Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marilyn Hacker's "Essay on Departure" is a deeply reflective poem that delves into the emotions and implications of leaving a place behind. The poem is rich with imagery and contemplative observations, capturing the ephemeral nature of human experiences and the inevitable transitions that mark our lives. Through its meditative tone, Hacker explores themes of impermanence, memory, and the subtle traces we leave behind.

The poem begins with a series of rhetorical questions that set the stage for the contemplative journey: "And when you leave, and no one's left behind, / do you leave a cluttered room, a window framing / a zinc roof, other mansard windows?" These questions immediately draw the reader into the physical and emotional space that the speaker is about to leave. The specificity of the imagery—a cluttered room, a zinc roof, mansard windows—grounds the poem in a tangible reality, evoking a sense of familiarity and intimacy.

Hacker's use of the river as a metaphor for the continuous flow of life and time is particularly evocative. The river "flows in your nocturnal pulse," suggesting an intrinsic connection between the external world and the inner self. The moon, "sailing late-risen through clouds silvered by the lights / flung up from bridges," adds a layer of beauty and melancholy, emphasizing the transient nature of moments and the inevitability of change.

The poem also captures the social aspects of leaving, such as the café scene where "two girls and a boy / smoke and discuss what twenty-year-olds in cafés discuss / past midnight, with no war on here." This scene evokes a sense of youthful vitality and the ordinary yet significant moments that make up our lives. The contrast between the bustling all-night pharmacy on upper Broadway and the quiet, reflective departure highlights the multiplicity of experiences and the different paces of life in the city.

Hacker's contemplation of what is left behind is poignant and thought-provoking. The imagery of "coins on the table and an empty cup" symbolizes the remnants of one's presence, mundane yet telling. The August lapse, with shutters dropping and locking, conveys a sense of finality and the closing of a chapter. The sound of the shutters feels "final, punitive, a trap shutting its jaws," capturing the emotional weight of departure and the end of familiar routines.

The poem's reflection on memory and its selective nature is particularly striking. The speaker ponders the details that may be forgotten or remembered, questioning whether they are "the numinous and right detail, the key-but to a door that is no longer yours." This introspection highlights the fragility of memory and the subjective nature of our recollections. The imagery of "a morning-lit interior's awakening silhouette" and the "good blue sky reflected on the tall blue walls" creates a vivid snapshot of a moment that is both ephemeral and significant.

As the poem concludes, Hacker addresses the nature of the past and its dissolution into memory. The present tense is carried along with the speaker, while the place left behind "stops, dissolves into a past / in which it may have been, or it may not have been." This ambiguity underscores the transient nature of our experiences and the difficulty in pinning down the exactness of memory and place. The final lines, "the place you were, the moment that you leave," encapsulate the essence of the poem: the interplay between presence and absence, memory and forgetfulness, and the perpetual motion of life.

"Essay on Departure" is a masterful exploration of the emotional and existential dimensions of leaving. Hacker's vivid imagery, reflective tone, and intricate observations create a powerful meditation on the nature of departure, memory, and the traces we leave behind. The poem invites readers to contemplate their own experiences of leaving and the lasting impact of the places and moments that shape our lives.

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