Wash of Cold River
The poem explores the speaker's emotional state after a breakup, using imagery and metaphor to convey feelings of loss and longing. The river serves as a symbol for the passage of time and the fleeting nature of human connections. The speaker reflects on memories of the past relationship, acknowledging its impermanence and the pain that remains.
By Hilda Doolittle · First published 1923 · Genre: Poetry, Imagism, Modernism · 182 words
First lines
_Wash of cold river in a glacial land, Ionian water, chill, snow-ribbed sand, drift of rare flowers, clear, with delicate shell- like leaf enclosing frozen lily-leaf, camellia texture, colder than a rose; _
_wind-flower that keeps the breath of the north-wind -- these and none other; _
_intimate thoughts and kind reach out to share the treasure of my mind, intimate hands and dear draw garden-ward and sea-ward all the sheer rapture that I would take to mould a clear and frigid statue; _
_rare, of pure texture, beautiful space and line, marble to grace your inaccessible shrine._
What this Textopian page supports
Wash of Cold River is listed on Textopian as a poem by Hilda Doolittle, dated 1923 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Hilda Doolittle
- Date: 1923 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Imagism, Modernism
- Length: 182 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Confusing
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Wash of Cold River by Hilda Doolittle
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Wash of Cold River?
- How does this poem by Hilda Doolittle fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Poetry first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, utilizing poetic devices such as imagery, metaphor, and rhythm.
- Imagism — The poem exemplifies the Imagist movement with its focus on clear, precise imagery and concise language.
- Modernism — The themes and style reflect Modernist characteristics, including a break from traditional forms and an emphasis on individual perception.
Tags
Modernist poetry · Imagism movement · Nature imagery · River symbolism · Coldness and isolation · Emotional detachment · Stream-of-consciousness narrative · Free verse form · Experimentation with language · Sensory details · Visual imagery · Symbolic landscape