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I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—, then pushed her over the edge into the river. Technology, in this case cars and the man-made road, are seen as something invasive and harmful in this poem. Sad Poems, I thought hard for us all- my only swerving- , Nature Poems William Stafford, “Traveling through the Dark” from. Poets

What will the speaker do, what will the driver do? © 2020 Article Myriad. The driver is listening to the wilderness listening, around our group, which includes himself, the car, the doe and the fawn. William Stafford talking about and reading his poem, "Traveling Through the Dark." then pushed her over the edge into the river. I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—. Either way, he offers a matter of fact approach to this particular unfortunate creature's demise. For Kitchen, this poem deceptively simple and straightforward title of the poem by William Stafford, “Travelling Through the Dark” and its conversational style belie an incredibly deep sense of pain and guilt that the narrator suffers through. alive, still, never to be born. By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car. William Stafford talking about and reading his poem, "Traveling Through the Dark." I thought hard for us all- my only swerving- , It's not a particularly musical poem, or rhythmically inviting work - in fact there is a subtle counter flow in action as the middle two stanzas stumble and slow down, in contrast to the first and fourth and fifth, which are more fluid. The fourth quatrain concentrates on this break in time, the hesitation, which is profound and tempting. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'articlemyriad_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',341,'0','0']));There are multiple ways of perceiving the poem and the tensions between man and technology it presents. Traveling through the dark I found a deer dead on the edge of the Wilson River road. Take the last line: 'Then pushed her over the edge into the river, ' exactly echoes the sense - with the first cluster of stressed syllables suggesting the pushing and the last, rushing syllables suggesting the release and fall. My fingers touching her side brought me the reason-- her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting, alive, still, never to be born. and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing; Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made.

Rigor mortis is setting in, the doe has been a good while on the ground and there is nothing to do but drag her off. The car becomes a being, with red lights and exhaust, like a demonic breath, the driver turning red as he decides what to do.

I thought hard for us all--my only swerving--, then pushed her over the edge into the river. Traveling Through the Dark by William Stafford: Summary and Analysis In this poem Traveling Through the Dark the poet William Stafford describes how he was moved by the death of a pregnant doe when he was driving a car along the mountain road at night. Some dove somewhere. Does he toss the dead doe, swollen with a still alive unborn fawn, into the canyon? / It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: / that road is narrow; to swerve might then pushed her over the edge into the river. While his article examines the role of surrealism in this poem, this lending of human characteristics to nature and machines (and the reverse as well) is part of the surreal quality of the poem. His poems are published online and in print. It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead. His first major collection of poems, Traveling Through the Dark, was published when Stafford was forty-eight. Alliteration occurs in line 4 with might make more. The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights; I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red; around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.

The opposition between a motor and a man-made road and the natural world is obvious and the man must push the deer into the river, which is back into the circulation of the natural world. By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing; she had stiffened already, almost cold. Traveling through the dark is physical and thinking of rolling into the canyon is mental. It encourages the reader to think about their own position in the great scheme of things. But the speaker is adamant that the fawn will never see the light of day - stanza one confirms this fact - yet there is hesitation as the fate of that fawn is held alone in the mind of the driver who cared enough to stop. In William Stafford’s Traveling through the dark the narrator is faced with one of those circumstances dealing with morality where a decision must be made regarding a dead carcass. The deer turns out to be pregnant and this fact plays on the mind of the helper, who wants to keep the road safe yet cannot stop thinking about the fawn, still warm inside the mother. Or simply push the doe, the heap, down into the abyss. The deer turns out to be pregnant and this fact plays on the mind of the helper, who wants to keep the road safe yet cannot stop thinking about the fawn, still warm inside the mother.

Commemorating the life and poetry of William Stafford, The Hotel Oneira by August Kleinzahler and Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems by William Stafford. Beside that mountain road I hesitated. I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—.

I think the man made the right decision in not saving the unborn deer, had he saved it, it would have died of starvation and dehydration and so what he really did was save the deer from a brief painful life.

she had stiffened already, almost cold. This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.

It also shows the way that technology and man feel obligated to “do something" in nature, even if it is a service (like removing a dead deer from the road) and presents the way this is an uncomfortable task as it highlights the tensions between man and nature. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge... Recite this poem (upload your own video or voice file). I dragged her off; she was large in the belly. It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: He cannot come out and discuss the impact of car (technology) on the natural world, but skirts around it and discusses the deer as something entirely different and alien from the man-made elements surrounding her. But he has already decided that the deer will end up in the canyon as is the local tradition. Traveling through the dark I found a deer dead on the edge of the Wilson River road. The last line however is the catalyst for what's to come. I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red; Traveling through the dark I found a deerdead on the edge of the Wilson River road.It is usually best to roll them into the canyon. Stafford’s “ Traveling through the Dark ” consists of five unrimed stanzas. Almost unbearable. The swerving is a momentary change of thought but in the end the driver does the one thing he knew he had to do from the moment he stopped for that deer. - William Stafford. By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing; she … On the surface the poem is a traditional offering - four quatrains and a couplet - but delve deeper and there is much more to discover, as in many of William Stafford's poems. Dude, it's not a sonnet. This is all happening in the dark, symbolic of a spiritual darkness? Stafford didn't say that in the poem: he said a recent kill, and that may mean very recent; the deer was still warm!

Traveling through the Dark is a beautiful short piece by William Stafford depicting the conflict between the human mind and human heart that is the conflict between the mind, a sense of responsibility and the heart, the compassion and emotions of the poet.