Friday, July 22, 2011

If everything happens that can't be done - E. E. Cummings


If everything happens that can’t be done - (... with a line by line analysis)

If everything happens that can’t be done
… this may appear a contradiction. What is the poet saying?  An explanation is needed. If everything happens ‘naturally’ (without thought) perhaps.
(and anything’s righter
than books
could plan)
… learning (by books) not needed … living and doing is always better
The stupidest teacher will almost guess
… everybody will intuitively know what to do … except the stupidest teacher
(with a run
skip
around we go yes)
… like the start of an automatic dance of joy
There’s nothing as something as one
… the individual rules supreme … knows best … perhaps I should say the one and only one! … and one is the connecting word to the next stanza

One hasn’t a why or because or although
Defining one … one just exists without asking questions … needs no qualification
(and buds know better
than books
don’t grow)
… books are dead things … compared to life (buds that grow)
One’s anything old being everything new
… every thing is a singularity (has a oneness) … whether it is old or new
(with a what
which
around we come who)
… the dance that was started in stanza 1 continues … what fun
One’s everyanyhing so
… emphasis on the properties of one … connecting word to the next stanza is so

So world is a leaf so tree is a bough
… there is a whole world in the unity of each object … each object has a whole world to discover
 (and birds sing sweeter
than books
tell how)
… books tell while life speaks as in the voice of a bird
So here is away and your is a my
… everything ‘distant’ is incorporated in the unity of the now which is happening
(with a down
up
around again fly)
… the dance continues in merry joy abandon
Forever was never till now
… now is the eternity of the moment

Now I love you and you love me
… connectivity between one and another is love
(and books are shuter
than books
can be)
… books are really inadequate compared to love, they are really closed shut … shuter than ever in the light of love … shuter … the creation of a new verb
And deep in the high that does nothing but fall
… a picture of love ever descending from the heights (heaven)
(with a shout
each
around we go all)
… the dance is really taking off … with love now in the movement
There’s somebody calling who’s we
… connectivity of one and one = we … and we has power (with love inherent)

We’re anything brighter than even the sun
 ... we (love), movement (life) … how can this be defined (brighter than the brightest)
(we’re everything greater
than books
might mean)
... certainly greater than anything that a book can give
We’re everyanything more than believe
… love (life) … beyond anything we could believe … beyond imagination
(with a spin
leap
alive we’re alive)
… the dance reaches a peak of joyous activity
We’re wonderful one times one
… we are ourselves complete, undiminished … 1 to the power n is 1 … rejoice in our oneness … compare with the last line of the first stanza.

E. E. Cummings

Looking at the poem structure and design …

Five stanzas of 9 lines … the last word of the stanza becomes the first word of the next  … the bracketed components form a two way linked undercurrent … the first of these in each stanza relates to books/learning/instruction … the second bracketed component relates to life and living in the moment in the form of a dance … words that can almost be sung … excellent rhyme and rhythm throughout.

(Note ... the word shuter (Stanza 4)… the degree of shutness … books are really shut tight ... that is in relation to life itself.)

1 comment:

  1. Thank you! This was really hopefull, and i really love this poem!!

    ReplyDelete