded tht Hll contues by denyg tht he is merely tkg "dic ttion from [his] unconscious md" here, for he sists tht such dicttion is o rpid prolific be recorded verbtim; sted, tred criticl stcts busily ccept reject words s imges y pper. But we recognize Hll's remrks first descriptive stges : itil direct stte ment ("Snow is ok."), detils endg with irrtionl perception tht sun" is snow "weight forcg gst speker's wdow, drop wy from perception recollection, flly n distct blend memories unified snow. by third stnz ugurtes quest for ssocitions terior or life this implictions psychic ; serch leds bck existence before origs concludes. At outset, Hll sees snow s representtive decle which ll phse re thgs dested, this discloses turn obses significnce deep-seted sion with mortlity lredy evident, s we noted, erlier ry: Snow is wht must come down, even if it struggles sty ir with strength wd. Like n old mn, whtever I uch I turn sry deth. this snow Followg pssge, is viewed s n gent reversl trnsformtion, it covers with " substnce white endowg everythg ness." But lst three stnzs n fter perform nlysis, ir own 97 Criticism

18 fshion, snow 's response trce ttempt origs tht response t begngs his life. evitble fll snow wrds erth, which roused ssocitions fer previously submerged deth, is now lked birth trum; n dividul resists birth s fll world culmtg t lst deth sme wy s sick mn dyg fights gst his end. Hll's method nlysis does not employ rtionlistic or logicl mens, for he g proceeds by reverie, bck strs rechg long connectg emotions memories revive with himself child's sense relity: So wtcher sleeps himself bck bby's eyes. tree, brest, floor re limbs him, from his eyes he extends sk which grows over world. bby is wht must hve fllen, like snow. He resisted, wy old mn struggles side iry tent keep on brethg. Birth is fer deth. fl stnz mkes t once flt ssertion perishbility? fte mn s well s snow? declres his bility fd wht mounts pttern tht cludes survivl or revivifiction. fishes with re movl sun its life-givg rys, return fllg snow, c lst le compnied by sttement generl descent tht my recll Rilke's "Autumn," with its huntg les, "We re ll This h's fllg. o?/ll hve this none fllg fllg-sickness withsts," but "One whose hs/this universl gentle cn't fll B. fllg through" (J. Leishmn's trnsl tion) seems precisely svg God whom Hll cnnot discover behd locked "door/ cycles wter": Snow is wht melts. I cnnot open door cycles wter. sun hs withdrwn itself snow keeps fllg, somethg will lwys be fllg. "We wnt regress service we ego, wnt become s children," Hll ffirms Vtic Voice, it is exctly such regression he undertkes " Snow" vriety or s. " Grss," mticlly llied with " Snow," likewise strts with visul perception which rpidly leds hidden ch thoughts compellg 's imgi ntion merge with essences nture. Like Roethke his greenhouse s his childhood sequences Lost Son Prise End! 98

19 Hll wishes uncover identity significnt self n or timcy imgtive visionry When I look t grss out my wdow r, I know tht it hppens g. Under new grss, mong snes downwrd probe trees, everythg builds or lters itself. I m led wrm descent through with my eyes covered, her words wter. I listen, with roots moist grss. reltion thgs with union with m: him process identifiction with erth, grss, roots trees simult neously itites fll wrds reverie or sleep, lpsg dydremg stte ("I m wrm led/through descent/with my eyes covered") which suc cessfully blocks ordry rtionl opertions conscious md per mits listen for more fundmentl voice with himself, voice tht will disclose his reltionship with nturl world. speech he wnts her is formed from " words/ wter," when we recll trditionl ssoci tions tht liquid element with birth, purifiction, fertility, renewl chrcter Hll's serch becomes more obvious. "For s thgs for souls," Gsn Bchelrd writes Poetics Reverie, " mystery is side. A reverie n timcy? timcy which is lwys humn?opens up for mn who enters mysteries mtter." So drem which en gges here drws him pround prticiption life elementl cosmos, where he my lern its secrets rebirth for himself. In 's fl imge he hs felt himself be livg prt nture, his nerves sensibilities resemble roots grss vibrnt with expectncy, for witg voice wter fill m. Unlike " life-renewg Snow," n, " Grss" course pursues descent which concludes without ny defite reso lution but hts t imment rrivl strongly nimtg energies, potenti lities for existence. Wter, tht element such ffective stimulus for contg Hll, hs some its centrl ttributes enumerted " Se," where, this exped form, it s ppers universl feme, womb life, imge or serenity repose, identified lso with erth, is s destroyer well? short, somethg possessg qulities prdoxicl figure Shiv: 09 Criticism

20 She is mor clms hot grsses; mor cliffs grdg s; she is mor ded submre, which rolls on bech mong gulls. No wonder tht his " Child" Hll envisges boy whose ner er wits for mture does " whispers stirrgs?s Grss"? wters. His recommendtion Vtic Voice renimtion priml childhood's unhibited modes imgtive vention? recom perception mendtion which hs, course, been mde put prctice by consid erble number modern s desire it pters? ccomplish flly brgs him person tht boy, whose ctul existence ws long go termted time personl hisry but who hs yet remed n hbitnt unconscious life dult. In " Child" tht lost figure revives. Hll's 's youth terest, however, plly does not consist wkeng prticulr memories, scenes, or cidents from his such pst; detils recollection s one fds re here is generlized. wkeng n rousl ltent sensibilities imgtive powers child Hll ws, m now for wht re cn recognizg y fer. Suddenly, this boy's wy seeg feelg world, his essentil but cutely sensitive solitude on which impressions experience register with his un purity, primitive, spoiled wreness proximity roots origs his beg ( imge cve repeted imge pool)? I thk non beg o?re necessry Hll s ; by delvg himself fr enough crry child him bck from sleep, he hs cquired gift tht child's fresh mentl perceptul fculties : He lives mong dog, tricycle, friend. Nobody owns him. He wlks by himself, beside blck pool, cve where icicles rock r hrd wter, wlls re rough with light sne. He hers some low tlkg without words. h wd uches him. He wlks until he is tired or clls somebody him. n he leves right wy. 100

21 Lter when he sps suddenly her blck wter. he plys with his friend From discussion se few pieces A Ro Tiger Lilies (" Grss" " Child" re slightly revised Alligr Bride) we notice recurrent motifs or mtic beg ptterns tht occupy Hll lrge ech is proportion s. Spekg bstrctly?for specific differ ent, concrete reliztion conurs which sttement me merely trces? scheme visible se s is fmilir universl one de scent or deth rebirth or recovery. As I this scheme suggest, symbolic p pers form ech unique ic stnce, nor is entire pttern lwys evidence We cn credit mnifesttion such sgle. mes, I thk, kd ry psychic explortion which Hll strts write with this book. And while reverie or unconscious s it is used imgery Hll's crete sense ry helps objectivity, generl vlidity, wtchful reder lso with mes perceives 's personl enggement mterils his work? or words, subjective necessity which is lredy cler " enough Snow," " Grss," " Child." self sts t center Consequently, figure squrely this recurrent scheme, for or trnsformtion volved pttern chnge s results n ultimtely ltertion who hs speker experi enced ner drms y portry. We hve observed " Child" how hs descended himself wken dormnt childhood figure resi dent re. In such s "Cold s Wter," "At Thirty-Five," "Diggg," "Sleep g," "Wells," "Self-Portrit, s Ber," " " Tree Dys," Cloud," " Hll lso or versions n wrd Stump" presents phses journey, psychic crisis, or symbolic ll terest dyg, ttg regenerted condition, new mode relities world pprehendg possi bilities his existence? effect, entrnce new dimension gg beg. (His two elegies, "O Flodden Field" " Old Pilot's Deth," project vision new or wholeness tegrtion beyond mortlity but re not specificlly While we re religious.) occsionlly few detils or cidentl given spects outwrd se portions 's experience, s focus on lrgely terior processes responses his externl life. serves s "Sleepg" prdigmtic for se ventures becuse it is both n embodiment psychic m comment on ir chrcter. In second section 's Hll, is nppg briefly, strtled by momentry vision deth dissolution: I ws on s lyg rest, sleep few mutes, perhps. I felt my body sg hole sleep. All t once I ws wke frightened. My own deth ws ner me driftg middle life. strong body blurred dimished drk wters. flesh floted wy. 101 Criticism

22 As before, wter hs source spect lso deth. Here priml drem destruction nnihiltion threteng personl prepres for Hll's convictions bout descent unconscious life self closg stnz: shdow is tight pssge tht no one will be spred who goes down deep well. In remembers. sleep, somethg Three times sce I woke from first sleep, it hs drunk tht wter. Awke, it is still sleepg. se fl les disclose 's persistence his explortions, wters which t first seemed promise nothg but deth hve become wters be drunk suggest helg or renewl. "shdow," or Jung nlyticl psychology, is n unconscious opposite ego or conscious self conts consciousness hs words qulities repressed, "spects," M.-L. von Frnz from Mn His Symbols (ed. by Jung), "tht mostly be long personl sphere tht could just s well be conscious. In some spects, shdow cn lso consist collective fcrs tht stem from source outside dividul's personl life." In this it is cler tht Hll contues his efforts probe recesses his ner world so tht n experience which ppers itilly both negtive terrifyg my be turned more positive ccount end. Confronttion with shdow is n ordel, rite ps sge with self which must be undergone before wy tegrtion cn open; lst le implies tht wht shdow conceled hs been brought consciousness, recognized, ssimilted. Severl s locte chnges nture which ugurte or promote chnges self. In " Tree Cloud" Hll remrks differences between m: when tree is cut down it becomes vrious or thgs, while cloud goes through metmorphosis, "becomes or clouds," consequently, tree teches us solidity mtter, but elusive qulity cloud txes, thus develops, our sensibilities?or so I underst 's con clusion: tree is hrd hs. To uch cloud hrdens uchg. " more mbitious Stump" "Diggg," s, exhibit n ti mte communion reltionship, relly, between person life nture; both pieces chieve visionry experience, though quite seprte wys, for " Stump" it is erned s result 's grdul pproch contempltion object, while "Diggg" strts lmost immeditely on drem or surrelist vision. " plne Begng descriptively Stump," Hll fers detils cuttg down ded ok tree on his lwn 102

23 mid-wter; unusul occurs this nothg first section until lst stnz, where n odd mood exultncy suddenly seizes t thought felled tree. This eltion is, course, dictive responses uncon scious, ffective route beg seemgly externl event; his wrd self wht is tkg plce ssumes for prelimry stges symbolic drm: Yet I ws hppy tht it ws comg down. "Let it come down!" I kept syg myself with joy tht ws me. strnge Though ok ws shde old summers, I loved gutturl sw. With second section "nude trunk" is reduced mn by with sw stump 's title; but, strngely perhps, stump is resistnt his ttempts plne it down smooth wood, even with ground, t lst he bons tsk, levg drw ner stump, with his section three only imgtion diltg upon Roots stiffen under ground frozen street, coiled round wires. pipes stump is pltform blond wood gry wter. It is nerly level with snow tht covers little grden round it. It is door underground old summers, but if I bend down it, I m lost crgs buttes hrsh lscpe tht on goes forever. When snow melts wood drkens ground; r thwed snow move deeply stump, bckwrds disused tunnels. long observe, n ltter's properties: Now stump's lterg ppernces, wher viewed s n close-up fitely extendg rugged pogrphy or seen lrger perspective effects sesonl domte md. "r chnge, 's imgery thwed snow" wood disused tunnels" cn penetrtg "long only recll Hll's wter frequent employment symbolism with its cycle recur rence renewl. If lst section rems t descriptive outset, cert re phrses prepre us, s does reference wter, for nor dimension imgtive lep experience tken two closg stnzs. blckens Werg "edges trunk," but t center stump's upper surfce "re is ple overly,/like wsh chlk on drkness." Next we re ld tht " desert w ter/hs moved side" stump. In first pssge trce chlky whiteness is set gst drkness mnner highly suggestive both purifiction from resistnce neg tive or dethly connottions drk. second encrochg pssge, which shows sterility wter pssg fr stump, implies its bsorption tree? by step tht precedes ny possibility rebirth. 103 Criticism

24 At this pot rdicl brek occurs 's contuity; suddenly, we re witnesses not fmilir stump yrd but n exotic visionry world, bundnt with new life, rich with mgicl promise voyges like those Budelire or St.-Jen Perse, filled with n exquisite drem detil remi niscent perhps prts Rimbud's Illumtions. Only fl les does stump emerge g but trnsformed forever by vision which it hs been focus: re is silg ship beched cove smll isl where wrm wter is turquoise. hulk lens over, full r s, shore flowers grow from it. n it is under full sil Atlntic, on blue dy, hedg for isl. She hs plnted sweet lyssum holes where wood ws rotten. It grows thick, it bulges like flowers contendg from tight vse. Now stump sks downwrd its roots with crgo r white blossoms tht lst Ocber. In terms Hll's imgtive trnsfigurtion stump tkes on form crippled ship which, plnted with flowers by mysterious, nonymous fertility goddess concludg stnz whom we cn best simply identify s revitlizg prciple nture or existence, is rendered its cpble mkg voyge n "isl" unknown chrcter. Wht mtters here, is not nyhow, n explntion or voyge its end but rr trnsformg, life-givg tht energies underlie dremlike entire 's imges. pttern descent renewl is conted lst three les, where with stump, hevy wter, "sks downwrd its roots," so by sends dog up durble "white blossoms." By recognizg this cyclicl pttern deth rebirth, hs uncovered his own meng strnge desire erly see tree cut down; thus we tht ttention comprehend se or processes events nture hs its correspondences "deep md," where similr pt terns re followed. In "Diggg" imges himself returned home middle night fter long dy ecstticlly plesurble work his grden; tmosphere dy grden exude potentility fecundity: "when lilies/lift mselves out ground while you wtch m." From here on ssumes spect symbolic dremg which concentrtes explicitly on trnsformtion speker through his ssimiltion by prticiption fundmentl cycles nture. Shrunk size seed, he is crried by South wd until he flls " crcked ground." Deth, wy bck 104

25 wter, n wkeng tht prtilly remds us Adm's fter Eve ws creted follow this imgery sexulity fertiliztion; luxurt blossom g consequent upon se seprte stges is directly expled s tegr tion self, which might led reder thk "green shoot" risg from 's side Jung fshion s Anim, femle prciple with mle, which needs be hrmonious blnce with Animus order chieve wholeness: dirt will be cool, rough your clsped sk like mn you hve never known. You will die ground ded sleep, surrendered wter. You will wke sufferg wideng p your side, brech gpped your tight ribs where green shoot struggles lift itself upwrds through mb your ded flesh sun, ir your grden where you will blossom shpe your own self, thoughtless with flowers, spekg bees, lnguge green yellow, white red. " well is n one rchetype, grvest humn imges soul," Bchelrd writes Poetics Reverie, Hll's "Wells," with its obviously quite personl significnce, certly bers out French philoso remrk. In this s pher's, "At Thirty-Five" "Cold Wter," re is considerble evidence privte dilemms? re t once implictions sexul, domestic, cnnot be circumvented spiritul?which (deed, sitution seems impsse dicted) but must be lived through, endured, flly gone beyond effort rescue self from stultifiction or oblivion. "Wells" lso shres with " nture's efflores Stump" "Diggg" imgery cence s mens new self re-estblished expressg flowerg bonds with erth or world. itil stnzs crete with impression drwl, fer, impotence; ldder my be both s terpreted phllus (s cn tree, " hed musk-ox prtilly, Stump" bot " Long River," for exmple) s wy scent from self's isoltion, communiction with externl relity beg ors: I lived dry well under rnk grss medow. A white ldder lened out it but I ws frid sounds nimls grzg. 105 Criticism

26 when it Help, comes, rrives form sexul love with it blos brgs somg life, revived fertility which drws speker out his solitude new reltionships; he hs found well sustg wters tht is not his lone: I crouched by wll ten yers until circle womn's drkness moved over me like mouth. ldder broke out leves fruit hung from brnches. I climbed medow grss. I drk from well cttle. (It is lso view well its first s n possible ppernce en imge domestic or sexul which hs trpment reltionship deteriorted, become sterile, but from which hesittes speker escpe until nor ffection frees him.) "At Thirty-Five" "Cold Wter" re concludg s A Ro Tiger Lilies; y mke sense 's ner drm, prob lems he must come with his grips privte life, when red sequence, though on surfce, except for fct tht y re both expressive f fective or psychic sttes, re is no close resemblnce between m. With "At Thirty-Five" we fd Hll middle his life confrontg his own drk wood filures losses, s well s prospect deth; imgery is hrsh violent, filled with overnes sexul frustrtion, misdirection, fl destruction: At edge city pickerel who hs lost his wy vomits dies. river with its white hir My stggers life ly open like smshed cr. movement or progression this depends upon lightng-like flshes thought imgery, sudden jumps ssocition; it is kd, s Hll sys recent essy (Michign Qurterly Review, Fll 1969), tht gives us " expression without song," where song is tken signify " old ostensible content bggge which, s Eliot sys, is never true content" so cn be As ignored. result, set free from relistic nrrtive or from "imges logic grow out ech or by ssocition, s move n wrd by trck feelg." We hve lredy noted such qulities Hll's work, but it is worth m s we look t this recllg, which its loose, ssocitive rrnge ment, its "nti-nrrtive" sry (Hll's term), lter such s nticiptes pieces " Alligr Bride," "Swn." "Apples," next "At constitutes phse Thirty-Five" shift bckwrds, so spek, first decle ru domestic or mry reltionship, n se. 106

27 furr bck imges pst fmily life, ll lked with deth decy reltionships households; flly, s stnces destroyed u bove, le serves both summrize sgle punctute precedg por tion. If we re puzzled by terposed, seprte les with ir imge Boeg 707 irler submerged se yet oddly "tct" fter its crsh, Hll remrks his BBC brodcst comments tht n imge similr this ws so obsessive with him t one time his life he believed it be memory n ctul scene. He dds: full "My crshed ry's irplnes ny wy, usully do with women somehow or hvg or." In present stnce refers plne clerly nonymous womn whose countennce hideous undergoes metmorphoses nightmre stnz openg this stge ; lucidity clm plne's settg suggest, I believe, tht she hs, fter ll, survived her gonies disruptions: Wdows brred, sne. ivy, squre Les gr t her mouth eyes like crcks membrne. While I wtch, eyeblls ngue on spill tiled floor puddle yolks whites. tct 707 under cler wve, sun shg. plyhouse my grfr's mor sts north shed; spiders dolls' tecups ded ru. In Ohio K-Mrt shrugs; it knows it is gog die. A sne, closed eye dirt. We n discover proceed freed from confes his house (so closely identified with womn bove tht, s concentrted imgery implies, collpse one is collpse or), wlkg streets "before dwn" vision receivg unexpectedly possibilities, per hps even ptchg broken bonds, though imges pot n mbiv lence, sce prticulrly resurrected houses re still s designted "wrecks": A door clicked; light opened. Houses siled up like wrecks from botm se. on nture drems? which this vision Musg resred houses is per hps one?he remds himself tht lechery, greed, vulgrity must be counted prts world even "if world is drem"; this ch thought forces n strk view existence brupt, sgle mn, love deprived sexul compnionship, livg terrible futility isoltion comprble 107 Criticism

28 sitution evoked t outset "Wells." stnz's importnce is mgnified once we relize tht cn imge this brren condition s his own potentil future. Ag, Hll follows his stnz with sgle le, di ctg here tht course his thkg this direction hs reched term tion : re re poor bchelors who live shcks mde oilcns broken doors, who stitch ir shirts until cloth disppers under stitches, who collect nils t cns. wd is exhusted. hs moved ded-end pssge where hope strength pper be utterly bolished ( collectg nils cns is surely n imge complete sexul futility despir); only some surge vitlity, mrked life cn True chnge perspective slvge. we ptterns hve discerned Hll's ry, this revivifiction does occur, for lst stnz reverses negtivism, despertion, dethwrd first. leng lost route dyg pickerel river stggerg wrds se be come, s wkens from horrendous drems his recent visi pst, ble pth his desty on which he cn proceed, ided by surprisg sur relist vehicle trolley cr tht crries him rpidly forest "new pe" where nor life wits him ( " Dump" from Alligr Bride similr trolley leds colony old men like bchelors bove): In middle rod my life I wke wlkg field. A cr comes out trolley elms, trcks lid down n through cre whet slntg downhill. I bord it, cross field new pe. stubble, From its very openg, "Cold Wter" my be red s deliberte con tution "At Thirty-Five," with its settg forest pe which It is disppers. tht its erly detils, s well s strtlg turn it tkes two closg stnzs, is devoted serch for boned begngs. Unlike its immedite predecessor, "Cold Wter" follows perfectly strightforwrd nrrtive le, broken only by sudden ppernce elders reliztions decisions ir Iroquois comg genertes As we hve seen so ten Hll's. s, however, cn observe eqully work, sy, Jmes Wright, Louis Simpson, W. S. Merw, Willim Stf ford, or Glwy Knell, nturl detils, or objects, gestures ccumulte sig nificnce beyond mselves, become or terms expressive symbolic ir ic context, tht is, but do so In unobtrusively. this stnce "dmmed strem," shoe full "cold wter," 'shde/ thicket, blck pool,/ smll circle stunned drowsg ir," when looked t with structure 108

29 entire seem, necessry stges kd itiry ritul process re. Tht we fd ourselves more with some mticlly proposed engged deep lyer 's thought thn with literl lscpe becomes rr obvious second third stnzs where ct imged turns fishg suddenly rel: I round step gte bushes mess trickle dmmed strem my shoe fills with cold wter. I enter shde thicket, blck pool, smll circle stunned drowsg vulted with birch which meets s if smoke rose up turned leves. I st on roots mple ir, overhed imge droppg le. My wrist jumps with p live mouth hooked deep, I stre, wtch where ters wter. li stripe n it heves on my h: cold, squretiled, flecked, revennt flesh Brook Trout. pe forests I wlked through drken cool ded frmer's brook. While it would be mistke, I thk, sist o on strenuously symbolic properties vrious se prticulrs stnzs, y still rem enor view mously suggestive, especilly wht is yet come. dmmed river, unplesnt experience soked shoe, blck pool, which, course, evokes or pools, wells, subterrnen wters Hll's work, lssitude tmosphere stgntion combe crete surroundg pool n impression withdrwl vicity origs, begngs existence, t first it though my pper be cul de sc, stultifiction. But if plce we remember tht t fish "At Thirty-Five" went f forest, presumbly beg his life new, n sitution described bove cn be undersod s if n dividul is rech regression required strtg pot self-trnsformtion; this sort journey bckwrds which pre cedes self's reclls fmilir stnces such purifiction tegrtion s s Frost's "Directive" Roethke's " Lost Son." Strngely enough, o, forest clerg Hll's renderg hs somethg shpe chr cter cdrl, but not mn-mde one, cdrl formed nture by 109 Criticism

30 ("vulted with birch which meets overhed") thus pproprite loction for consecrtion self its true desty. imged gesture cstg le which quickly enigmticlly turns physicl ct ctchg fish cn perhps best be comprehended s itiry movement by tht breks spell rpor domtg forest clerg, more potedly, his ner beg. Certly, this effort its success clls forth Ind elders; stisfied re hvg prelimry quirement, hs redied himself be led by m, spite hrd hert " so ships, mystery," confronttion possibili ties chievement or defet struggle w rebirth: I look up see Iroquois comg bck stg mong birches on or side blck pool. five elders hve come for me, I m young, my nked body whitens with cold snow, blisters bre sun, ice cuts me, thorns blckberries : I m redy for I follow m mystery. over needles speechless pes which re ded or born g. We my sk why Hll chooses n Americn Ind itition ritul, which troduces boy men's tribl ctivities ir religious signifi cnce, s mens for presentg spects his own A psychic procedures. primry nswer would probbly be tht he did not choose it sense rtionlly clculted selection, but tht such imges origlly cme unbidden recommended mselves for ir We cn obt imgtive implictions. furr nswer from Hll's comment on two pssges from s by Robert Bly Louis Simpson troduction his Contemporry Americn Poet ry; he could s esily be tlkg his own s irs when he sys, "This new imgtion revels through imges subjective life which is generl, which corresponds n old objective life shred experience knowl edge." mythic religious ttitude wrds life, which ws once (with Inds medievl Christs like) common property outwrd existence community, thus hd ll its members s hs prticipnts, been bolished from externl world modern mn by science, technology, urbniztion, but sce this ttitude widespred gnosticism; corresponds with reflects fundmentl nture self it cnnot be completely sted it vnquished, goes become n ctive underground prt person's unconscious md drem life. conclusion Hll's cquires strength conviction s result se tril rite for we cn imges pssge, 110

31 feel tht he is engged, n ner wy, with progression self which is not his lone but centrl feture life shred humns merely lrger by ll times plces. twenty-five recent s gred Alligr Bride contue ve work we hve exmed A Ro Tiger Lilies; deed, s we cert might expect, mes becuse imgtive preoccuptions, y re with for chrged personl meng Hll, declre mselves " g. Blue for lks with women crsh Wg," exmple, reltionship plne; fl stnz with its wreckge residue bones implies symbolic dyg which is survived through prbolic rc deth re birth lst three les describe: ty skelen side remembers flter enges, cry without nswer, long dyg out se. Similrly, " Dump" " Tr," usg imgery trolley les re rilwys, s movement wy from pst. first se, men tioned previously, termtes sombrely "grveyrd trolleys," populted by old men, " nrrow houses full this rugs,/ lst where obvi plce," quite ously y wir deth. In " Tr" memory presents itself s " long shpe/ drkness, tunnel/huddled with voices, hunger/ ded trees, ngels" from which tr emerges glidg f distnce; womn's hed rm, growg frewell: less less discernible, extend from wdow tr curves light hir itself dimishes on Sundy morng trck forever, ded memory, tunnel trees. down tighteng gestures Deth, bolition or metmorphosis, escpe from pst, renewl or scent fresh, hir unknown dimension form beg mtic concerns most Hll's new so s, tht constitute dis y tct extension precedg work, sometimes it but lso overlppg brekg furr terriries. Close feelg s deprture, di vision, deth reltionships which entils bonment whole segment life is contution se severnce negtive experiences sttic situtions, terrible ir desoltion lck for promise ny future, so for ny hope fulfillg sense 's self-identity des ty. " Dump" with its crowd wsted lives s qulifies this s type well s escpe from pst; effect, it is record filed 111 Criticism

32 delivernce. figures "Mke Up," origlly depicted detils recllg ir even erotic bodily, ntures, drift wy from hrden livg "Ghost/ sne, t end. womn "Sew" sne/dughter" stitches busily from her "church n scrps" mn suited her idels her imge myopic fshion endows it with life, "until it sts up like person/mde out whole cloth"; but short closg stnz, spoken by, revels how fr she hs missed knowg wht he is. Frustrted from risg mplitude existence, he rems if solitry, neglected unhrmed, mong untested pos sibilities his drems: Still, I lie folded on bolt drk wrehouse, dremg my shpes. Like Roethke's "Dolor" Krl "Office love..." Shpiro's from Bourgeois Poet, s sme blek but oddly humorous spirit, " Repeted Shpes" focuses on emotionl Hll ssocites with depression modern technicl effi ciency, this cse, shy snittion. emptess uri public le-up nls, Hll's hllucted slightly eye, s ppers uniform row old men with whom, his own despirg mood, he cknowledges fmily ties; here, s elsewhere se s, wreness wste is over futility nerly whelmg: re y my uncles, se old men who re only plumbg, who throb with ters ll night doze morng. On note hisricl unticity smshed returns irplne " Mn Ded Mche," this time s Grummn Hellct fighter plne "High on slope New Gue," where its pilot brought it rest undiscovered ves/s thick s rms." "mong bright While humn rems " Blue seem those Wg" plly womn, se re, course, s dicted by both title detils, mn's, Hll devotes n entire stnz close description " helmeted/skelen" still strpped rigidly upright pilot's set decdes lter. n, s we hve hd occsion note before, without completes stnz tht chnges direction csts on pilot his fte quite different mengs: wrng figure Or sy tht shrpnel missed him, he flew bck crrier, every morng tkes his chir, his ple hs on blck rms, sits upright, held by firm webbg. 112

33 first two-thirds mtter--fct simply provides grim, piece reportge from which re cn be no issue but unvrnished ccount wht is observed; but with reversl ctul deth ssertion dily reenctment nor sort deth, we re no relm ni longer mte externl like fllen skeletl objects irplnes figures; sted, mon strous ritul ner existence, confed structure by its hbitul ger, hs been disclosed. reder cnnot but feel help tht, some wys, this fte is fr worse thn one for 's openg, lst livg pilot stnz does not live but ech relly dy endures deth, while life itself wits... elsewhere, beyond. Not Hll's most surprisgly, frightengly grphic imprisonment, self-rment, utter " despir, Corner," is im prted fter " Mn Ded Mche." In this meditely piece self hs suc cumbed descended nonymity condition mddened niml, but mnner which humn cn. only horror sitution is compounded by concludg reveltion impossibility relief, even through deth: It does not know its nme. It sits corner, dmp spit hngg from its ch, odor ure puddled round. Huge, hirless, gruntg, it plys with itself, sleeps, stres for hours, leps smsh itself on wll. Limpg, bloody, fllg bck corner, it will not die. " Alligr Bride" shres with s we hve been discussg mnifest elements guilt, seprtion, destructive energy, deth, but it weves more completely fbric n irrtionl or surrelist fble, with group chrcters which cludes sister ct, bride herself, speker. Hll's BBC notes disclose how begn s "frgments" he hd written down which flly were drwn ger by troduction " strnge figure ded stuffed lligr bride costume," it developed until it becme " mcbre little sry," contg, s he relizes, mterils from his own life. Knowledge his biogrphy is not, however, importnce; for, s he sys, sry, you leve everyone. chrcters, re re, sry is one tht, if yourself open lnguge drems, is vilble Tht is, it hs sme sort tht generl vilbility 113 Criticism

34 sry like Beuty Best hs. You hve listen like this, or red it, s if you were dremg but keepg your eyes wide open. You hve be lert, but you musn't be You quisitive. my not trnslte nythg, you hve on flot it. At sme time you hve receive every detil. this is more Perhps demg thn ny or kd. With this dvice dmonition md we cn try pproch on its own terms sty with rnge llusiveness it estblishes. itil les first two stnzs re connected with by preoccuption pssge time, thus us remdg 's obsessive lkg temporl with his constnt wreness perceptions mortlity: clock my dys wds down. Now berd on my clock turns white. In stnzs se les Hll cretes respectively domestic beg scene, re between his ltionship speker ct, who "ets sprrows outside" w dow, tht leds wrd timcy through ltter's seemgly generous impulse; but t moment ir communion ct is n she losg enigmtic object cherishes : Once, she me brought smll rbbit which we devoured ger, under Empire Tble while men shrieked repossessg gold umbrell. We cnnot guge much this umbrell most significnce beyond ob vious resons for its vlue: it is gold provides shde, hence circle perhps comfort security. It ppers be vlued s well by men nonymous who it re wht once ws "repossessg" presumbly irs. In climg ny event, this ction commerce between ct disrupts second speker stnz, where imge snowy-berded clock dictes flow rpid time existence. Now ct, ll ppernces from estrnged speker he cn refer her s (though "My ct"), contues despondent stte, not only over her lost umbrell but for love Alligr Bride, who enters next stnz, grotesque, mockg tht would do credit figure child's nightmre: Ah, ty fe white teeth! Bride, propped white lce stres from holes her lughs eyes. Her t mister on her til mouth stuck-open people. 114

35 food we?which lso cludes ct Followg ctlogue Bride?ssembled for weddg festivities, re comes swift chnge direction s turns wrds s its focl terest speker pot s source events. disclosure his own subsequent speker begs mlice, which ct s enjoys voluntry her love complicity?pprently shifts htred?fdg relese termtion only deth Alli Bride. This will hrm or gr destroy shows itself two imges very dif ferent rtificil products highly technicl ge: color bubble gum, consistency petroleum jelly, wickedness oozes from plm my left h. My ct licks it. I wtch Alligr Bride. And stnz fter, its own puzzlg fshion, strts f with similr detils imgery, now though y re more widely pplied. odd, ert houses seled house we lern from ger "gelt"? speker's closg stnz is one sme confement exclusion world se?suggest we observed Hll's criticism middle clss livg erly "Christ ms Eve ville." In stnce s Whitney present well restrictive condi tions "Big houses like shbby boulders" tht "hold mselves tight gel t" seem exert unendurble on pressures those hbitnts who, like refuse be this mnner desire freedom which is speker, imprisoned ssocited with powers declrtion tht he is imgtion. speker's "unble dydrem," n, mkes sufficiently obvious how clustrophobic tmosphere this life hs become. Need we dd wht should here be pl: tht cuse this decidedly unplesnt condition is Alligr Bride, or better perhps, tht it results from reltionship between Bride who speker, is, fter ll, Groom. bility "dydrem" under se circumstnces leds violent climx unsettlg ftermth which no relief: brgs prticulr is sky gun imed t me. I pull trigger. skull my promises lens blck closet, gpes with its good mouth for tet suck. A bird flies bck forth my house tht is covered by gelt ct leps t it missg. Under Empire Tble Alligr Bride lies her bridl shroud. My left h leks on Chese crpet. 115 Criticism

36 However se events confusg distressg my be, difficult unrvel with ny degree certty ( it is this very respect tht ir riddlg irrtionlity closely reflects extricble mss motives, thoughts, cts volved much more ordry occurrences), we cn redily compre hend how speker pullg trigger hs destroyed himself, or some s pect his existence, t sme time tht he hs murdered Bride. 's end does not, however, see him liberted; but settg which might even be tken s drem prody murder scene some Agth Christie or Ellery Queen detective novel we discover rvenous ct v pursuit new prey, corpse Bride, whose "wickedness" guilty speker, (with sexul suggestion?) flows like n open wound st exotic crpet. ir this sitution is one bewilderment irresolution; ny fl impression 's conclusion must lso corporte fct tht trio ct, Bride, speker rem imprisoned ltter's "house tht is cov ered by gelt." Whtever underlyg problems might be, speker's impulsive course ction hs left dmges but no stisfcry chievements, except relese violent energy. itself, crefully subtly com posed, effective its resonnces its use detil, is stisfyg stges n tricte drm reltionships which proves endlessly enggg reder's imgtion. "Swn," "Apples," "This Room" shre elements drem, fntsy, nrrtive with " Alligr Bride," though cidents re pt seem more disjunct, comprise less wht could be termed "sry" ny sort thn ltter conts; ddition, se three s pot ffirm tive wys, especilly through ir ssocitions with world nture, wrds new level life, which is ged, t lest momentrily, cert love s such s " Col Fire," "Lovers Middle Age," "Gold." Two or s, " Tble" "Mount Kersrge," deserve mention here be cuse both m return New Hmpshire frm Hll's youthful ex perience mnge ccomplish, distctive quite movg wys, recovery pst which confirms it s n essentil gredient 's existence present. lst les "Mount Kersrge" revel tht Hll no longer needs live on his grprents' frm be wre huntg spectrl shpe mount; its form hs been bsorbed consciousness cnnot be lost: I will not rock on this porch when I m old. I turn my bck on you, I close Kersrge, my eyes, you blue ghost. rise side me, Similrly, " Tble" Hll spends lmost entire on recollections dys shred with his on grfr frm, ech detil is re lovgly clled; fish, however, is where revisits present, frm house. In n stnt Proust communiction life which strnge, he knew is now pst, life which previous prt hs re 116

37 creted, comes suddenly live his md senses s he uches tble fmilir bedroom receives strtlg perception his ded grfr's horse summer busy, hummg lscpe, long gone but un existg chnged; through gency this old piece furniture, which it mysteri ously resides, time tht ws lived felt fullest extent hs been resur rected : This morng I wlk shded bedroom len on drop-lef tble. tble hums song itself without sense I her voice hevg ribs Riley grsshoppers hyg fields ir. Divided five seprte sections, concentrted on though pprently scenes events with one geogrphicl re, "Swn" explores reltionships between mn erth or nture's hidden it lso renders b energies; sence or dissolution such In its reltionships. me, n, hs close ties with mny Hll's pieces from A Ro Tiger Lilies discussed previously. At outset it is wter, drkeng fternoon, s, "Mill climbg Hill," observes fire fields burng f stubble preprtion for nor seson's plntg: Smoke blows from ornge edges fire workg whet stubble. "Puttg goodness bck soil." se detils first section set for complete whole precedent : ech prt, is devoted n dividul vryg length, experience, wher it is lmost pure, immedite observtion, s sections one, two, five; n wrd mlgm perceivgs vision, s prt three; or mgl desire g memory s quite specific description, prt four. Wht ever differences exist mong se distct moments one experience, wy or nor ech uches mtic currents we hve mentioned, reder must drw m ger by llowg m move freely ger his md. In pssge bove t once lends itself settg cpcious sense nture its entirety, its cycles, so its preprtions for renewed which mn contributes here. Such fertility regenertive powers nture, feelg fundmentl, relities tht endurg proximity erth cn rouse person led Hll through this wrd his own physicl contct nturl relm. discovery 117 Criticism

38 ccount seprte cident, strnge drmtic chrcter, constitutes second section conts one two references specific bird which gives its title : Drivg; fog mtted round hedlights; suddenly, thuddg white shpe whiteness, runng huge frightened, from its slow strem... lost se les us entire Seemgly, give experience, stnz trils f conclusively. pssge reclls two fmous swns exile perhps French Symbolist ry: swn escped from its cge bthg its wgs dust Pris streets Budelire's "Le swn ice Cygne" trpped but desirous fite zure skies Mllrm?'s sonnet "Le le vierge, vivce et le bel ujourd'hui." In both s bird is, one or n degree or, emblemtic rmented by exile unfulfillment. While I do not wish imply tht Hll hd se previous ic stnces md, he cer tly knows s question, present pssge my be illumted somewht by recllg m. Here, o, it is difficult not view significnce cident, sudden ppernce swn out thick fog? which must likewise fd it troublesome mke his wy? detils se lected describe it ("runng huge frightened, lost/from its slow strem..."), s somehow relted own 's condition, condition tht cn only be clled one for he is uprootedness, s portryed throughout l wys movement, kd werer. stnz's decisive leves endg open still vilble for swn discover route bck possibilities strem; is left, like bird, mneuver s best he cn through wrd n s fog unspecified? probbly yet unknown?desttion. third section not only sts middle but holds mtic center s well, tyg ger importnt prticulrs imgery providg its use wdmill imge focus 's quest for n existence with hrmony nture's rhythms energies. mill s ppers if seen reverie or drem; like n gency nture it chnnels lifts hid den forces subterrnen world, m trnsformg process. "drk" on which it drws s source g recollects blck wters pools erlier s lso ssocited with priml forces or covert life. origs Beneth mill, network "tunnels" it tps embrces world, rech g " poles/ down center erth"; so this queer edifice seems lmost temple nturl religion through ctivity which gret chthonic powers chieve relese. next stnz, two merely les, returns fire section one, only n disclose mill hlted its opertions: Fire breks out fields. wheel mill does not turn, 118