A Nice Shady Home by Wallace Stevens
"A Nice Shady Home" by Wallace Stevens is a poem that explores the life of Crispin, a character who transitions from a restless seeker of grand ideas to a contented realist. Initially, Crispin is depicted as a hermit who might have pursued ambitious dreams beyond familiar territories. However, he settles into a simpler life, embracing the tangible and immediate aspects of his surroundings. The poem reflects on the nature of reality and the acceptance of what is, rather than what could be. Crispin's journey is marked by a shift from grandiose aspirations to finding satisfaction in the mundane, symbolized by his cabin and daily routines. The poem questions the significance of individual ambition in the broader context of the world and suggests that true contentment lies in accepting and appreciating the present. Through Crispin's transformation, Stevens delves into themes of realism, contentment, and the philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence.
By Wallace Stevens · First published 1923 · Genre: Modernist Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Surrealism · 1,077 words
First lines
Crispin as hermit, pure and capable, Dwelt in the land. Perhaps if discontent Had kept him still the pricking realist, Choosing his element from droll confect Of was and is and shall or ought to be, Beyond Bordeaux, beyond Havana, far Beyond carked Yucatan, he might have come To colonize his polar planterdom And jig his chits upon a cloudy knee. But his emprize to that idea soon sped. Crispin dwelt in the land and dwelling there Slid from his continent by slow recess To things within his actual eye, alert To the difficulty of rebellious thought When the sky is blue. The blue infected will. It may be that the yarrow in his fields Sealed pensive purple under its concern. But day by day, now this thing and now that Confined him, while it cosseted, condoned, Little by little, as if the suzerain soil Abashed him by carouse to humble yet Attach. It seemed haphazard denouement. He first, as realist, admitted that Whoever hunts a matinal continent May, after all, stop short before a plum And be content and still be realist. The words of things entangle and confuse. The plum survives its poems. It may hang In the sunshine placidly, colored by ground Obliquities of those who pass beneath, Harlequined and mazily dewed and mauved In bloom. Yet it survives in its own form, Beyond these changes, good, fat, guzzly fruit. So Crispin hasped on the surviving form, For him, of shall or ought to be in is.
What this Textopian page supports
A Nice Shady Home is listed on Textopian as a poem by Wallace Stevens, 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: Wallace Stevens
- Date: 1923 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Surrealism, Absurdist Literature, Philosophical Fiction
- Length: 1,077 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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Genres
- Modernist Poetry — The work employs innovative language, fragmented narrative, and existential themes characteristic of modernist poetry.
- Metaphysical Poetry — It interrogates abstract ideas and explores the interplay between reality and imagination, echoing the tradition of metaphysical inquiry.
- Surrealism — The text utilizes dreamlike, illogical juxtapositions and bizarre imagery that align with surrealist aesthetics.
- Absurdist Literature — Its playful yet profound exploration of meaning and rationality reflects themes common in absurdist literature.
Tags
modernism · poetic · symbolic · imagery · abstract · philosophical · surreal · visionary · introspective · existential · aesthetic · subtle