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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Surprised by Evening" by Robert Bly is a contemplative poem that reflects on the inevitable transition from day to night, symbolizing the broader human experiences of change, the passage of time, and the encounter with the unknown. Bly masterfully weaves together images of nature and the cosmos to explore these themes, inviting the reader into a space of reflection and wonder. The poem begins with an invocation of the unseen and the unexplored—"unknown dust," "waves breaking on shores just over the hill," "trees full of birds that we have never seen," and "nets drawn with dark fish." These images serve as metaphors for the mysteries that surround us, the aspects of life and the world that remain beyond our immediate perception and understanding. Bly suggests that there is always more to discover, always something lurking just beyond our knowledge. The arrival of the evening is portrayed as both sudden and natural, a reminder of the cyclical nature of time and the inevitability of change. The evening comes "through the nets of the stars / Through the tissues of the grass," evoking a sense of the interconnectedness of all things—the celestial and the terrestrial, the vast and the minute. This transition from day to night is not just a physical phenomenon but a metaphorical passage into a different state of being, where the familiar world is transformed. Bly's assertion that "The day shall never end we think" captures the human tendency to cling to the familiar, to the vibrancy and visibility of daylight, which symbolizes life and consciousness. Yet, he gently reminds us that the "quiet waters of the night will rise," suggesting that there is a depth and a richness to the experience of night—of endings, of the unknown—that is both inevitable and necessary. The final lines of the poem, "And our skin shall see far off as it does under water," suggest a transformation in perception that comes with the embrace of the night, of the unknown. Just as being underwater alters our vision, allowing us to see in new ways, so too does the encounter with the mysteries symbolized by the evening change how we perceive the world and ourselves. Bly implies that there is a clarity and a vision to be found in the acceptance of the unknown, in the surrender to the cycles of time and the natural world. "Surprised by Evening" is a lyrical meditation on the beauty and the mystery of existence, on the transitions that define our experience of the world. Through his evocative imagery and profound reflections, Robert Bly invites readers to embrace the unknown, to find peace in the rhythms of nature, and to discover new ways of seeing in the quiet depths of the night.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LET EVENING COME by JANE KENYON JOURNEY INTO THE EYE by DAVID LEHMAN FEBRUARY EVENING IN NEW YORK by DENISE LEVERTOV THE HOUSE OF DUST: 1 by CONRAD AIKEN TWILIGHT COMES by HAYDEN CARRUTH IN THE EVENINGS by LUCILLE CLIFTON |
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