Domination Of Black - A poem by Wallace Stevens

Wallace Stevens - Domination Of Black

At night, by the fire,
The colors of the bushes
And of the fallen leaves,
Repeating themselves,
Turned in the room,
Like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind.
Yes: but the color of the heavy hemlocks
Came striding.
And I remembered the cry of the peacocks.

The colors of their tails
Were like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind,
In the twilight wind.
They swept over the room,
Just as they flew from the boughs of the hemlocks
Down to the ground.
I heard them cry -- the peacocks.
Was it a cry against the twilight
Or against the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind,
Turning as the flames
Turned in the fire,
Turning as the tails of the peacocks
Turned in the loud fire,
Loud as the hemlocks
Full of the cry of the peacocks?
Or was it a cry against the hemlocks?

Out of the window,
I saw how the planets gathered
Like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind.
I saw how the night came,
Came striding like the color of the heavy hemlocks
I felt afraid.
And I remembered the cry of the peacocks.

Share |

Added: Feb 20 2003 | Viewed: 26097 times |

Comments (7)

Domination Of Black - Comments and Information
Poet: Wallace Stevens Poem: Domination Of Black Poem of the Day: Jul 27 2006 Comment 7 of 7, added on June 17th, 2012 at 6:25 PM. Domination of Black Here is what this poem says to me. All is the same. Everything abstracted only slightly becomes like everything else. The poem distilled most simply is this. The bright red berry of the hemlock, surrounded by its leaves sparkling with firelight either in his room or from his room. The bright red center of the peacocks tail feather, surrounded by a swirl of iridescent color. The sun surrounded by a swirl of planets and stars in the dark sky. Wallace himself, a flash of color sitting before the brightness of the fire. All the same. So simple and sudden in his realization. And he felt afraid. David from United States Comment 6 of 7, added on June 17th, 2012 at 6:25 PM. Domination of Black Here is what this poem is says to me. All is the same. Everything abstracted only slightly becomes like everything else. The poem distilled most simply is this. The bright red berry of the hemlock, surrounded by its leaves sparkling with firelight either in his room or from his room. The bright red center of the peacocks tail feather, surrounded by a swirl of iridescent color. The sun surrounded by a swirl of planets and stars in the dark sky. Wallace himself, a flash of color sitting before the brightness of the fire. All the same. So simple and sudden in his realization. And he felt afraid. David from United States Comment 5 of 7, added on January 30th, 2011 at 11:03 AM. tittle the tittle of poem is even very symbolic....domination of black meanz approaching death.black symbolysis death or evil also.......... manaal from Pakistan More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Domination Of Black, has received 7 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own.

Poem Info
Poet: Wallace Stevens Poem: Domination Of Black Last read: 2013-05-22 12:41:35 Poem of the Day: Jul 27 2006 Viewed 26097 times. Added Feb 20 2003.

Stevens Info
Biography More Poems (33 poems) Wallace Stevens books