Nov 14, 2009
“The Bath” illustrates how the experience of fatherhood has provided Snyder with new perspectives on the interrelationship between the bodies of humans and the ecological “body” of nature.
The poem begins with a vivid description of Snyder giving his older son, Kai, a bath in the sauna at their backwoods home. The poet's mood is relaxed, yet also attentive to details of his son's body and how that body relates to his own. When Snyder washes his son's penis, it surprises him by becoming erect. Yet rather than becoming embarrassed or anxious, Snyder is amused and...
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