O Florida, Venereal Soil
O Florida, Venereal Soil - context Summary
Harmonium, 1923 Florida Visits
Published in 1923 in Harmonium, the poem springs from Stevens’ frequent visits to Florida, especially Key West. It catalogs tropical flora, local characters and nocturnal scenes to present Florida as a sensuous, sometimes troubling presence—addressed as "venereal soil" and a tormenting lover. The poem moves between vivid local detail and an almost mythic address, folding place, desire and cultural encounter into a compact lyrical portrait.
Read Complete AnalysesA few things for themselves, Convolvulus and coral, Buzzards and live-moss, Tiestas from the keys, A few things for themselves, Florida, venereal soil, Disclose to the lover. The dreadful sundry of this world, The Cuban, Polodowsky, The Mexican women, The negro undertaker Killing the time between corpses Fishing for crayfish... Virgin of boorish births, Swiftly in the nights, In the porches of Key West, Behind the bougainvilleas, After the guitar is asleep, Lasciviously as the wind, You come tormenting, Insatiable, When you might sit, A scholar of darkness, Sequestered over the sea, Wearing a clear tiara Of red and blue and red, Sparkling, solitary, still, In the high sea-shadow. Donna, donna, dark, Stooping in indigo gown And cloudy constellations, Conceal yourself or disclose Fewest things to the lover-- A hand that bears a thick-leaved fruit, A pungent bloom against your shade.
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