In 1954, at the age of 25 W.S Merwin received his first poetic honor from the Yale Younger Poets, accordingly and as a testament to the young man’s promising potential the publishing was only his first. Marked by his formal and classical style, Merwin’s early days were of both spectacular success and promising potential. As the rather destitute son of violent, grief-ridden family, Merwin was privileged with the presence of renowned mentors and strong academics alike; no doubt an influential upbringing. Over a five-decade career, Merwin has held the title of one of the most prolific poets of his time. Although he has written essays, plays, translations of French, Spanish, Latin, and Portuguese and even written television scripts, his poetry has transcended criticism and time alike. He has published over twenty volumes of poetry, in multiple languages. However W.S Merwin has and will not be judged by his lengthy resume of poetic praise, but rather celebrated as “testing the bounds and power of language through imagery driven by the quest for knowledge of the human condition”.
Merwins early days were marked by his rather formal and classical style. His poetry dealt a great deal with classical literature and mythology of mainly Western Europe (although he dabbled in Middle-Eastern additionally). Robert Graves heavily influenced his earliest works, a man he knew fairly well. Many of his poems featured animals and mythical allusions. However his early work and success soon gave way to a more mature and independent style. Eight years later, Merwin began to develop a more autobiographical way. He experimented with metrical irregularity and as a result his poems became less orderly and controlled. He played with the forms of indirect narration and developed on contemporary poetic trends.
More recently, Merwin has developed an extremely loose, free flowing style, almost Zen-like as some have come to describe. His latest poems are dense and imagistic, emulating his love of nature and pacifism. His poems have taken on a dream like quality; full of praise for the natural world. The rigidity and regimental style of old has given way to free flowing verse, employing unconventional stylistic measures. His affinity for nature and its beauty have become his influence, as he alludes to tropical rainforests often.
It is hard to conceal the trend of W.S Merwin’s poetic style. Much like the interests and influences of his private life, his poetry has evolved from the academic rigidity of his youth, to the Zen-like openness of his accomplished current state. Nonetheless Merwin has become one the most prolific poets of recent memory. He continues to write in his Hawaii pineapple plantation atop a dormant volcano on the coast of Maui.
Because Merwin is the "son of a violent, grief-ridden family" he is able to be more connected to his art. His style evolves from "classical" to "independent" because that is the path that he must take in order to find his true form. His early influences show him how to write, but not specifically how to feel. His poetry is likely to be written about his "personal life" because that was his escape from his poor family life.
ReplyDeleteLike many poets, Merwin's poetry changed throughout his life greatly. Its style, mechanics and tone changed to, most likely, represent his attitude and situation at the time of it's inception. Its interesting to get an inside look at the poet's thoughts with their poems, and this happens especially with Merwin's poetry
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the flow of W.S. Merwin's poetry. His poems express wonderfully what's going on, but he does not outwardly express how he feels. However, the poems are vivid enough for the reader to feel emotions for him. His poetry is blunt and honest, which allows the reader to feel the emotions Merwin experienced.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though Merwin’s poetry has changed along with the differences in his life. At first, with his strict academic background, his early poems have a rigid structure, while his more recent poems have a more free flowing verse, with erratic and often dreamlike structure. I find it interesting how, once learning how to write through school, Merwin discovers his own style which we find in his later poems.
ReplyDeleteMerwin truly comes across as a scholar of literature in his poetry. His background doesn't really allow for a lot of creativity in his early works. I do like that his style evolves though, it shows that he really did grow as a person while he continued to write poetry. He truly discovered and created his own style.
ReplyDeleteI find it intriguing to know that Merwin grew up in a rough family. In a number of the poems posted here, it seems as though there is a typical feeling of melancholy nostalgia left behind after reading such poems. His perceptions and ideas are certainly very deep and he seems to know a lot about life, a trait which perhaps stems from his difficult childhood and challenges he has faced. Overcoming adversity seems to generally leave a person with a very complex perception of life and the way it should be lived, which is revealed throughout Merwin's poetry.
ReplyDeleteI was reading some of his poems and they strongly connect to nature or something somber. I think his somber poetry is influenced by his rough upbringing. In addition I noticed he often uses shorter clauses for each line. It gives a very simple idea, yet it has a much greater meaning.
ReplyDeleteI am always surprised by poets whose writings change dramatically over time, because I always thought that writing style was natural and cannot really change. Therefore, it is intriguing to see how Merwin's poetry did change so much. Of course, I expect a poet to evolve and improve, and also to have new experiences and inspirations, but I do not expect them to really change entirely. Apparently, though, Merwin has done this. I think that changes in his life, as well as his troubled past, allowed him to do this.
ReplyDeleteLike many have already vocalized, Merwin's style shift over his life time is both interesting and entirely normal. I forget whose blog I commented on, but this is not something unique to poets or writers. Many musicians' styles also evolve over time, like Claudio Arrau, whose earlier performances were faster and more fervent than his later performances.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did anybody happen to attend Merwin's appearance at Phillips Academy a few weeks ago? He did a poetry reading a few Fridays ago. I wasn't able to make it, but maybe somebody was? If so, how was it?
Merwin's poetry reflects his past. The changes in it represented the changes in him. It is interesting to see just how much he an his poetry has changed over the years. Despite the changes, many of his poems have a melancholic tone, probably because of his rough past.
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