Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

William Carlos Williams’s "An Elegy for D.H. Lawrence" mourns the death of the English writer D.H. Lawrence while reflecting on the broader themes of vitality, creativity, and the unrelenting forces of nature. The poem intricately weaves natural imagery with Lawrence’s life and work, creating an elegy that celebrates his passions and laments the struggles and constraints that shaped his existence.

The poem opens with a stark juxtaposition: "Green points on the shrub and poor Lawrence dead." The renewal of spring, symbolized by the burgeoning shrub, contrasts with the finality of Lawrence's death. This contrast establishes the central tension of the elegy—between life's capacity for renewal and the inevitability of death. Williams’s use of the word "poor" conveys both sympathy and an acknowledgment of Lawrence's struggles, particularly his battle against "waste" and "life's coldness," phrases that evoke his tireless effort to challenge societal norms and create meaning through his art.

Lawrence’s identity as an Englishman is explored early in the poem, where Williams notes that Lawrence's "english greatness" was achieved by transcending traditional English characteristics. This observation hints at Lawrence's paradoxical relationship with his homeland—rooted in its culture yet alienated by its values. Williams suggests that this dissonance fueled Lawrence’s "bitterness," which became a driving force in his life and art.

The serpent emerges as a central motif, embodying themes of vitality, instinct, and timelessness. Described in its grotto with "water dripping from the stone into a pool," the serpent’s presence is both primordial and meditative. The reptile’s movements, "fold after fold" and its "glassy strength," evoke a sense of continuity and natural grace. Yet, its "stone-like head" and "fixed agate eyes" hint at an unyielding and eternal nature, echoing Lawrence’s own resilience and relentless pursuit of life’s truths.

Williams frequently contrasts seasons and landscapes, emphasizing the impermanence of life and the cyclical nature of growth and decay. Spring, traditionally associated with renewal, is depicted as burdened by the weight of leaves and unfinished potential. In this "half cold half season," the world seems hesitant, stuck between decay and renewal—a fitting metaphor for Lawrence’s lifelong tension between despair and creative fervor. The forsythia, jonquils, and spice-bush, all early spring blooms, symbolize fleeting beauty and the fragility of life, paralleling Lawrence's own transient existence.

Throughout the poem, Williams intertwines personal and universal reflections. The vivid imagery of Lawrence’s travels—from "the scorched aridity of the Mexican plateau" to "Mediterranean islands"—speaks to his restless spirit and insatiable curiosity. Yet, even in these distant and vibrant locales, there is an undercurrent of loneliness and disconnection. Williams describes the spring landscape of temperate lands as one where the young walk and talk "incompletely," suggesting an unfulfilled yearning that mirrors Lawrence's own quest for meaning.

The elegy also critiques societal norms, particularly in its depiction of "the measured rancor of their unbending elders" and the "sisters" who return to such stifling environments. These lines reflect Lawrence's disdain for the rigidity of traditional social structures and his advocacy for a more instinctual, passionate way of life. The cricket’s chant, "greep, greep, greep," serves as a haunting reminder of this tension, underscoring the monotonous persistence of life despite individual loss.

The serpent’s departure into the cold water and the sun’s violent disappearance mirror the poem’s larger meditation on impermanence. Both images emphasize the inevitable fading of vitality, yet they also suggest a cycle that continues beyond human comprehension. The final lines, with their reference to forsythia and spice-bush blooming in the woods, leave readers with a sense of continuity and renewal, tempered by the sorrow of Lawrence’s absence.

Williams's free verse structure allows for fluidity and natural rhythms, mirroring the organic movements of the landscapes and emotions he describes. The lack of rhyme or meter reinforces the poem’s modernist sensibility, emphasizing content over form and aligning with Lawrence’s own experimental approach to literature.

"An Elegy for D.H. Lawrence" is both a tribute and a reflection. It celebrates Lawrence’s fierce dedication to life and art while mourning the challenges that ultimately consumed him. Through its rich imagery and meditative tone, the poem captures the essence of Lawrence’s spirit—a relentless drive to create and connect in the face of a world often resistant to change. At the same time, Williams acknowledges the inevitability of loss, leaving readers with a profound sense of the intertwining of life’s beauty and sorrow.

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