Of the Surface of Things
Of the Surface of Things - context Summary
Published in Harmonium 1923
Published in Stevens’ first book Harmonium (1923), the three short sections present quick, imagistic scenes that foreground perception over explanation. The speaker acknowledges limited comprehension but records concrete, sometimes surprising images—a pared landscape, a balcony-inscribed line, and a shifting color/gesture sequence—inviting readers to accept surface impressions as their own access to meaning rather than seeking a single, deeper account.
Read Complete AnalysesI In my room, the world is beyond my understanding; But when I walk I see that it consists of three or four hills and a cloud. II From my balcony, I survey the yellow air, Reading where I have written, "The spring is like a belle undressing." III The gold tree is blue, The singer has pulled his cloak over his head. The moon is in the folds of the cloak.
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