Poetry Analysis: Reading the World
POEM 1
A Song on the End
of the World
by Anthony Milosz
Analysis
On the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.
On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.
And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.
Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.
First Impression: When first reading this poem, it seems depressing since they are talking about the end of the world.
Evocative Language: As long as rosy infants are born, no one believes it is happening now.
Figurative Language: Milosz describes everyday things, even though he reminds us that it is the end of the world.
Structure: This poem is straight-forward and to the point. It does not rhyme, so this helps with getting the point across.
Big Idea: Milosz is looking at the world as if it were an ordinary day. He depicts it to be as if it were so perfect that no one will believe that it is happening. Since the poet is trying to convey this factor, it is as if he is saying that people should spend everyday as if it were their last because who truly knows when or how it will happen.