Gubbinal
Gubbinal - meaning Summary
Perception Shapes the World
Stevens questions whether the world has fixed qualities or simply reflects our labels. The speaker mockingly offers others their negative descriptions—calling the sun a "strange flower," people "sad," the world "ugly"—and then surrenders: "Have it your way." The poem suggests perception imposes reality, exposing the contingency of meaning and the tension between imaginative naming and indifferent nature.
Read Complete AnalysesThat strange flower, the sun, Is just what you say. Have it your way. The world is ugly, And the people are sad. That tuft of jungle feathers, That animal eye, Is just what you say. That savage of fire, That seed, Have it your way. The world is ugly, And the people are sad.
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