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"I believe that poetry should communicate: it is, by its very nature, complex, but its complexity should not prevent its making an immediate impact on the reader." -William Jay Smith
Fulfillment in the sight of sight replying,
Of sound in the sound of small birds southward flying,
In life life-giving, and in death undying.
The geraniums I left last night on the windowsill,
To the best of my knowledge now, are out there still,
And will be there as long as I think they will.
And will be there as long as I think that I
Can throw the window open on the sky,
A touch of geranium pink in the tail of my eye;
As long as I think I see, past leaves green-growing,
Barges moving down a river, water flowing,
Fulfillment in the thought of thought outgoing,
The geraniums I left last night on the windowsill,
To the best of my knowledge now, are out there still,
And will be there as long as I think they will.
During his life, Smith studied at Washington University, Columbia University, and at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. From 1959-1967, Smith was poet in residence at Williams College. Then, he served U.S. Poet Laureate from 1968 to 1970. From 1973 until 1975, he was Chairman of the Writing Division of the School of Arts at Columbia University. Smith is currently the Professor Emeritus of English at Hollins College. Since 1975, Smith has been a member of The Academy of Arts and Letters, and was also a former vice-president for literature. His translations, critiques, and published work have all won awards. over the years. (Academy of American Poets)
Emma Nettie Bradbury was a major influence in Smith's life. Mrs. Bradbury was a theatrics teacher that helped Smith find his love of poetry and his acting skills through theater classes and performances. (Gioia)
Because his father was enlisted as a corporal, Smith grew up on army bases between WWI and WWII. Most notably, he writes about his time on a base near St. Louis in his memoir, "Army Brat". (Gioia)
Poet Laureate
And will be there as long as I think that I
Can throw the window open on the sky,
A touch of geranium pink in the tail of my eye;
As long as I think I see, past leaves green-growing,
Barges moving down a river, water flowing,
Fulfillment in the thought of thought outgoing,
Fulfillment in the sight of sight replying,
Of sound in the sound of small birds southward flying,
In life life-giving, and in death undying.
[1957]
William Jay Smith
Smith writes poetry for both adults and children. He has shown a mastery over many different styles of witting. His more serous poems start light and "often end in an ominous detail"(Poetry Foundation).
This is an example of his last-line revelations. "Structure of Song" is also written in three stanzas of
four lines.
During a time when most poets were starting to use free verse poetry, Smith stuck with the "traditional rhymed metrical-stanzaic forms"(Poetry Foundation). He does have poems that are written in free-verse, but his poetry is usually traditional(Poetry Foundation). Smith loves harmony and measure in his poetry an dislikes any messy, non-poetic-form poems(Frank). He uses a lot of English verses like quatrains, sonnets, and couplets(Frank).
In the poem, "Structure of Song", Smith writes in a light, airy tone about how poetry and songs should "Rise smoother than the Hawk" and "so lightly should it flow". But the poem ends with the lines, "That none could ever know/ what torment gave it birth"
An example of his use of quatrains can be seen in American Primitive:
"Look at him there in his stovepipe hat,
His high-top shoes, and his handsome collar;
Only my Daddy could look like that,
And I love my Daddy like he loves his Dollar."
The poem is written in three stanzas of four lines each that has an ABAB CDCD EFEF rhyme scheme.
The poem starts off simple. It seems like it is just
stating things about the world that the speaker sees outside, but the last lines reveal the meaning of the rest of the poem. "Fulfillment in thought" through "death undying" shows a more optimistic tone. The speaker is reassured by the cycle of life, and that everything comes together in nature. "Fulfillment in the sight of sight replying" is like finding happiness in seeing everything outside his window work together and play their parts; the birds flying southward, the water flowing down the river and carrying the barges, and the knowledge that the geraniums will still be there. "In life life-giving, and in death undying": Things in nature help each other and create each other, like the birds are going to leave to fly south, but they are also going to have baby birds, so they create other life.
The last line in this poem demonstrates Smith's last line style.
A super intriguing description of the the Atelier de la Main d'Or by Smith in 2011....
Works Cited
Academy Of American Poets. "William Jay Smith." Poets.org.
Academy of American Poets, 2001. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Frank, Elizabeth. "The Pleasures of Formal Poetry." The
Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Coompany, 1998. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Gioia, Dana. "The Journey of William Jay Smith."
Danagioia. Cumberland Poetry Review, 2001. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Poetry Foundation. "William Jay Smith." : The Poetry
Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2012. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Smith, William Jay. "The Role of the Poet-Critic: William
Jay Smith." Interview by Garrick Davis. The Contemporary Poet Review. Contemporary Poet Review, 2008. Web. 2012. <http://www.cprw.com/Davis/smith.htm>.