Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s poem "The Lion and the Dog" grapples with the complexity of thought, perception, and the tension between mind and reality. Through metaphors of animals—the lion and the dog—Creeley examines the act of thinking and the abstract nature of concepts as they are detached from the tangible world. The poem explores how words, symbols, and labels mediate our experience of reality and questions the role of the mind in constructing meaning. As with much of Creeley’s work, the poem’s minimalist style and recursive language draw readers into a contemplative space, where the boundaries between thought, language, and existence are interrogated.

The opening lines, "Let who will think of what they will. / If the mind is made up, like an animal," introduce the mind as an entity that, once directed, follows its course much like an instinct-driven creature. The simile "like an animal" suggests that the mind, though capable of abstraction and complex reasoning, is also subject to primal urges and patterns. The lion and the dog serve as metaphors for different facets of the mind—perhaps strength and submission, ferocity and docility. These animalistic aspects reflect how thoughts may take on lives of their own, following courses without conscious control, just as a lion or dog follows its nature.

The phrase "a lion to be suffered, a dog to pat" further illustrates this idea by assigning different qualities to these symbolic animals. The lion, associated with power and ferocity, is something to be endured or "suffered," suggesting that certain thoughts or impulses may be overwhelming or intimidating. In contrast, the dog, a symbol of companionship and loyalty, represents thoughts or desires that are familiar and comforting, something to "pat" or control. By juxtaposing these images, Creeley emphasizes the duality of the mind’s impulses—the fierce, uncontrollable aspects versus the gentle, manageable ones.

The line "action follows without conclusion / till all is stopped" suggests that mental processes, like animals following their instincts, continue their course until something intervenes. This "stopping" could signify death, enlightenment, or a moment of realization. The idea that "the conclusion / is not variable, it is" implies an inevitability, as if all thoughts and actions are moving toward an unchangeable end. This deterministic view of thought implies that, despite the mind's machinations, there is an endpoint that is beyond manipulation, one that simply "is." The conclusion "is" in the most fundamental sense, as an immutable reality that stands apart from the shifting nature of thoughts and interpretations.

Creeley’s line, "It has / died to who thought of it, but comes / again there," suggests that while the individual thinker may pass away, the thoughts themselves—or the essence of these mental constructs—reappear. This line could imply a cyclical view of consciousness, where ideas and symbols persist beyond individual lives, reappearing in other minds or contexts. The phrase "now waiting but patient" adds a layer of temporality, suggesting that thoughts or ideas linger, lying dormant until they are called upon or remembered. This imagery conveys a sense of continuity beyond individual existence, as if ideas and concepts inhabit a timeless space, awaiting reactivation by successive thinkers.

The next section complicates the relationship between thought and reality further: "And all that is difficult, but difficult / not to think of, saying, lion, dog, thinking, / thinking patience, as an occasion of these." Here, Creeley highlights the mind’s struggle to separate abstract concepts from the tangible world. The repeated words—lion, dog, thinking, patience—become almost mantras, emphasizing the difficulty of disentangling the symbols from the reality they represent. By thinking about "lion" or "dog," the mind attempts to grasp these symbols and what they evoke, yet they remain elusive, never fully embodying the essence of the real animals. This tension points to the limitations of language and thought in capturing the fullness of reality.

The line "but never having known them. But they come, / just as they came once, he thought" suggests that while we rely on symbols and language, there remains a gap between thought and experience. The speaker reflects on "lion" and "dog" not as living creatures but as constructs of thought—"a word merely, and only a dog of sound." The distinction between the word and the reality underscores the inadequacy of language, as "lion" and "dog" become hollow echoes rather than real entities. The statement "all die equally" emphasizes the ephemerality of both thought and existence, suggesting that words, ideas, and the beings they represent are all subject to the same impermanence.

In the poem’s closing lines, Creeley turns inward to the speaker’s reflective state: "but here he is, thinking of them. They / are patient." This patience could imply a kind of timelessness within these concepts or words, as if "lion" and "dog" exist independently of human thought, indifferent and unchanging. The speaker’s concluding realization—"What do they know? They know / nothing. They are not but as he thought. / But he knows nothing who thinks. They are"—draws a stark distinction between the thoughts and the reality they aim to capture. The final phrase "They are" asserts the existence of these entities or concepts beyond the thinker’s understanding. This declaration points to an existential truth that transcends language and thought; "They are" in their own right, irrespective of human attempts to define or control them.

Structurally, "The Lion and the Dog" employs a meandering, recursive style that mirrors the thought process it describes. The lack of punctuation and the repetitive, almost hypnotic phrasing create an effect of continuous meditation, as if the speaker is circling around an idea without ever fully grasping it. This structure reflects the elusive nature of the concepts Creeley explores, as the poem itself resists linear interpretation or conclusion.

Through "The Lion and the Dog," Creeley delves into the limitations of thought and language in capturing reality. The lion and the dog serve as symbols of the mind’s attempts to grapple with abstract concepts that remain stubbornly beyond full understanding. In the end, the poem suggests that while the mind is driven to define and categorize, reality exists independently of human constructs. This assertion points to a humbling truth about human perception: that no matter how much we seek to know or define, there is a fundamental essence that eludes us, a reality that simply "is."

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