Poetry Analysis

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Mayakovsky

Original Poetry

Translation

crying. Mom, mom

My heart’s aflutter!

who am I? If he

I am standing in the bath tub

would just come back once

crying. Mother, mother

and kiss me on the face

who am I? If he

his rough hair brushing

will just come back once

my temple, it's pounding!

and kiss me on the face

his coarse hair brush

my temple, it’s throbbing!

then I can put on my clothes

then I can get dressed

I guess, and walk the streets.

I guess, and walk outside.

I love you. I love you,

but I'm turning to my poems

but I’m turning to my verses

and my heart is closing

like a fist.

Words! be

sick as I am sick, swoon,

as sick as I am, faint,

roll back your eyes, a pool,

and I’ll stare down

and I'll look down

at my wounded beauty

which at best is only a talent

which is only a knack

for poetry.

Cannot please, cannot charm or win

what a poet!

and the clear water is thick

with bloody blows on its head.

with bloody hits on its head.

I embrace a cloud,

I hug a cloud,

but when I soared

but when I flew

it rained.

That's funny! there's blood on my chest

That’s funny! there’s blood on my chest

oh yes, I've been carrying bricks

oh yes, I’ve been carrying bricks

what a strange place to break!

what a funny place to rupture!

and now it is raining on the tree

and now it is raining on the ailanthus

as I step out onto the window ledge

the tracks below me are smoky and

shining with a desire to run

glistening with a passion for running

I jump into the leaves, green like the sea

I leap into the leaves, green like the sea

Now I am quietly waiting for

the disaster of my personality

the catastrophe of my personality

to seem beautiful again,

and interesting, and modern.

The country is grey and

brown and white in trees,

snows and skies of laughter

always diminishing, less funny

always getting less, less funny

not just darker, not just grey.

It may be the coldest day of

the year, what does he think of

that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,

perhaps I am myself again.

maybe I am myself again.

Explanation

Frank O'Hara's poem 'Mayakovsky' is a deeply personal and introspective piece that reflects the poet's emotional turmoil and search for identity. The poem is structured in four parts, each exploring different facets of the poet's inner life. In the first section, the speaker experiences a crisis of identity, longing for the return of a loved one to provide comfort and clarity. The second section reveals a tension between love and the poet's dedication to his craft, as his heart closes off to emotions while he turns to writing. The third section introduces a surreal and humorous imagery of physical rupture, symbolizing the poet's internal conflict and the burdens he carries. The final section reflects a quiet resignation and hope for self-acceptance, as the poet waits for his personality to be seen as beautiful and modern once more. Throughout the poem, O'Hara employs vivid imagery, metaphor, and a conversational tone to convey the complexity of human emotions and the struggle to reconcile one's inner and outer worlds.

Word Dictionary9

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
aflutter	excited, agitated	feeling nervous or excited	af-lut-ter
throbbing	pulsing, beating	pounding strongly	throb-bing
swoon	faint, collapse	to lose consciousness	swoon
wounded	injured, hurt	hurt	wound-ed
catastrophe	disaster, calamity	a big disaster	ca-tas-tro-phe
ailanthus	a type of tree	a tree called the tree of heaven	ai-lan-thus
glistening	shining, sparkling	shining brightly	glis-ten-ing
personality	character, identity	what makes someone unique	per-son-al-i-ty
modern	contemporary, current	related to now	mod-ern

Poet & Context

PoetFrank O'Hara

Era20th Century

Frank O'Hara (1926–1966) was an American poet and art critic, prominent in New York City's art world. A leading figure in the New York School, his poetry is known for its personal tone and immediacy, often capturing the vibrancy of urban life.

View on Wikipedia

When1957

WhyThe poem is part of O'Hara's collection 'Meditations in an Emergency' and reflects his personal and emotional experiences, possibly inspired by the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. It explores themes of identity, love, and the struggle of the poetic self.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

IdentityLoveArtistic StruggleExistential Crisis

Literary devices

Metaphor: The poet uses metaphors like 'my heart is closing like a fist' to convey emotional states.Imagery: Vivid imagery is present throughout, such as 'blood on my chest' and 'glistening with a passion for running'.Personification: Words are asked to 'be sick as I am sick', giving them human-like qualities.Irony: The poem contains ironic statements, such as 'what a funny place to rupture!'Symbolism: The 'catastrophe of my personality' symbolizes the poet's internal conflict and search for identity.