Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "August" by Elinor Wylie, the poem presents a vivid and intense meditation on race, heat, and the contrast between natural beauty and the harshness of the environment. Wylie uses rich, metaphorical language to explore the intersection of human experience and the natural world, especially in the context of race and societal expectations. Through the image of a Negro man walking through a scorching street with a barrow full of daisies, the poem juxtaposes the warmth and intensity of August with the deeper, more symbolic meanings behind the man’s movement and his environment.

The opening lines, "Why should this Negro insolently stride / Down the red noonday on such noiseless feet?" introduce a provocative image of a Black man moving confidently and silently through the heat of noon. The use of the word "insolently" suggests a tension, perhaps reflecting societal discomfort with his presence or his defiance in a space that may have been traditionally controlled by others. The "red noonday" suggests the peak of the sun's heat, further emphasizing the harsh, unforgiving environment in which this figure moves. His "noiseless feet" contrast with the intensity of the surroundings, implying a grace or control that stands in contrast to the overwhelming heat and the bustle of the street.

The next image, where "piled in his barrow, tawnier than wheat, / Lie heaps of smouldering daisies, sombre-eyed," introduces a striking metaphorical vision. The daisies, which are typically symbols of innocence and purity, here take on a darker, almost tragic character. The daisies' "smouldering" appearance and "sombre-eyed" expression suggest that their usual bright, cheery nature has been transformed by the oppressive heat into something melancholic and worn. The phrase "shrivelled up with pride" further complicates the daisies' image, as it conveys a sense of dignity or defiance in the face of harsh conditions, turning them from mere flowers into something more symbolic of resistance or endurance.

The daisies' heat, described as "hot with a superfluity of heat," evokes an image of excess, of something so full of heat that it becomes almost unbearable. This image is heightened by the description of the barrow as "a great brazier borne along the street / By captive leopards, black and burning pied." The brazier, typically a container for fire, transforms into a heavy burden borne by the "captive leopards," whose "black and burning pied" fur evokes the image of strength and beauty, yet also captivity and constraint. The metaphor suggests both power and suffering, combining the notions of fire, heat, and race, all central to the poem’s exploration of intensity and struggle.

The second part of the poem shifts focus to contrast this fiery, intense image of the barrow and the daisies with a more tranquil, idealized vision of nature. The speaker asks, "Are there no waterlilies, smooth as cream, / With long stems dripping crystal?" This image of waterlilies represents purity, coolness, and grace, standing in stark contrast to the harsh, burning daisies of the previous lines. The waterlilies, "luminous and cool," suggest peace, stillness, and natural beauty untouched by the relentless heat. The comparison to a northern stream, with "hemlock-darkened" waters, deepens this vision of an untouched, serene beauty, evoking a sense of distance and unattainability for the speaker, as if the idyllic beauty of these lilies belongs to a different, more tranquil world.

The rhetorical question about the waterlilies reflects the speaker’s longing for a kind of purity and coolness, a stark contrast to the painful intensity of the present moment. The waterlilies, "plucked from some hemlock-darkened northern stream," suggest a kind of perfection and distance from the heat and the turmoil of the world represented by the daisies and the figure of the Black man in the first part of the poem. The "fair-haired swimmers" who dive in the pool are symbolic of a kind of idealized purity and innocence, unattainable for those who are weighed down by the struggles represented by the burning daisies and the "captive leopards."

“August” explores the intersection of race, beauty, and environment through a series of vivid and metaphorical images. Wylie contrasts the oppressive heat and the stark imagery of the burning daisies with an idealized vision of coolness and purity embodied in the waterlilies. The figure of the Black man, moving with strength and grace through the harsh conditions, embodies a sense of dignity and resilience, but also the burden of being an outsider in a world that expects him to be something other than he is. Through these contrasts, Wylie delves into the tensions of identity, struggle, and beauty, offering a complex and layered meditation on the realities of the human condition.

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