The Blue Symphony (John Gould Fletcher)
The Blue Symphony follows a solitary speaker through a shifting landscape of dawn, gardens, water, upland meadows, brooks, temples, palaces, and mountains. As darkness lifts with rain and cloud, the speaker confronts old sunken gardens, autumnal wreckage, shadowy roofs, pools, rotted wood, and a crying heron, while recalling the glittering pagodas of the soul. The speaker travels alone through meadows after dreaming of someone who waits for him. He asks flowers, blossoms, and rocks whether they know where she is, imagines grass prepared for her dancing feet, and longs to race with the clouds toward high sunlit slopes. Yet beyond black valleys stand blue-white mountains described as ranges of death, bringing solitude and silence. At a brook, mysterious presences chuckle, rage, whisper, vanish, and spread enticing ripples over the water. Asked what they have hidden, the sour sprites answer that the beloved lies forever in the palace of the blue stone, bound hand and foot. The speaker remains uncertain whether this message is real or merely wind rattling dry reeds. He then sees a temple and a palace on opposite sides of a glittering tide, with scarlet-clad foot-passengers crossing above the old river. Having witnessed the recurring news of autumn and spring, he dreams from his own palace of pilgrims of Autumn crossing the river, lotus petals floating in pools, and silks spread for his ease. But the setting sun and the thought of friends who will soon forget him compel him onward toward the blue death-mountains. His last treasure and the hope of his heart lie forever in marsh grasses as ice forms, lanterns flutter, snow rests on leaves, and an old temple bell tolls in the frosty evening. He hopes his soul may hear before he slips into darkness.
By John Gould Fletcher · First published 1920 · Genre: Poetry, Modernism, Imagism · 749 words
First lines
The darkness rolls upward.
The thick darkness carries with it / Rain and a ravel of cloud.
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The Blue Symphony (John Gould Fletcher) is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Gould Fletcher, dated 1920 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Gould Fletcher
- Date: 1920 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Modernism, Imagism, Literary Fiction
- Length: 749 words
- Structure: 1 section, 44 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Blue Symphony (John Gould Fletcher) by John Gould Fletcher
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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Genres
- Poetry — John Gould Fletcher is known primarily as a poet and D.H. Lawrence, recognized for his poetry contributions, has curated this collection
- Modernism — Both Fletchers and Lawrences's works reflect themes common in modernist literature, such as disillusionment, fragmented narrative, and the rejection of traditional literary forms
- Imagism — Fletcher was a notable contributor to the Imagist movement, which focused on precise, clear, and sharp language. Lawrence was also associated with this literary movement
- Literary Fiction — Both writers' works are often categorized as literary fiction due to their focus on styling, psychological depth, and introspective characters
Tags
poetry · modernism · nature · emotion · symbolism · impressionism · art · music · spirituality · existentialism · beauty · transcendence