I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never--"
"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.
--Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane is an author everyone has to read, but what we have to read isn't his best stuff. "The Open Boat" is a short that reeks of realism. The Red Badge of Courage is a fantastic novel. But his poetry - oh, his poetry. Like many of my favorites poets, I don't like the forms he adopts, but I love them when he adopts them. Well done, Stephen Crane.
This poem is a wonderful combination of disparate points. It's a kind of unresolvable litmus test for attitude.
ReplyDeleteThey are of course both right and both wrong.
Can you say how?
Hmmm...for a literal meaning, it's the narrator who is correct. For a self-determination meaning, it is the runner. For a metaphorical meaning...it is unknowable. Time will determine. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is a poem that sticks with people over the years. I remember reading it 40 years ago at a public library. It is a magical little thing.
ReplyDelete