From the Other Shore
by William Pitt Root
For my mother and sisters
Waiting to be served we look from the veranda
down into a river
whose unpronounceable name
would mean nothing to you. Thick
green trees on the opposite bank ignite
as an elongated sun
touches their fringes,
and sheep gathered there to drink
slowly retreat into shadows
where their suncharged fleeces
still glow in the dark.
Much farther downstream,
beyond where its broad back carries clouds,
Some of the black rocks
gathered at a bend
are in motion, rise and
fall, rising again
and again as we
see, our eyes now focused
for the distance,
the lengths of brightness
each rock flails, causing
the other, dormant stones
to shine.
Washerwomen. Probably
wives and mothers
to the shepherds
we sense watching us
from the other shore. Perhaps
the white shirts
of the waiters brighten
drubbed upon those stones.
By the time the meal is served and removed
in a flaring of silver
from these tableclothes
immaculate in late
sunlight, we can hear
faintly the dull reports
of wet clothes slung
heavily down upon the stones.
First the flash and only
moments after the slap
slap these flat stones
have known for centuries
or more, before learning
the roar of cars like ours,
casually laden
with items worth
more than we had known
before we saw the
stones of the river rising up
in the forms of women.
I note this is only your second post. People here generally like you to have a go first yourself before they put a lot of work into analysing something that you might not even have looked at. Why not give your ideas first, then we can comment on them?Originally Posted by Kitt1919
Right from the onset of the Poem the Poet seem to be engulfed in admiration with the scene below him;nature.We see clearly how he tries to beautifully present his love or rather admiration of what captivated him as he waits for his meal to be served.
The Poet tries to present a unity between the animals and indeed the River as the sheep move by the river's bank to partake of its content.However they scared away by their very shadow;which clearly presents the sheep as not been complete in themselves.
What seem most interesting is the poet's description in the second stanza.As if he was carried away by his vision ,the poet uses hyperbole to present what can best be described as his illusion ed state ''some of the black rock...rise and fall...
What stands out prominent, for me, in the poem is the poet's admiration for nature, which so captivated his mind to an extent that he sees things rather the unusual way.
Your question is as good as mine. But in my opinion, I think it's because of the peacefulness he instills into his lines, I suppose. I feel as if he was very observant with the sheeps and their glow-in-the-dark fleece, and the pebbles. Wasn't he far, shaded comfortably by the veranda? This guy's got some binocular vision.
Hmm, I also think that it's maybe because of the way he connects what he saw with what he knew, like the women washing the shirts of the waiter that he was waiting for and the washing technique that had been there for centuries.
I think he definitely wrote what he felt at that time but I don't like this poem a lot, it's too serene and simple for me. Another thing is that if you connect all the lines together, this could be an excerpt from some book.
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