Mimic Poem: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

 


Thirteen Ways Of Looking At A Blackbird

By: Wallace Stevens

I
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.
____________________________________________________________

Happy Year of the Rat By: Edith Dora Ray


  Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Rodent is my mimic poem of  Wallace Stevens Thirteen Ways Of Looking At A Blackbird. The object of this exercise was to experiment with the feel of Steven's poem.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Rodent

I
Among twenty snowy heads,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the rodent.

II
I was of three minds,
Like a pantry
In which there are three rodents.

III
The rodents scurried in the murky shadows.
It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV
A shrew and mouse
Are one.
A shrew and a mouse and a rodent
Are one.

V
I do not know which to prefer,
The splendor of varieties
Or the splendor of insinuations,
The rodent squeaking
Or just after.

VI
Thorns filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of the rodent
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An unintelligible cause.

VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine silver mice?
Do you not see how the rodent
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?

VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the rodent is involved
In what I know.

IX
When the rodent dashed out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.

X
At the sight of rodents
Scuttling in a green light,
Even the tramps of melody
Would sing out sharply.

XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his outfit
For rodents.

XII
The river is moving.
The rodent must be running.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The rodent sat
In the dank corners. ­

Stevens seems to not be particularly concerned with rhyme except for what naturally occurs, but he is keen towards repetition. Also, the only real connection between all thirteen "ways of looking" or stanzas of his poem is through the object of the Blackbird.