But so as by Fire (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: George Oppen
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Nature, Forests or forestry, Disasters, Natural disasters, Fire, Trees, Life, philosophy of, Life and death, Light
The Poem
George Oppen’s “But so as by Fire” is a poem in free verse, its twenty-six short lines divided into thirteen verse paragraphs resembling brief phrases. The paragraphs, or phrases, vary in length from one to four lines. The title suggests an alternative to the effects of fire—effects achieved by something else as though “by fire.” Fire often triggers new growth, as seen, for example, in the forest after a fire. Another fitting example within the poem’s context is the rebirth of the mythological phoenix from the ashes of its own fiery death. The word...
[The entire page is 1577 words long]
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