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Literature makes tremendous impact
By: JASWANT SINGH SIDHU, Community Contributor
Description: Poetry is an expression of emotions.
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Posted by lward
Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
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I acknowledge the write-up of Meladee Gardella, “Whose woods these are I think I know,” published in The Northwest Voice Nov. 10. This is a part of the fourth and last quadrant of the famous poem by Robert Frost, “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening.”
The poet portrayed the panorama of Mother Nature, so eloquently symbolizing it with that of the pilgrimage of mankind in this planet. Robert Frost is succinct, clear, concise and candid all through. There are four quadrants, based on the pattern of a Rubaiyat (four lines in a stanza in Persian). My mind resonates to a quadrant of Omar Khayyam (translated in English from Persian by Edward Fitzgerald). It goes on something like a Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: “The Moving Finger writes, and having writ/ Moves on: Nor all thy Piety and Wit/ Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,/ Nor all thy Tears wash out a word of it.” Poetry is expression of emotions, passions, visions and dreams –– not prejudices or profanity –– as Robert Frost has shown in his poem.
While writing this poem, Robert Frost kept the backdrop of nature in mind and moved to the `Realm of Grace,` saturated with the love of Creator and his mind springs forth from `woods` to `fill up with snow.` Thence his `little horse` traveled to `frozen lake` at `the darkest evening of the year.` He hovered and fluttered to `harness bells` that mingles with `other sounds.` Thereafter his thought goes over to the `easy winds` and `downy flakes,` eager to reach the final stage of human journey, marveling beauty transcending to `promises to keep` and miles to go the poet refers to? Could it not be that nothing belongs to any of us, not even our body, much though it is full of egoism and hollowness and yet what the journey of soul is and what one leaves behind? These are the footprints on the sand of life of an individual which the poet so emphatically illustrates.
Poetry of Robert Frost was turning point in the American literature like that of the poetry of Walter Whitman. Robert Frost became the poet laureate. A poet cannot create universe, but one can surely spread awareness regarding the beauty and profundity of creation to make our short stay on earth a meaningful and worthwhile one. To that goal Robert Frost succeeded marvelously and majestically touching upon the most sensitive crevices of human mind and heart. Thus he tried to uplift human spirit and soul to higher horizons.
Above all, the four quadrants reach climax of imagination of the poet, demonstrating how on earth we transverse the pace, space and time. The piety and poise of the poet speaks volumes of his imagination, thought progression which all flow with rhyme, rhythm and meter so symmetrically.
Advancement of computer technology has relegated literature, particularly poetry, to backdrop, if not oblivion. In this fast-paced modern world, literature makes tremendous impact on human mind and spirit, thereby reminding us of the inseparability and indispensability of literature so as to shape our culture and take away the monotony, futility and emptiness echoes from our daily lives. The message is not to harden our hearts and mind rather it is to soften for taking an overview of healthy and enjoyable sojourn here on the earth.
