poetry Analysis - "Ars Poetica" by Archibald MacLeish

Poem:

A poem should be palpable and mute   

As a globed fruit, 

Dumb 

As old medallions to the thumb, 

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone 

Of casement ledges where the moss has grown— 

A poem should be wordless   

As the flight of birds. 

                         *               

A poem should be motionless in time   

As the moon climbs, 

Leaving, as the moon releases 

Twig by twig the night-entangled trees, 

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,   

Memory by memory the mind— 

A poem should be motionless in time   

As the moon climbs. 

                         *               

A poem should be equal to: 

Not true. 

For all the history of grief 

An empty doorway and a maple leaf. 

For love 

The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea— 

A poem should not mean   

But be. 

I found this poem while browsing the lost of "recommended/required poems" list found on Mr. Tso's Poetry Unit document. I chose to analyze this poem mainly because of its title along with the presented idea that's being conveyed in this work. Thanks to my musical history studies, I know that "Ars" is Latin for art, since this term is used to name numerous musical collections, and correctly assumed that "Poetica" signified poem, meaning this work is titled something along the lines of, when translated, "The Art of Poetry". Knowing that poetry is essentially abstract, coming in many different forms, I was interested to see how Archibald MacLeish interpreted the art of writing poetry within a single poem.

The poem's main message is to be best understood in the final line of the poem which states "A poem should not mean But be.", meaning that poetry should not try to display the statement it is trying to make, but to instead embody it. After reading this poem a couple times, I wholeheartedly agree with the final message. Poems aren't meant to just send a message to the reader, but to also embody and do their best to represent the subject it is presenting. The rest of the poem also features indirect references to what Archibald MacLeish believed a poem should feature. In stanza 1, the line that reads "Silent as the sleeve-worn stone Of casement ledges where the moss has grown— "can be interpreted as saying that poems should not need any specific voice to successfully convey their message, and that a single glance at it should be enough to draw a reader in, completely win over that reader's heart and soul, and survive and succeed this process time and time again. 

I found this poem to be a graceful, enjoyable addition to the large amount of poetry I have had the pleasure to read. I have come to admire the simplicity of the words used that succeed at providing deeper meanings behind the veil of straightforward writing.