Gubbinal

"Gubbinal" is a poem from Wallace Stevens's first book of poetry, Harmonium (1923). It is in the public domain according to Librivox.[1]

Interpretation

It can be read as one of his "poems of epistemology", as B. J. Leggett styles it in his Nietzschean reading of Stevens' perspectivism,[2] a minimalistic statement of his interest in the relationship between imagination and the world. The term 'gubbinal' may derive from 'gubbin', slang for a dullard, referring here to someone who takes the world to be ugly and the people sad.[3]

Gubbinal

 That strange flower, the sun,
 Is just what you say.
 Have it your way.

 The world is ugly,
 And the people are sad.

 That tuft of jungle feathers,
 That animal eye,
 Is just what you say.

 That savage of fire,
 That seed,
 Have it your way.

 The world is ugly,
 And the people are sad.

Notes

  1. ^ "COMPLETE: Public Domain Poems of W Stevens, Vol. 1 - PO/ez". LibriVox Forum. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Leggett, B. J. "On "The Snow Man"". Retrieved September 27, 2010. Excerpted from Leggett, Early Stevens: The Nietzschean Intertext, 1992, Duke University Press.
  3. ^ Nicholson, p. 23: "In somewhat arcane slang 'gubbin' means what it sounds like, a dull person --- the 'you' who insists on the sad ugliness of the world."

References

  • Leggett, B.J. Early Stevens: The Nietzchean Intertext. 1982: Duke UP.
  • Nicholson, Mervyn. "Reading Stevens' Riddles." College English, Vol. 50, No. 1. (Jan., 1988), pp. 13–31.
  • Peterson, Margaret. Wallace Stevens and the idealist tradition. 1983: UMI Research Press


Stub icon

This article related to a poem from the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.