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The poem
There, in the earliest and chary spring, the dogwood flowers.
Unharnessed in the friendly sunday air
By the red brambles, on the river bluffs,
Clerks and their choices pair.
Thrive by, not near, masked all away by shrub and
juniper,
The ford v eight, racing the chevrolet.
They can not trouble her:
Her breasts, helped open from the afforded lace,
lie like a peaceful lake;
And on his mouth she breaks her gentleness:
Oh, wave them awake!
They are not of the birds. Such innocence
Brings us whole to break us only:
Theirs are not happy words.
We that are human cannot hope.
Our tenderest joys oblige us most.
No chain so cuts the bone; and sweetest silk most
shrewdly strangles.
How this must end, that now please love were ended,
In kitchens, bedfights, silences, women's-pages,
Sickness of heart before goldlettered doors,
Stale flesh, hard collars, agony in antiseptic corridors,
Spankings, remonstrances, fishing trips, orange juice,
Policies, incapacities, a chevrolet,
Scorn of their children, kind contempt exchanged,
Recalls, tears, second honeymoons, pity,
Shouted corrections of missed syllables,
Hot water bags, gallstones, falls down stairs,
Stammerings, soft foods, confusion of personalities,
Oldfashioned christmases, suspicions of theft,
Arrangements with morticians taken care of by sons in
law,
Small rooms beneath the gables of brick bungalows,
The tumbler smashed, the glance between daughter and
husband,
The empty body in the lonely bed
And, in the empty concrete porch, blown ash
Grandchildren wandering the betraying sun
Now, on the winsome crumbling shelves of the horror
God show, God blind these children!
The Analysis
"Sunday: Outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee" by James Agee is a complex and poignant poem that delves into themes of innocence, love, and the harsh realities of life. The poem paints a vivid picture of a moment in time, set in the early spring on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee.
The poem begins with a serene image of dogwood flowers in bloom, evoking a sense of beauty and renewal. This imagery of nature in bloom contrasts with the darker themes that unfold later in the poem.
The central focus of the poem is a couple, described as "Clerks and their choices pair," who are enjoying a moment of intimacy by the river bluffs. The woman is described in a state of peacefulness, her breasts "helped open from the afforded lace," while the man is described as gentle. The imagery here suggests a moment of quiet intimacy and connection between the couple.
However, the tone of the poem shifts dramatically in the latter half, as Agee explores the harsh realities that await the couple and all humanity. The speaker reflects on the inevitable challenges and hardships of life, from mundane struggles like "kitchens, bed fights, silences" to more profound existential dilemmas like "sickness of heart before gold lettered doors." Agee uses a series of vivid and often grim images to convey the complexities and difficulties of human existence.
The poem concludes with a stark and haunting image of "Grandchildren wandering the betraying sun," suggesting a sense of disillusionment and loss of innocence. The final lines, "Now, on the winsome crumbling shelves of the horror / God show, God blind these children!" convey a sense of despair and resignation, as the speaker grapples with the harsh realities of life and the loss of innocence.
Overall, "Sunday: Outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee" is a powerful and evocative poem that explores the tension between innocence and experience, beauty and hardship. Through its vivid imagery and poignant reflections, the poem invites readers to contemplate the complexities of human existence and the fragility of life.
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