Symbol Analysis
Throughout the poem, there's a stark contrast between how the external (or surface) world is described and how the internal (or conscious) world of the speaker is portrayed. Kunitz is establishing a compelling juxtaposition (side-by-side comparison) between these two spaces. The external world is filled with fleeting, decaying, and messy things (a big pile of death and destruction, basically). On the other hand, the internal world of the speaker is filled with constant, renewing, and centered things (dare we say immortal and everlasting?).
- Line 4: The first constant and positive force appears here with "principle of being." This could be a nifty way of saying, "Be true to yourself." It also suggests aligning with deeper, otherworldly sources, and that comes to light as the poem develops.
- Line 14: We don't know about you, but "abandoned camp-sites" trickling smoke into the air is imagery that carries bleak connotations for us. The idea of abandonment relates to some kind of ending or termination, like life was snuffed out or those living ran away (wow, that's depressing).
- Line 15: If scavengers eat dead things and angels are immortals from some celestial plane, then "scavenger angels" must be cleaning up the mortal mess left at those deserted camp-sites. It's not a pretty picture, but it's an apt way to say that transience is a drag.
- Line 19: As the speaker considers his previous "earthly" attachments in life, he realizes that his "tribe is scattered." In other words, his old "affections" are strewn about and in disarray over many time periods and places. This is another example of the external world being characterized as "a mess" and there's more to come.
- Line 23: To make matters worse, the speaker's dead friends are described as "manic dust" that blows around and stings his face. Dust, or ash, swirling is yet another metaphor for a superficial life being chaotic and without direction. Manic dust sure doesn't sound like a happy way to go.
- Line 28: When the speaker turns away from the "manic dust" of his old friends, he's no longer sad but stoked, with his "will intact" to carry on. A strong will (defined as the faculty of conscious or deliberate action) is universally associated with a steadfast, centered, and productive perspective.
- Line 34: Back on the surface, when the speaker recalls losing his way, he must navigate "through wreckage." Wreckage is synonymous with (or the same thing as) a trash heap of stuff that's been destroyed. Abandoned places, manic dust, and now wreckage? Bad times, gang.
- Line 37: Instructions don't get more frank than "Live in the layers" falling from a voice in the sky. Note how "layers" and the adverb "in" imply seeking interior depth for positive guidance here.
- Line 38: On the flipside of the coin, line 38 follows with "not on the litter." Note how "litter" and the adverb "on" serve as an analogy for superficial life being full of unnecessary, negative debris. (See "Sound Check" for an elaboration on the slant rhyme, cadence, and alliteration up in here.)
- Line 42: This last metaphor in the poem is a constant, just chillin' in the internal, conscious side of space. The speaker's "book of transformations" stands for a life of continuous growth and renewal to look forward to. Where's the death and dismay? Oh yeah, this is the "happy place."