15 pages 30 minutes read

Messenger

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2006

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Poem Analysis

Analysis: “Messenger”

Mary Oliver begins her poem by stating “My work is loving the world” (Line 1). Oliver immediately inserts herself into the poem as the speaker, fully owning that her work in this lifetime has nothing to do with labor or expectations but is to simply “lov[e]” (Line 1) the world, just as it is. When Oliver begins this poem with “[m]y,” the reader is immediately prompted to allow her to bring them along for whatever wisdom she may bring. The “my” indicates that this poem is in first person; this, one can presume that the speaker and the poet—in this case—are the same. Oliver does not overtly impose her personal world view onto the reader; she simply states what her “work” (Line 1) is. This allows the reader to slip into Oliver’s dream-like descriptions of everyday life. “The sunflowers” and “the hummingbird” (Line 2) are highlighted as “equal seekers of sweetness” (Line 3), rather than mundane images of nature. The speaker notes that while seemingly different, the flower and the bird are equals in unexpected ways. This is a metaphor echoed throughout the poem as the speaker continues to highlight how much seemingly disparate elements of nature and humanity are in fact very much alike.

Most of the imagery in this poem is of nature and natural landscapes, which is woven into the fabric of home life as well. The juxtaposition of “the sunflowers” and “the hummingbird” (Line 2) next to the image of “quickening yeast” (Line 4) invites the reader to picture both outdoor and indoor scenes at once. Oliver deliberately blurs the lines between what can bring humans delight both inside and outside of the home. She does this to invite the reader into an understanding of the home as an artificial barrier between what is outside: Humans are a part of the natural world, no matter what physical space they occupy. Oliver’s repeated use of the words “here” (Lines 2, 4, 5) and “there” (Lines 2, 4) assists the reader in seamlessly jumping from image to image, regardless of how unrelated the images may seem. It’s as if the speaker is simply pointing to what is around her in a way that casually invites the reader to see the surroundings as simultaneously ordinary and beautiful. The first stanza closes with “[h]ere the clam deep in the speckled sand” (Line 5). This specific image is something which the speaker cannot see, but must imagine; therefore, the reader now delves into the speaker’s thoughts in conjunction with being privy to her visual observations.

In the second stanza the speaker asks: “Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? / Am I no longer young […]” (Lines 6-7). The reader is removed from the dream-like sequence of images and invited to witness the inner dialogue of the speaker, which allows an intimate perspective into the speaker’s mind. The speaker’s series of rhetorical questions are introspective and seem to touch on subjects that may be troubling her.

In the third stanza, the speaker says that “work / […] is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished” (Lines 9-11). Oliver’s use of the word “astonished”—which is the only word comprising Line 11—is significant in creating a point of emphasis for the reader. She isn’t simply awed by nature and the world around her—it is more than that. The somewhat mundane imagery she offers thus far in the poem “astonishes” her, if she is only willing to let go of those meaningless issues like her “coat” being “torn” (Line 6) so she can focus on the beauty all around her. The speaker continues by returning to her original mode, pointing out images of nature, and ends the stanza by stating that along with “learning to be / astonished” (Lines 10-11), her work is also to “rejoic[e], since all the ingredients are here” (Line 14). Instead of getting caught up in what she does not have or what is imperfect, the speaker states, “all the ingredients are here” (Line 14) as a reminder to herself that she has everything she needs for a good life. This calls back the line in the first stanza about “the quickening yeast” (Line 4) as an ingredient that is both living and life-giving as sustenance. There is bread being made, ripe fruit to eat, nature all around—there’s nothing missing, and that is enough reason to “rejoic[e]” (Line 14).

In the last stanza, the speaker adds that her work is also “gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart / and these body-clothes” (Lines 15-16). Again, the speaker turns away from the negative inner dialogue of the second stanza and turns toward being grateful to have boots, to have a coat at all, and to have a mind and a heart, regardless of age or perceived imperfection. The speaker continues giving gratitude for “a mouth with which to give shouts of joy / to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam / telling them all, over and over, how it is / that we live forever” (Lines 17-20). In these last lines, the meaning of the poem widens to encompass the vast wonder the speaker experiences by living in her work. By dedicating herself to “love” (Line 1) and to experiencing joy and choosing “gratitude” (Line 15), the speaker “tell[s]” (Line 19) the nature all around her how to be infinite. In doing this she invites the reader and the nature that surrounds her into the folds of her soul. The “we” (Line 20) here pertains to all living things. The speaker realized that “we live forever” (Line 20) by being present, observant, and grateful in every moment. The irony is that “the moth and the wren [and] the sleepy dug-up clam” (Line 18) already understand how to be so. In fact, she has learned this from them, from witnessing them and allowing herself to be “astonished” (Line 10) by their beauty in every single moment of her life. It is through her presence of loving the world in its effortless splendor that the speaker ultimately finds herself living forever among, and as one with, the bucolic beauty of nature, regardless of her aging body and clothes and despite her inevitable physical death.

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