Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Kiss" by Donald Hall, inspired by the woodcuts of Edvard Munch, delves into the complex and often painful nature of love. Through vivid and evocative imagery, Hall captures the intertwining of passion and suffering, as well as the transient nature of intimate moments.

The poem begins with a striking image: "The backs twist with the kiss and the mouth which is the hurt and the green depth of it holds plainly the hour." This line conveys the physical and emotional intensity of the kiss, suggesting both pleasure and pain. The "green depth" evokes a sense of raw, primal emotion, while "holds plainly the hour" emphasizes the fleeting, yet significant, nature of the moment.

Hall continues to explore the idea of being consumed by love: "The aim loses its lie. / We are victims, and we shift in the cloyed wind, the dark harm." The phrase "the aim loses its lie" implies that the true purpose or meaning behind actions becomes obscured in the throes of passion. The lovers are portrayed as victims, caught in a "cloyed wind" and "dark harm," suggesting that their love is both overwhelming and potentially destructive.

The poem then delves into a state of numbness and inevitability: "No, in the thick / of rubbed numbness, and we are the winter of the air, and the not-nothing, blurred, bound, motion declared." This passage paints a picture of love as a force that numbs and binds, likened to the cold, inescapable grip of winter. The use of "not-nothing" suggests a significant, albeit undefined, presence, while "blurred, bound, motion declared" conveys the idea of love as a binding, yet indistinct, force.

At night, the scene shifts to a more intimate and private setting: "At night, wound in the clothes of the groomed and unendured, where the five hands of wire rasp, hurt me and fold, / we love." The image of being "wound in the clothes of the groomed and unendured" evokes a sense of vulnerability and confinement. The "five hands of wire" suggest a painful, restrictive touch, further emphasizing the dual nature of love as both comforting and painful.

The poem concludes with a powerful metaphor: "Love is a kiss which adheres like the feet of a green lizard to walls whole days, and is gone." This final image captures the fleeting nature of love, comparing it to a lizard's fleeting grip on a wall. The kiss, like the lizard's feet, is temporary and elusive, leaving a lasting impression but ultimately disappearing.

"The Kiss" by Donald Hall masterfully intertwines themes of passion, pain, and transience. Through rich, sensory imagery and emotive language, Hall conveys the complex and often contradictory nature of love. The poem invites readers to reflect on the ephemeral yet profound impact of intimate moments, capturing the essence of love as both a source of intense emotion and an ever-fleeting experience.

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