[AZ Foreman]

Has anybody ever noticed that Wallace Stevens' "The Red Wheelbarrow" is actually two lines of rather unremarkable blank verse, and Stevens' real trick was to just enjamb the bejeezus out of them?

[Roger Slater]

Yes, but I think you mean William Carlos Williams.

[Ed Shacklee]

Stevens, Williams -- what's in a name? It is an interesting trick Williams pulled off, though. I don't think anyone else has managed it to get as much out of line breaks as he did there. Did he ever speak about it?

Best,

Ed

[W.F. Lantry]

AZ,

Did you mean Williams? Using my super-hyper-cool mod powers, derived from the admittedly rather painful bite of a radioactive spider, I could change the thread title, if you wish. Just let me know.

Best,

Bill

[E. Shaun Russell]

Oddly enough, I just made the same embarrassing mistake last month, attributing "The Red Wheelbarrow" to Stevens instead of Williams.

I wouldn't call it two lines of blank verse, however. No matter which way you look at it, you can't force it into IP (or I can't, at least).

[Orwn Acra]

Not my favorite poem or poet, but not every poem has to do everything, and this one effectively enjambs the lines to bring out the music of the disyllables: upon / barrow / water / chickens.

Anyway, it's not a new argument by any means.

[ross hamilton hill]

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

Here it is, I like 'glazed with rain'. Did it break new ground when it was written, re the enjambment. I haven't read it before. Not sure how I feel about it, grows on you in an annoying way.

[Martin Elster]

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

The first 4 lines are strict IP. The next four are a bit looser, but still have 5 beats. The line has a few substitutions.

so MUCH / de PENDS / up ON / a red / WHEEL BAR / (row)
GLAZED / with RAIN / WAT er / be SIDE / the white CHICK / (ens)

Besides the enjambments on disyllables, a couple of other features are interesting:

1. The poem may be an example of concrete or shape poetry. Each stanza looks like, or makes you think of, a wheelbarrow. So the poem is made up of four wheelbarrows.

2. “Glazed with rain water” is the only metaphor in the poem. Not “wet” with rain water, but “glazed,” a word normally used more for food or fabric than for a metal surface dripping with water.

Also, red and white give a vivid visual sense, plus the rain water gives a tactile sense. But really, it’s just a statement of an opinion. So much depends on ...

[Ann Drysdale]

Yes, the stanzas look like little wheelbarrows. I thought that was the point.

If it were mine, I'd've made the barrows go alternating ways, to express busyness, thereby introducing a sense of purpose.

Wotcherfink?

[John Whitworth]

Ann, I'd never realised they looked like wheelbarrows.