In discussing Snyder’s poetry, as found in Turtle Island, it became apparent that
Snyder wrote his work over the course of about twenty years, and he put much
thought and meaning into his short poems.
This requires the reader to read slowly and carefully, noting evoked
emotions in addition to the words on the page.
Though initially published in 1969, the words Snyder embalmed within his
book have just as much, if not more, meaning today than they did when he wrote
them down. Common themes include being
critical of humans, being envious of nature, and wanting both humans and nature
to better coexist.
The following are interpretations of the themes found in
five more of Snyder’s poems.
Night Herons
Here
Snyder depicts humans as disruptors of nature, much as he does in most of his writings:
Humans “drive salt water/ into the city’s veins” to combat the natural occurrences
of earthquakes and fires (Snyder 35); a dog trespasses only when being led by a
human; a prison rusts and rots. On the
other hand, herons peacefully nest; a “part-wolf dog” follows his “buddy”
(Snyder 35); “god-like birds [flutter]” (Snyder 35). People have made this a “noisy place on the
bay” (Snyder 36), so “how could the/ night herons ever come back” (Snyder 36)?
The Uses of Light
Here,
Snyder presents the theme of necessity, the necessary item being sunlight. Snyder personifies rocks, trees, and deer in
order to compare their spectrum of uses for light with ours, our light being
predominantly electrical. The different
parts of nature each gain certain benefits from the sun, without hindering the
ability of another part of nature to receive other benefits. This effectively glorifies the might of
perpetual solar energy, which reaches just about every bioregion, when compared
to fossil fuels, which hurt natural processes (and even blot out the sun with
smog!) for the benefit of a single species (Snyder 39).
Magpie’s Song
A sense
of hope reverberates through the lines of Snyder’s “Magpie’s Song” as the bird
reminds readers to remain optimistic about the future. Though its tree is surrounded by
“excavation,” “trucks,” and “coyotes” (Snyder 69), the magpie imagines blue
skies and snowy hills that remain ever-snowy, regardless of changes in
climate. Though contrasting with
Snyder’s predominant attitude toward what’s happening to the environment, this
poem, still serves to effect change and encourage thoughts of blue skies and
fresh air.
The Dazzle
In this
poem, Snyder accuses humans of being dazed and seduced by the majesty of
nature, but in such a way that leads to neglect and abuse. The human population “divides itself,
divides, and divides again” (Snyder 65), meaning it reproduces excessively,
later using pollen and the word “grope” to emphasize this point. Snyder also reveals that “the roots are at
work./ unseen” (Snyder 65), implying that humans are incapable or unwilling to
see the effects of their actions and carry on as if there were none, blinded by
“the dazzle” (Snyder 65).
What Happened Here
Before
Once
again, humans are accused of disrupting the will of nature. There is one different detail in this poem,
however: “the white man” (Snyder 79) is singled out exclusively as the
culprit. The Earth formed in such a way
that gave it both diversity and wealth, “gold” (Snyder 78) being mentioned
three times before the first mention of “human people” (Snyder 79). The first settlers are described as having
lived alongside nature, making their own existence as the animals had. The white man, on the contrary, “tossed up
trees and/ boulders with big hoses,/ going after that old gravel and the gold./…pistol-shooting,
churches, county jail” (Snyder 79). The
white man, being the last inhabitant to arrive, took all that he could,
including what was not his and what could not be anyone’s.
Snyder, Gary. Turtle Island. New York: New
Directions, 1974. Print.
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