Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.
II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds.
III
The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.
IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and a blackbird
Are one.
V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.
VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.
VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how the blackbird
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?
VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the blackbird is involved
In what I know.
IX
When the blackbird flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.
X
At the sight of blackbirds
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.
XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For blackbirds.
XII
The river is moving.
The blackbird must be flying.
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
Artists’ Intent:
I believe this poem was written about God or a higher state of being. Each picture is my own translation of each stanza, aligning a concept of God to Wallace’s words. The stanzas have been centered in div elements that darken when the mouse is hovered over them, alluding to the idea that intent becomes clear with more focused attention. I hope you have enjoyed my take on this classic poem. Below, I have listed out my thought process pertaining to each stanza.
Blackbirds, seen by God.
The three minds of God.
The lines of the poem have the structure of a Japanese haiku.
A photo of the Temple of Love, Khajuraho.
An implication of the bird’s song, birds as music notes.
Time is a long window, the pendulum moving back and forth, indecipherable to man.
False Gods and golden calves.
The many tongues and praises of God.
The sight of God, circular and without end.
Sinners before God. A bawd is a woman who runs a brothel. Mary Magdalene.
Fearful people cast judgement upon other. They throw stones through glass houses.