Meditation at Lagunitas
By Robert Hass
All the new thinking is about loss.
In this it resembles all the old thinking.
The idea, for example, that each particular erases
the luminous clarity of a general idea. That the clown-
faced woodpecker probing the dead sculpted trunk
of that black birch is, by his presence,
some tragic falling off from a first world
of undivided light. Or the other notion that,
because there is in this world no one thing
to which the bramble of blackberry corresponds,
a word is elegy to what it signifies.
We talked about it late last night and in the voice
of my friend, there was a thin wire of grief, a tone
almost querulous. After a while I understood that,
talking this way, everything dissolves: Justice,
pine, hair, woman, you and I. There was a woman
I made love to and I remembered how, holding
her small shoulders in my hands sometimes,
I felt a violent wonder at her presence
like a thirst for salt, for my childhood river
with its island willows, silly music from the pleasure boat,
muddy places where we caught the little orange-silver fish
called pumpkinseed. It hardly had to do with her.
Longing, we say, because desire is full
of endless distances. I must have been the same to her.
But I remember so much, the way her hands dismantled bread,
the thing her father said that hurt her, what
she dreamed. There are moments when the body is as numinous
as words, days that are the good flesh continuing.
Such tenderness, those afternoons and evenings,
saying blackberry, blackberry, blackberry.
Summary of Meditation at Lagunitas
- Popularity of “Meditation at Lagunitas”: Written by Robert Hass, a popular American poet, this beautiful poem comprising thirty-one verses first appeared in his collection, Praise. The collection hit the market shelves in 1979. Although termed as a weak poem by Hass, “Meditation at Lagunitas” has proved that Hass has filled it with the idea about the idea in such a way that it has become his most popular poem. The poem beautifully presents the concept of a philosophical idea and its relationship with philology.
- “Meditation at Lagunitas” As a Representative of the Formation of Ideas: The poet presents his argument that new thinking and old thinking are almost the same and that both have presented the loss of things in the same way. It is also an idea that when it gets cleared, it stays the same general idea. Therefore, it could be equated, the poet says, with the same argument that when a woodpecker peels the old trunk of a birch, it shows the same old world beneath the bark. The words signify things have names and so have ideas.
The poet presents the situation of his friend with whom he has had a debate over the same topic and after which he has concluded that everything has a word that signifies it. Then he recalls his beloved, with whom he has a very exciting relationship over which he recalls their childhood game and their mature desire now that holds them together. However, all her recollections, he states surprisingly, come to his mind through words that are as mystical and esoteric as the human body which now shows its demand for blackberry. - Major Themes in “Meditation at Lagunitas”: The history of ideas, linguistic signifiers, and linguistic expressions of human desire are three major thematic strands of “Meditation at Lagunitas.” The poet opens the poem with the argument that the old thinking about ideas is the same as the new one, and even the idea that a woodpecker would peck out something new from an old tree trunk is the same. However, one thing is clear a word is a signifier of an idea. The words are almost new when they present ideas, and this linguistic signifier of things sometimes makes the poet surprised at this human ingenuity.
He then recalls his fetishistic memories about his beloved, his activities with her, and their love but thinks that even his desire for relations with her has specific linguistic expressions. This thinking almost mesmerizes him so that he equates words with the body, thinking that even bodily desires have specific signifiers. Therefore, his argument that linguistic expressions have a specific role in our idea-making capability comes to the point through circular reasoning.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Meditation at Lagunitas
Robert Hass used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “The idea, for example, that each particular erases” and the sound of /o/ in “because there is in this world no one thing.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /h/ in “how holding” and “hardly had” or “hurt her.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ and /d/ in “But I remember so much, the way her hands dismantled bread” and the sound of /m/ again in “I made love to and I remembered how holding.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;
But I remember so much, the way her hands dismantled bread,
the thing her father said that hurt her, what
she dreamed. There are moments when the body is as numinous
as words, days that are the good flesh continuing.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Robert Hass used imagery in this poem, such as “muddy places where we caught the little orange-silver fish”, “called pumpkinseed. It hardly had to do with her” and “endless distances. I must have been the same to her”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of the word that he equates with a sorrowful poem such as “a word is elegy.”
- Simile: It is a figure of speech for direct comparison to understand the meanings of a thing being compared. For example, the poet used a simile in a question such as; “her presence / like a thirst for salt.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as an idea, signifier, pine, hair, woman, birch, and bark to show the world of ideas and the use of words to represent these ideas.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Meditation at Lagunitas
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic, and narrative diction.
- Free Verse: It means to use free verse, having no rhyme scheme, rhythm, or meter. This poem is a free verse poem.
- Repetition: It means the use of words and phrases repeatedly in verses to show emphasis on an idea. The poem shows this through the repetition of “blackberry.”
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This is a single-stanza poem having thirty-one verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a quizzical, rational, and conclusive tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the use of words signifying ideas.
There are moments when the body is as numinous
as words, days that are the good flesh continuing.
Such tenderness, those afternoons and evenings,
saying blackberry, blackberry, blackberry.