Suma.V.S.


The purpose of any poetry can be easily expressed in one sentence. On a pragmatic level, however, it is undeniable that poetry is a word whose meaning is not easy to pin down. In the dark avenues of literature, where the secret matter of knowledge awaits the prey, the writer/reader and words act out jocular roles. The riter/reader attempts to answer this question and ends up conveying a 'meaningless collection of words.'
Can poetry be linear, telling a tale of the collective thought of humanity, oh yes, it is an experience of expression itself. It's not the mere meaning of a stream of words, nor the succession of images and emotions it invokes: its how the entire piece is intended. A poem is not merely things that we read, but also things that we see. With more reading, a poem brings the fire that molds experience into artistry. Some poets of history have been genuine lovers of nature. Robert Frost is one of them. Nature was always an integral and powerful part of his poems. Now, let's take a look at this one.


Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

This is one of my favorite poems of Robert Frost’s collection. Published in his 1923 collection, New Hampshire, the poem describes beautifully that overpowered intensity of human passion and human hatred eventually leads to the same set of consequences. It is a stunning denunciation of the power of emotion within an individual.
One can argue that nature is mere background in this poem, but nature demonstrates the main motif, theme, symbol, motivation and prime mower for many of his best works. To draw such a great inspiration from nature’s imagery and decorating the poem with metaphors is just the superficial side of Frost’s poetry. On close examination, the description of nature’s imagery actually probes the reader to discover the meaning hidden underneath the superficial surface.
Fire and Ice can be related to Agni of Indian mythology and the Ice Age respectively. In Indian mythology and sacrificial ceremonies, as ordained by Manu, Agni (or fire) is the deity of primary invocation. Yagnas are performed in India where Agnihotras are continually burning on fire, which people keep lighted throughout their lives --- for their nuptial ceremony, the performance of solemn sacrifices, and the obsequies of departed ancestors, and even for their own funeral pyre. Few or perhaps none, of the almost innumerable ceremonies of the Hindus are complete without invocatory oblations to the all-pervading element of fire, or Agni. Ice can be related to the ice age, ie., the period of time when the temperature of the Earth is very cold. Many ice ages have occurred throughout Earth’s history. Earth’s orbit, along with several other elements have influenced ice ages. Looking at what awaits us in the future, assuming that we don’t cause our own destruction through war or mismanagement of our environment, an ice age too is a distinct possibility.
After taking a journey though fire and ice, we can better appreciate the idea of Robert Frost and his relation with nature and human emotion. The poem is bounded by a profound sense of meaning to the destruction of the external, physical world through fire and ice, and the internal, spiritual world with desire and hate. The beauty lies in the unification of the extremes for the common purpose of destruction.
Thus, words that are truly poetic hit us on more than an intellectual level. This is why they say, that a poet is very dangerous! His words cut into the truths of the soul. In a sense, it's like a perfectly timed rhythm of words. It just feels right when it is cadence with our soul.
Finally, we all have different tastes for what is good poetry, which is like we have different tastes for food. But the underlying fact is that a poem isn't a poem when it is written : only when it has been read as well; it doesn't tell you what to think or feel; it leads you there and let's you find it on your own.

 

Poetry by Argo Spier