Sunday, January 17, 2010

Sunday Morning Poetry

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
by Wallace Stevens


I

Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.

II

I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.

III

The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV

A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.

V

I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendos,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

VI

Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.

VII

O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?

VIII

I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.

IX

When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.

X

At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.

XI

He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.

XII

The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.


Blackbird image created by steve h. Listen.

23 comments:

Jeanne said...

Beautiful my lovely friend
Love you

Yiota said...

Happy Sunday, Relyn!
I've been enjoying your Sunday morning poetry; got me thinking.

Tracy said...

I had forgotten about this poem... Thank you, Relyn! Hope you're having a great weekend :o) ((HUGS))

Unknown said...

Love your sunday poetry. Didn't know this poem. Beautiful!

Unknown said...

Hi Relyn,

Have never thought about blackbirds in this way. It's good to see through another's eyes. Happy Sunday.

Heather Mattern said...

I am thrilled to be coming here on Sundays to read poems, thanks for sharing this!!

Char said...

beautiful poem - i love how you processed your shot

Andrea said...

Great poem!

Thank you for your sweet comments and prayers on my blog.
Blessings, andrea

margie said...

blackbirds sing in the dead of night.

Mrs. E said...

Bye-Bye, Blackbird! Always so glad I stop in!

Jessica said...

It's so perfect that you posted this poem this today! As I walked to the grocery store today I heard and saw so many blackbirds. Just hearing them helped keep me present in every step I took. It was so wonderful--in fact, as I was walking I was thinking "Relyn would really love this:

spread your wings said...

your ways of looking, seeing, are so very interesting.

Kirsten Steen said...

Great post, Relyn! Thank you for sharing this! Love your ideas too, btw! How 'bout some of your poetry!? I just learned a great exercise for writing poetry. Maybe I'll have to post it!
Kirsten

Marilyn Miller said...

Blackbirds against the snow, quite a beautiful sight of contrasts.

Patti said...

Very cool poem and image! Thanks for sharing both with us! Have a wonderful week!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for such a lovely glimpse into your world. I am a writer with a deep appreciation for poetry -- so nice to see poetry shared here!

Marion Williams-Bennett said...

Lovely, lovely lovely - the image and the poem, all of it. This line really touched me:

I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendos...


Thank you for sharing this so beautifully!

Jeanie said...

Simply splendid. Thanks for posting.

Roban said...

... I'm late visiting, but enjoyed the poem so much. And guess what? We're beginning our poetry unit this week.

Tess Kincaid said...

LOVE Wallace Stevens. I had to buy myself a book of his poems a year or two ago.

Georgianna said...

Spine tingling, Relyn!! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to find poetry on a blog! Thank you, thank you for your visits and kind comments. :) You are a really lovely person! – g

dutchbaby said...

...and the fourteenth ought to be while listening to "Blackbird" by Paul McCartney.

TesoriTrovati said...

I just completed two pieces of jewelry that were partly inspired by this poem and a painting by Monet called "La Pie". I invite you to check it out at my flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34032256@N03/4267459334/

Enjoy the day!
Erin

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