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About

Genius Annotation

William Carlos Williams was an Imagist, that is he ascribed to the view that poetry should be simplified, stripped of Victorian Romanticism and focus instead on simple visual imagery. The movement grew up in USA and England, and contemporaries who followed this view included Ezra Pound and T E Hulme.

This poem is a reaction to Pieter Bruegel’s, Landscape with fall of Icarus

It depicts the Greek myth of Icarus, but is set in the time of the artist. Icarus, son of Daedalus, wanted to escape from imprisonment and used the wax wings that his father had made for him. He was warned not to fly too close to the sun as the wax would melt. But he did so, the wings were destroyed and he fell to the see and drowned.

The myth is often quoted as a metaphor for any person who over-reaches themself; for arrogance and — to use the Greek term — hubris.

As in the painting, the poem describes the landscape, beginning with a mood of happiness until it is clear that Icarus will die. The depressing reality then comes to the fore. Thematically, the poem highlights the human indifference to the troubles of others. In the painting a farmer ploughs his land while a terrible scene plays out in clear view. Pain and tragedy often go unnoticed.

Structure
This is a narrative poem in free verse, with seven three-lined stanzas, with lines of uneven length. There is no rhyme scheme, no punctuation. The free flow is enhanced by the enjambed line endings.

Language and Imagery
The matter-of-fact language is in ironic contrast to the tragic death of the boy. The tone is cool and detached, the tragedy deepened by the apparant indifference of the farmer, conveyed by the understated language

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

  1. 25.
    Nature
  2. 60.
    Mowing
  3. 63.
    Design
  4. 69.
    Landscape With the Fall of Icarus
  5. 72.
    A Pact
  6. 75.
    Oread
  7. 83.
    Africa
  8. 100.
    Howl
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