Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Dialectic/From Three Windows" by Christopher Howell is a meditation on perspective, faith, isolation, and the complex interplay between humanity and nature. Howell divides the poem into three parts, each of which provides a unique “window” onto a different scene, yet all are bound by an underlying theme of seeking understanding or communion with something larger than oneself. Each section reveals a distinct view of human longing—for connection, for comprehension, and for the solace found in embracing mystery.

In the first part, "For the Fishermen," Howell conjures a familiar biblical image, reimagining Jesus walking away across the water as his disciples look on “open-mouthed, almost angry with astonishment.” The disciples’ reaction is a mixture of wonder and frustration at the unknowable—a reflection on the limits of human understanding when faced with something miraculous or incomprehensible. The tone here is both reverent and casual; Jesus, later “in the bar,” listens as the fishermen recount their version of the story, maintaining his composure, “the calm water hiding everything.” This image of calm water as a metaphor for Jesus’s impenetrable serenity suggests that the divine—or the mysteries of existence—remains steadfastly beyond human reach, holding its secrets with a quiet grace. Jesus’s silence as he “sips his wine then water then wine” implies an acceptance of human curiosity and yearning, as well as an acknowledgment that certain truths cannot be shared. He contemplates the future, seeing the challenges men will face “for a good joke or a blessing,” hinting at the ongoing human search for meaning and the lengths people will go for a sense of peace or joy.

The second section, "With the Distance," shifts to a more abstract, contemplative view of nature. Howell presents the image of “birds of leaves,” where the leaves on trees mimic the movement of birds, “waving as if they had no voices.” This phrase suggests a quiet, almost ghostly presence, emphasizing a sense of distance and mystery. The leaves, like the distant sounds of wings and water, are silent yet communicative. The speaker’s reflection that “if I hold a bird of leaves fluttering like a moth in my closed hand” suggests a fragile connection with beauty, an intimacy that is momentary and delicate. This moment brings to mind the tension between capturing beauty and allowing it to exist freely. The reference to “miles of hawthorn trees” with blossoms that “elegantly clothing their knives” underscores the paradox of beauty and pain. The speaker acknowledges that beauty “doesn’t hurt when we try to hold it,” yet the notion of clothing “knives” with “blossoms” hints at the inherent dangers in trying to possess or control beauty. The “strange green birds” that do not yet sing represent a latent beauty or truth that cannot be fully grasped, echoing the earlier themes of longing and unattainable understanding.

The final part, "At Friday Harbor, Near Christmas," presents an image of isolation and transcendence. A solitary cormorant stands “as if crucified,” its wings spread wide on an icy piling, symbolizing resilience and solitude. The description of the cormorant as a “black beacon” against the white, cold landscape draws attention to its solitary strength amidst a setting marked by stasis—boats that have been “asleep here for months.” Howell’s use of the word “crucified” evokes imagery of sacrifice and endurance, casting the bird as a figure of stoic suffering or calm resignation. The cormorant’s position and unknowable thoughts make it a symbol of acceptance, unaffected by “whose loneliness clings to him” from a distant observer, who views the bird through a window.

The speaker’s aspiration to someday “shed my body” and sit beside the cormorant, “enjoying the morning” with outstretched wings, represents a desire for unity with nature and freedom from physical limitations. The speaker’s wish to join the bird in a spiritual sense reflects an awareness of mortality and an appreciation for the bird’s simplicity and lack of self-consciousness. The line “Oh one of these days / when I have shed my body” suggests a yearning for a spiritual transcendence, a freedom that allows for communion with nature. The imagery of “the white dazzle / of it falling through my outstretched wings” represents the ultimate merging with the natural world, where human consciousness, loneliness, and limitations dissolve into pure presence and simplicity.

"Dialectic/From Three Windows" is a nuanced reflection on the interplay between the human desire for understanding and the mysteries that remain beyond reach. Howell’s use of windows as vantage points emphasizes both the clarity and the limitations of perspective, underscoring the gaps between perception and reality, knowledge and faith. Through scenes that are both concrete and mystical, Howell captures the human experience of wonder, the tension between closeness and distance, and the enduring beauty of things not fully understood. In his tribute to faith, beauty, and quiet resilience, Howell suggests that true fulfillment lies not in the possession of knowledge but in the openness to mystery, an acceptance of the world’s inherent unknowability.

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