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The speaker of ‘The Wild Iris’ describes what it means to live, die, and be reborn throughout the poem’s short words. As a flower, they’ve gone through the cycle an infinite number of times. It’s a battle with a finish line, a light at the end of the tunnel. They understand what it’s like to be buried alive and survive without a voice, only to reclaim that voice as the earth bends. While the speaker is discussing a flower, the ramifications for humanity and the human soul are evident. This poem can also be taken as a metaphor for a mental or emotional rebirth rather than a physical one.
Structure of wild iris
Louise Glück’s poem ‘The Wild Iris’ is a twenty-three line poem divided into unequal stanzas. These can be anywhere from one to five lines long. Glück used a free verse style of writing in which he did not utilise a fixed metrical rhythm or rhyme scheme. However, this does not rule out the use of rhyme, rhythm, and other literary devices in the poetry.
Analysis of the wild iris
Lines 1-7
The speaker of ‘The Wild Iris’ begins with a simple statement in the first lines. Enjambment is a technique that allows it to be spread across two lines. Both darkness and brightness are alluded to in this statement. The speaker, who might or might not be a flower, suffered, but “there was a door” at the end. The door represents happiness, hope, and serenity. The usage of the word “door” further perplexes the speaker’s identity. It’s unclear who she is or what she’s been through.
In the second verse, the speaker invites the reader to “Hear [her] out.” These words grab the reader’s attention and establish the importance of the following sentences. They claim that they recall “death.” However, that “death” is not how they see it. The speaker’s point of view complicates the memory. They are reminded of “that which you name death.” Their perception differs from that of the reader. This lends credence to the idea that the speaker is a flower.
The speaker pulls the reader out of a metaphorical world and into a physical one in the third verse, or so it appears. They describe the “weak sun” and the noises in a natural environment, which is a good example of auditory imagery. The branches are blowing in the breeze, and then there is “nothing.” This could relate to the speaker’s mental blank space, impending death, or silence.
Lines 8-15
The speaker continues in the next stanza of ‘The Wild Iris,’ saying that it is “awful to survive / as consciousness” when buried in the soil. This is a bleak and terrifying image that conjures up visions of people being buried alive. The flower at the centre of this poem, if it exists, would be buried in the dark dirt in order to grow, something that is not afraid but life-giving. It’s worth thinking about why the speaker calls this process “awful.” These sentences are a good example of personification in either case.
In the eleventh and twelfth lines, the speaker’s isolation from the brightness of the world and life is still present. They are present but unable to communicate with us. They don’t have a voice, which would be terrifying for any person. There is a link being formed here between the flower’s experience and what a human reader can comprehend.
The era of being unable to speak finally comes to an end, and the earth bends as the flower pushes its way through it. The speaker recounts how they previously thought the sounds they heard above ground were mysterious, now that she understands they were birds. The reader is urged to visualise the sound of birds flying as it may be heard underground, which is an excellent use of imagery. The image of the birds is significant. It is most likely a symbol for the human soul, freedom, and serenity in this circumstance.
Lines 16-23
The speaker begins the sixth stanza by reminding the reader that they have been narrating a death story. “You,” the reader, will have no recollection of what it was like to pass from one realm to the next, from the darkness before life to the light. This speaker, however, does. This speaker, like a flower, understands rebirth, life, and death because they go through it every spring. This is emphasised in the following sentences. The “oblivion” referred to by the speaker is only temporary.
The speaker expresses the essence of what it means to die and live again in the final lines. The image of a “huge fountain, deep blue” is used to accomplish this. This is the speaker’s voice telling the reader that this fountain of water originates from their “heart.” These lyrics, while not totally clear, most likely portray the moment when this flower/speaker comes back to life. All species have had this experience, which they are capable of remembering and repeating.
Conclusion
Louise Glück’s poem “The Wild Iris” is a complex and symbolic poem on dying told through the eyes of a flower.
The speaker of ‘The Wild Iris’ describes what it means to live, die, and be reborn throughout the poem’s short words. As a flower, they’ve gone through the cycle an infinite number of times. It’s a battle with a finish line, a light at the end of the tunnel. While the speaker is discussing a flower, the ramifications for humanity and the human soul are evident. This poem can also be taken as a metaphor for a mental or emotional rebirth rather than a physical one.
Louise Glück’s poem ‘The Wild Iris’ is a twenty-three line poem divided into unequal stanzas. These can be anywhere from one to five lines long. Glück used a free verse style of writing in which he did not utilise a fixed metrical rhythm or rhyme scheme. However, this does not rule out the use of rhyme, rhythm, and other literary devices in the poetry.
