The Planet On The Table Poem by Wallace Stevens
The Planet On The Table
Ariel was glad he had written his poems.
They were of a remembered time
Or of something seen that he liked.
Other makings of the sun
Were waste and welter
And the ripe shrub writhed.
His self and the sun were one
And his poems, although makings of his self,
Were no less makings of the sun.
It was not important that they survive.
What mattered was that they should bear
Some lineament or character,
Some affluence, if only half-perceived,
In the poverty of their words,
Of the planet of which they were part.
I should add the Ariel also calls to mind the Ariel of Shakespeare's The Tempest. There Ariel is a spirit, once trapped but freed to a new service to a new lord. The poet is a servant to imagination and to the world. So Ariel to me represents the soul of every poet and mostly to Stevens himself but there is definitely a reason why he chose that name.
The Planet On the Table unlocks with two keys: Planet is Steven's Collected Poems; Ariel is the poet, Wallace Stevens.
Superb analysis by Gary Witt. Great job helping keep poetry alive. Stevens is amazing.
A superb poem displaying a fantastic flight of imagery. Thanks for sharing.
The brief and clear explanation below by Dr W F Dougherty (a Wallace Stevens specialist) brings it all into focus.
Celestial and thought provoking. Deep thoughts and challenges.
Stevens chases the muse (the power of the imagination) and the song she sings (The Idea of Order at Key West) . Ariel is the planet revolving around his muse, the sun. He hopes the muse recognizes his tribute to the creative force (Not ideas about the Thing, but The Thing Itself) .
His self and the sun were one And his poems, although makings of his self, Were no less makings of the sun. Nicely written. Thanks for sharing it with us.10 for it.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/24/2024 10:51:28 AM # 1.0.0.1119
I am no scholar but would not Stevens have been familiar with T.S. Eliot's Ariel Poems. I believe Stevens is definitely using Ariel to mean poet and himself but also there seems to be an allusion to Eliot. The second verse sounds Wasteland-ish. Both Eliot and Stevens can be very difficult to grasp, only half perceived. But certainly they also bring Some lineament or character, Some affluence, if only half-perceived... Of the planet of which they were part.