Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ST. FRANCIS EINSTEIN OF THE DAFFODILS (FIRST VERSION), by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ST. FRANCIS EINSTEIN OF THE DAFFODILS (FIRST VERSION), by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: In march's black boat / einstein and april
Last Line: Shaking the flowers!
Subject(s): Mathematics; Statue Of Liberty


In March's black boat
Einstein and April
have come at the time in fashion
up out of the sea
through the rippling daffodils
in the foreyard of
the dead Statue of Liberty
whose stonearms
are powerless against them
the Venusremembering wavelets
breaking into laughter --

Sweet Land of Liberty,
at last, in the end of time,
Einstein has come by force of
complicated mathematics
among the tormented fruit trees
to buy freedom
for the daffodils
till the unchained orchards
shake their tufted flowers --
Yiddishe springtime!

At the time in fashion
Einstein has come
bringing April in his head
up from the sea
in Thomas March Jefferson's
black boat bringing
freedom under the dead
Statue of Liberty
to free the daffodils in
the water which sing:
Einstein has remembered us
Savior of the daffodils!

A twig for all the dead!
shout the dark maples
in the tearing wind, shaking
pom-poms of green flowers --
April Einstein has come
to liberate us
here among
the Venusremembering daffodils
Yiddishe springtime of the mind
and a great pool of rainwater
under
the blossomy peachtrees.

April Einstein
through the blossomy waters
rebellious, laughing
under liberty's dead arm
has come among the daffodils
shouting
that flowers and men
were created
relatively equal.
Oldfashioned knowledge is
dead under the blossoming peachtrees.

Einstein, tall as a violet
in the latticearbor corner
is tall as a blossomy
peartree! The shell
of the world is split
and from under the sea
Einstein has emerged
triumphant, St. Francis
of the daffodils!

O Samos, Samos
dead and buried. Lesbia is
a black cat in the freshturned
garden. All dead.
All flesh that they have sung
is long since rotten.
Sing of it no longer.
Sing of Einstein's
Yiddishe peachtrees, sing of
sleep among the cherryblossoms.
Sing of wise newspapers
that quote the great mathematician:
A little touch of
Einstein in the night --

Side by side the young and old
trees take the sun together,
the maples, green and red
according to their kind,
yellowbells and the
vermillion quinceflower together --
The tall peartree with
foetid blossoms
sways its high topbranches
with contrary motions and green
has come out of the wood
upon them also --

The mathematics grow complex:
there are both pinkflowered
and coralflowered peachtrees
in the bare chickenyard
of the old negro
with white hair who hides
poisoned fish-heads
here and there
where stray cats find them --
find them -- find them.

O spring days, swift
and mutable, wind blowing
four ways, hot and cold.
Now the northeast wind,
moving in fogs, leaves the grass
cold and dripping. The night
is dark but in the night
the southeast wind approaches.
It is April and Einstein!
The owner of the orchard
lies in his bed
with the windows wide
and throws off his covers
one by one.

It is Einstein
out of complicated mathematics
among the daffodils --
spring winds blowing
four ways, hot and cold,
shaking the flowers!





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