'Domination Of Black' by Wallace Stevens
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
At night, by the fire,
The colors of the bushes
And of the fallen leaves,
Repeating themselves,
Turned in the room,
Like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind.
Yes: but the color of the heavy hemlocks
Came striding.
And I remembered the cry of the peacocks.The colors of their tails
Were like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind,
In the twilight wind.
They swept over the room,
Just as they flew from the boughs of the hemlocks
Down to the ground.
I heard them cry -- the peacocks.
Was it a cry against the twilight
Or against the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind,
Turning as the flames
Turned in the fire,
Turning as the tails of the peacocks
Turned in the loud fire,
Loud as the hemlocks
Full of the cry of the peacocks?
Or was it a cry against the hemlocks?Out of the window,
I saw how the planets gathered
Like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind.
I saw how the night came,
Came striding like the color of the heavy hemlocks
I felt afraid.
And I remembered the cry of the peacocks.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Poetry, Domination of Black: A Masterpiece of Modernist Poetry
Poetry is an art form that has the power to evoke emotions and stir feelings in the reader's mind. Wallace Stevens, a renowned modernist poet, has mastered the art of crafting poems that capture the essence of life's complexities. His poem, "Domination of Black," is a masterpiece that showcases his mastery of language and imagery.
"Domination of Black" is a short but powerful poem that explores the theme of darkness and the complexities of human existence. The poem is composed of eight quatrains, and each stanza presents a unique perspective on the theme. Stevens uses vivid imagery, metaphorical language, and intricate wordplay to create a thought-provoking and emotionally charged poem.
The poem opens with the line, "At night, by the fire, the colors of the bushes/ And of the fallen leaves, / Repeating themselves, / Turned in the room..." This opening stanza sets the stage for the rest of the poem, introducing the reader to the idea that the darkness dominates the room. The repetition of colors, the bush, and fallen leaves, create a sense of monotony and drabness that is associated with darkness.
As the poem progresses, Stevens explores the theme of domination even further. In the second stanza, he writes, "A curious boy, who thought himself / The creature of the cave, / Hearing a roar where there was only the wind, / The leaves loading the air with dust." Here, Stevens introduces the idea of fear and the unknown. The boy thinks he is in a cave, but he is not. The roaring wind and the leaves loading the air with dust create a sense of chaos and confusion, highlighting the boy's fear and the powerlessness he feels in the face of the unknown.
The third stanza is where the poem really begins to take shape, with Stevens describing the "domination of black." He writes, "And the boy, / Fifteen years ago, / And high, high above the stream, / The guerdon of the senses." Here, Stevens introduces the idea of time and memory. The boy is no longer a boy but a man, and the memory of his fear still haunts him. The use of the word "guerdon" creates a sense of reward or compensation for the senses, as if the memory of fear has been turned into something beautiful and poetic.
The fourth stanza continues to explore the theme of domination, with Stevens writing, "But he said: what is it that binds me to this / And draws me through the streets / And pens me in a room of windows / Where I can see outside?" Here, Stevens introduces the idea of confinement and the feeling of being trapped. The speaker is bound to something, but he cannot see what it is. He is confined to a room of windows, which creates a sense of transparency and vulnerability.
The fifth stanza is where the poem takes a turn, with Stevens introducing the idea of light. He writes, "And there, firelit, / Beyond the roof, / The sky, / The sky!" Here, Stevens creates a sense of wonder and awe, as if the sky is a beautiful and mysterious thing that has been revealed to the speaker. The use of the exclamation point adds to the excitement and wonder of the moment.
In the sixth stanza, Stevens introduces the idea of the moon, writing, "The moon in the bureau mirror / Looks out a million miles / (And perhaps with pride, at herself, / But she never, never smiles)." The moon is a symbol of light in the darkness, and the fact that it is reflected in a bureau mirror creates a sense of distance and separation. The moon "looks out a million miles," creating a sense of loneliness and isolation.
The seventh stanza continues to explore the theme of loneliness, with Stevens writing, "Far and away beyond all that, / There is a pool, / And in the pool there are gray leaves, / And beneath the gray leaves, / There are black fish." Here, Stevens creates a sense of mystery and depth, with the pool and the black fish representing the unknown and the depths of the human psyche.
In the eighth and final stanza, Stevens concludes the poem with the lines, "And the sounds of the water / Over the rocks, / Where the hermit-thrush sings on the high branches, / Lost in his own swinging descant, / And the hornets at the glass, / Trying to get in." The sounds of the water and the hermit-thrush create a sense of peace and tranquility, while the hornets at the glass create a sense of danger and chaos.
Overall, "Domination of Black" is a powerful poem that explores the complexities of human existence. Stevens uses language and imagery to create a sense of mystery, wonder, and awe, while also exploring themes such as fear, confinement, loneliness, and the unknown. The poem is a masterful example of modernist poetry, and it continues to be a celebrated work of literature to this day.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Domination Of Black: A Masterpiece by Wallace Stevens
Wallace Stevens, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, is known for his complex and philosophical poetry. His poem "Domination of Black" is a masterpiece that explores the power and beauty of the color black. In this analysis, we will delve into the themes, imagery, and language used in the poem to understand its deeper meaning.
The poem begins with the line, "At night, by the fire, the colors of the bushes/ And of the fallen leaves, / Repeating themselves, / Turned in the room, / Like the leaves themselves / Turning in the wind." This opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as it describes the repetition and cyclical nature of nature. The colors of the bushes and leaves are constantly repeating themselves, just as the leaves themselves turn in the wind. This repetition creates a sense of rhythm and movement, which is echoed throughout the poem.
The second stanza introduces the color black, which is described as "dominating" the other colors. The speaker says, "A gold-feathered bird / Sings in the palm, without human meaning, / Without human feeling, a foreign song. / You know then that it is not the reason / That makes us happy or unhappy. / The bird sings. Its feathers shine." Here, the bird represents something pure and natural, while the color black represents something powerful and dominant. The bird's song is beautiful and pure, but it is the color black that dominates the scene.
The third stanza continues this theme of domination, as the speaker describes the "blackness" of the night sky. The speaker says, "The blackness whirled into itself, / The glistening, the infinite, / The absolute, the God-hungry." Here, the color black is described as infinite and absolute, which creates a sense of awe and reverence. The speaker also uses the phrase "God-hungry" to suggest that the color black is something divine and powerful.
The fourth stanza introduces the idea of death, as the speaker describes a "black swan" that "crushes out of the foam." The swan is described as "death's feather," which suggests that the color black is associated with death and the end of life. However, the swan is also described as "beautiful," which suggests that death can also be beautiful and natural.
The fifth stanza returns to the theme of domination, as the speaker describes the "blackness" of the sea. The speaker says, "The night is only a sort of carbon paper, / Blueblack, with the much-poked periods of stars / Letting in the light, peephole after peephole." Here, the color black is described as a sort of carbon paper, which suggests that it is something that can be written on or used to create something new. The stars are described as "much-poked," which suggests that they are being observed or studied. This creates a sense of curiosity and wonder, as if the color black is something that can be explored and understood.
The sixth stanza introduces the idea of love, as the speaker describes a "blackbird" that "whistles." The speaker says, "I do not know which to prefer, / The beauty of inflections / Or the beauty of innuendoes, / The blackbird whistling / Or just after." Here, the blackbird represents something beautiful and natural, while the color black represents something powerful and dominant. The speaker is torn between the two, suggesting that love is a complex and multifaceted emotion.
The seventh and final stanza brings the poem full circle, as the speaker returns to the idea of repetition and cyclical nature. The speaker says, "Icicles fill / The long window / With barbaric glass. / The shadow of the blackbird / Crosses it, to and fro. / The mood / Traced in the shadow / An indecipherable cause." Here, the icicles represent the cyclical nature of nature, while the shadow of the blackbird represents the power and dominance of the color black. The mood traced in the shadow is described as "indecipherable," which suggests that the meaning of the poem is not easily understood or explained.
In conclusion, "Domination of Black" is a masterpiece that explores the power and beauty of the color black. Through its use of repetition, imagery, and language, the poem creates a sense of awe and reverence for the color black, while also exploring its darker associations with death and domination. The poem is a testament to Stevens' skill as a poet, and it remains a powerful and thought-provoking work of art to this day.
Editor Recommended Sites
Data Catalog App - Cloud Data catalog & Best Datacatalog for cloud: Data catalog resources for AWS and GCPML Platform: Machine Learning Platform on AWS and GCP, comparison and similarities across cloud ml platforms
Faceted Search: Faceted search using taxonomies, ontologies and graph databases, vector databases.
Fanic: A fanfic writing page for the latest anime and stories
Learn to Code Videos: Video tutorials and courses on learning to code
Recommended Similar Analysis
Lot's Wife by Anna Akhmatova analysisThe Sick Rose by William Blake analysis
Sweetest Love, I do not go by John Donne analysis
Awed by her splendor by Sappho analysis
The pedigree of honey by Emily Dickinson analysis
Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar analysis
Home Thoughts, From Abroad by Robert Browning analysis
Four Haiku by Matsuo Basho analysis
Spring Rain by Sarah Teasdale analysis
A Sea-Side Walk by Elizabeth Barrett Browning analysis