A Given Day by W. S. Merwin
"A Given Day" is a poignant poem by W. S. Merwin, featured as the final piece in his collection, *The Vixen*. It captures a moment of awakening at dawn, transitioning from the earlier themes of darkness to the illuminating possibilities of a new day. The poem is characterized by its lack of punctuation and a fluid, dreamlike structure, where images and memories seamlessly intertwine. The speaker reflects on everyday experiences, such as walking on a bridge and cherishing memories of a friend, evoking a sense of nostalgia and connection to life. This lyrical narrative emphasizes the importance of small, yet significant moments, drawing attention to the beauty found in the mundane. The imagery often cycles back to autumn, culminating in the anticipation of winter, which symbolizes a time of rest and renewal. Overall, "A Given Day" invites readers to explore themes of memory, time, and the cyclical nature of life, offering a contemplative lens through which to view the changing seasons.
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A Given Day by W. S. Merwin
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1996 (collected in The Vixen, 1996)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“A Given Day” is the final poem in The Vixen. It is written in the same form as all the poems in that collection, and all the poems seem to flow into one another with similar tones and images, so that the reader who reaches “A Given Day” has already experienced many days in this lyrical narrative. As with many other poems in The Vixen, “A Given Day” returns to autumn, but here the speaker in the poem is waking at first light. Where once the speaker was concerned with darkness or shadows, as in “Ancestral Voices,” now the poem is concentrated on that moment of dawn.
There is no punctuation, and the first word is the only capitalized one. This poem is the beginning of a new day in which the poet remembers daily things—walking on a bridge, “thinking of a friend while she was still alive,” being in a room with friends, and the eyes of animals. These small things are fused into each other like in a dream. Each line is enjambed into the next line, and each image flows into the next image. In the end, the rising day and all memory leads onward to winter. The reader might feel a sense of relief as the dying season of autumn finally comes to a close, for winter is a time of rest.
Bibliography
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