Welcome to Poem of the Day – What Can I Say by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver, one of America’s most beloved poets, is known for her vivid depictions of the natural world and her deep, contemplative insights into human existence. Her poem “What Can I Say” is no exception. It invites readers to reflect on the profound connections between nature, life, and the emotions that stir within us.
What Can I Say Poem
What can I say that I have not said before?
So I’ll say it again.
The leaf has a song in it.
Stone is the face of patience.
Inside the river there is an unfinishable story
and you are somewhere in it
and it will never end until all ends.
Take your busy heart to the art museum and the
chamber of commerce
but take it also to the forest.
The song you heard singing in the leaf when you
were a child
is singing still.
I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four,
and the leaf is singing still.
What Can I Say Explanation
Overview of the Poem
The poem “What Can I Say” consists of just a few simple yet powerful lines. In it, Oliver expresses feelings of awe and wonder toward the world around her. The title, What Can I Say, suggests that the poet is grappling with the challenge of finding the right words to express something deeply felt but difficult to articulate.
Oliver’s work often emphasizes quiet observation and profound simplicity. In this poem, she contemplates the complexities of life and nature, leaving readers with a sense of wonder at the vastness and beauty of existence. There is a subtle tension between the poet’s desire to capture something ineffable and the realization that words may never fully convey the depth of what she experiences.
Theme and Tone
The central theme of the poem revolves around the limitations of language and the ineffable nature of truth and beauty. Oliver acknowledges that there is so much to say, but words often fall short. This is something many of us experience when trying to describe intense emotions or fleeting moments of beauty, whether in nature or in our lives.
The tone of the poem is reflective and introspective. Oliver’s gentle phrasing invites readers to pause and consider their own experiences of wonder, awe, and the challenges of expressing these feelings. It is a quiet meditation on the beauty of the world and the difficulty of communicating such beauty in words.
Analysis of the Poem
The first line, “What can I say,” sets the tone for the poem. It is a question that acknowledges the difficulty of expressing something important. It suggests that the speaker is aware of the limitations of language and is unsure how to convey the depth of her thoughts or feelings.
The simplicity of this opening line is important. It reflects the essence of Oliver’s style—direct and unadorned. There’s no grand explanation or lofty intellectualization. Instead, she captures the human experience of being overwhelmed by the beauty or significance of something and realizing that words can’t fully capture it.
Oliver’s subsequent lines continue to explore this struggle between the desire to express and the limitations of language. There is an awareness that some things are simply beyond words. The beauty of nature, moments of joy, and deep emotions are often fleeting and difficult to hold onto or describe fully.
The Use of Nature Imagery
As with much of Oliver’s poetry, nature plays a significant role in this poem. Oliver often uses the natural world as a mirror to reflect human emotions, and here, nature serves as a backdrop for her contemplation. The imagery of nature in Oliver’s work is not just decorative but carries deep symbolic meaning. It acts as a vehicle for exploring universal themes such as the passage of time, the fleeting nature of beauty, and the limitations of human understanding.
In “What Can I Say,” the natural world appears almost as a silent partner in the poem, as if it, too, understands the difficulty of articulating beauty. While Oliver may struggle with how to express herself, nature simply is. The poem suggests that, sometimes, it is enough to witness and be present in the moment, rather than trying to capture it with words.
The Poem’s Emotional Impact
There is an emotional weight in “What Can I Say” because it taps into a universal human experience: the frustration of feeling deeply yet struggling to put those feelings into words. Oliver’s quiet acknowledgment of this frustration is something many readers can relate to. We have all felt the desire to express something profound and found ourselves without the right words.
At the same time, the poem’s simplicity offers comfort. It reminds us that it’s okay not to have the perfect words. Sometimes, simply being present in the moment or acknowledging the beauty around us is enough. The poem encourages us to embrace our own experiences of awe and wonder, even if we can’t always fully articulate them.
Conclusion
Mary Oliver’s “What Can I Say” is a brief but powerful reflection on the limitations of language and the ineffable nature of beauty and truth. Through her simple yet profound language, Oliver captures a universal human experience—the struggle to express deep emotions and the realization that some things are beyond words. By turning to nature for inspiration, she reminds us that beauty exists both in the world around us and in the quiet moments we often cannot fully explain. Through this poem, Oliver invites us to appreciate what is felt deeply, even if we can’t always say it.
