Cedar and jagged fir
uplift sharp barbs
against the gray
and cloud-piled sky;
and in the bay
blown spume and windrift
and thin, bitter spray
snap
at the whirling sky;
and the pine trees
lean one way.
A wild duck calls
to her mate,
and the ragged
and passionate tones
stagger and fall,
and recover,
and stagger and fall,
on these stones —
are lost
in the lapping of water
on smooth, flat stones.
This is a beauty
of dissonance,
this resonance
of stony strand,
this smoky cry
curled over a black pine
like a broken
and wind-battered branch
when the wind
bends the tops of the pines
and curdles the sky
from the north.
This is the beauty
of strength
broken by strength
and still strong.
In this free verse poem, snapshots of a wild landscape show that beauty and conflict are not mutually exclusive — and that one may be derived from the other.
1. The poet moves from one scene in nature to another. Read through the poem and “frame” each scene. How are they different in their descriptions of beauty? Which one is most remarkable to you, and why?
2. Read through the poem and point out the various uses of assonance and consonance. How do the persistent use of these devices contribute to the harmony of the piece?
3. Overall, what is the tone of this poem? What choices has the poet made to create that tone?
4. Considering your own reactions to the imagery, what choices would you make to ensure that each image is distinct and resonates in your own recitation? Use the tone list to help you decide.
5. Take the last stanza of "The Lonely Land" and use it as the first stanza in a poem of your own creation. How would you explore ideas of beauty, strength and conflict from your own experiences?
Useful Links
A short essay on the poem, from Queen’s University: http://post.queensu.ca/~mayr/montreal/lonely.html
Smith took inspiration for his poem from the famous Group of Seven painters, whose work fits into a longstanding tradition of representing Canada’s vast and rugged landscape in art. Here is a link to examples of the group’s paintings: http://www.group-of-seven.org/
A. J. M. Smith, “The Lonely Land” from Classic Shade (McClelland & Stewart, 1978). Copyright © 1978 A. J. M. Smith.