A Critical Interpretation of Robert Best’s Poem, “A Perfect Start to Autumn”

Location: PoetCrit, (Vol.34 No.2 July, 2021), New Delhi.

Genesis: I wrote this almost exactly three years ago, inspired by events taking place in the beautiful place where I live. It seems it’s taken a long time to see the light of day, yet it also seems perfect to be arriving on this site in September (because the site has been misbehaving for the last month or so), right around the time that the same events are playing out again.

UPDATE:

I recently received an unsolicited (and rather beautiful) review of this poem from a Dr. Rajamouly Katta, Professor of English from Telangana, India. Scroll down to read the entire piece, below the poem.

The late September morning

When I stepped out and realised

That the last of the swallows

Had left for the winter,

I went back to bed and wept.

Wept for the loss of friends,

For the end of a glorious summer,

For skies no longer cleaved

Into graceful arcs,

For the reminder of passing time

With nothing to show.

Early the following morning 

I leapt out of bed

At the cries of geese

And saw fifty or more

Flying low over my cottage

In a perfect V formation,

In a perfect start to any day.

In a perfect start to autumn.

                                        By Robert Best

A Critical Interpretation of Robert Best’s Poem,

“A Perfect Start to Autumn”

Robert Best as a poet, critic and reviewer is well-known in the literary firmament. His poetry deals with a rich variety of concepts. His poem, ‘A Perfect Start to Autumn’ draws my attention to its merits.  I feel like recording my response to the poet’s intense feelings, profound emotions and candid references to the images of seasons and birds in nature.  

The poem, ‘A Perfect Start to Autumn” portrays the poet’s personal, emotional experiences. The poet loves the sights and sounds of birds in nature. His poem is aptly called ‘bird-poem’. In the poem, he employs images in his accurate and minute descriptions with references to time and space to render it dramatic effect.

The poem starts with the morning scene, ‘The late September morning’ that captures the reader’s attention to the poet’s consciousness of time with its powers. The poet further refers to ‘Early the following morning’. The poem reaffirms the fact that time with its incessant flow brings about changes in nature. His references to seasons: ‘winter’, ‘summer’ and ‘autumn’ in the poem throws light on the seasonal cycle every year in time’s flow.

All the scenes in the poem are striking and the reader becomes one with them. The pen pictures of mornings are vivid and clear, vibrating and arresting. The scenes of two mornings make the reader understand the snapshot details of the poet’s moods, emotions and feelings. The poet’s cottage with his bed in it is another glaring image. The image of birds is so lovely that the poet can never be away from watching birds and hearing their sounds. The ship of his imagination that sails in the two stanzas of the poem carries his moods, feelings and emotions for the reader.     

Birds are migratory for their living in comfort and joy. He loves birds most like the Romantics. He enjoys the sights and sounds of birds. This is a bird poem like Wordsworth’s ‘To the Cuckoo’, Shelley’s ‘Ode to a Skylark’ and Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale’.

In the first stanza, Best depicts the poet’s unhappy emotions when the last of the swallows has left. He goes back to bed and weeps for the loss of bird-friends,

                        Wept for the loss of friends,

                        For the end of a glorious summer,

                        For skies no longer cleaved

                        Into graceful arcs   

There is a shift in the poet’s moods in the second stanza. The poet is in a pleasant mood the early next morning when he hears the geese fluttering and crying low over his cottage,

                       Early the following morning,

                       I leapt out of bed

                       At the cries of geese

Overwhelmed with joy, the poet comes out to have the sight of the birds. He finds geese in a large number flying ahead in a perfectly artistic way,

                        And saw fifty or more

                        Flying low over my cottage    

                        In a perfect V formation

The flight of geese in the sky in a perfect V formation bestows on him ecstasy. He finds the birds flying ahead in the sky to the place of comfort and joy. The sights and sounds of birds fill his heart with bliss and solace.

The love of the poet for the birds is aptly comparable to that of Wordsworth to picture birds, ‘ethereal minstrel’ and ‘a pilgrim of the sky’ in the poem, ‘To the Cuckoo’ and that of Shelley to refer to a skylark as ‘Blithe the New-comer’ that outpours sonorities ‘from heaven or near it’ in the poem, ‘Ode to a Skylark’. The birds with their melodies inspire the Romantic poets to write poetry with rich imagination.  

Like Wordsworth, Best loves the sights and sounds of birds for bliss and solace, harmony and peace.  When he does not find swallows, he feels deeply unhappy. He goes back to bed and weeps for the loss of bird-friends. In the next stanza, the sight of geese bestows on the poet all delight to bloom smiles on his lips. He finds solace and peace at their sights and sounds. He rises from his bed in the most exultant mood.

As a Romantic poet, Best has a sight at birds He enjoys watching their flight in V formation, listening to their sounds and watching their beautiful feathers. He portrays his keen observation in the flight of birds like swallows and geese. The poet loves the lovely movements of birds like the flying of geese in the sky in V formation,

Flying low over my cottage

In a perfect V formation

In a perfect start to any day.

Best loves birds as he treats them as his companions or friends in the way Wordsworth treats Nature as mother, teacher or brother in adoration. He is eager for his pleasure in the company of birds like the birds, the daffodils and other objects of nature for Wordsworth.  He feels sorry when the sight of birds, his friends does not fall in his eyes for his eager pleasure. The situation, the most unwanted, makes him weep for the loss of the company of birds, realising

That the last of the swallows

Had left for the winter,

I went back to bed and wept.

Wept for the loss of friends,

Like the Romantic poets, Best refers to the seasons and their cycle of seasons. He refers to his special liking for summer. He feels for it when it is not there for him to enjoy its charms. The end of beauty is the end of everything for him,

For the end of glorious summer,

For skies no longer cleaved

Into graceful arcs,

The poet’s moods are linked with the seasonal cycle in nature as he is a poet with the consciousness of seasonal changes in nature in the inexorable flow of time. Man concurs with the cyclic changes of seasons as time with its invincible powers conquers man against his wish and choice for a particular season,

For the reminder of passing time

With nothing to show.

The poet is very much worried for the passing of summer when the birds like swallows migrate to the place for their comfort. There is a shift in his emotion as per his wish. To his solace, he further hears the cries of geese low over his cottage. He rises from bed in excessive joy and comes out of his cottage for his craved glimpse at the geese. He enjoys their flight in a perfect V formation. He expresses his joyful emotions when he glimpses the birds in flight, ‘Flying low over my cottage’. He appears to fly and join the geese, his companions in their flight for his delight.

Best is eager for pleasure in the sights and sounds of birds in all the seasons irrespective of his choice. Every minute with the sight of birds is the golden time for him. He loves birds as deeply as Wordsworth in ‘To the Cuckoo’,

                        I can listen to thee yet:

                       Can lie upon the plain

                       And listen till I do beget

The golden time  

Like Best, Wordsworth craves for the sights, sounds and charms of birds for his bliss and peace again and again,

O blessed Bird! the earth we pace

Again appears to be                      

Like Wordsworth, Best waits for the birds to fly in the sky in the season delightful for him. He is always in quest of enjoying the sights and sounds, flights and flutters of birds for his joys. The image of birds recurs and recurs in his poetry.

Best indirectly or directly concurs with the fact that annual seasons occur cyclic in the ceaseless flow of time. He, in eager pleasure, feels that the season of his choice with the beautiful sight of birds starts one day, ‘In a perfect start to any day’.

Like the Romantic poets,  Best loves ‘glorious summer’ and ‘graceful arcs’ besides the birds and their nice movements in a perfect V formation.

The poet is successful in communicating his emotional experiences to the reader. The reader shares the poet’s emotional experiences becoming one with the poet,

I went back to bed and wept.

Wept for the loss of friends

The emotions of Best are much deeper than those of Robert Frost, marking a clear-cut contrast. Both recount their emotional experiences.

Frost expresses his feelings in the bird poem, ‘Come In’. He hears the song of a thrush. It all appears to welcome him to share its lament with him regarding the passing away of the sun and the changing of the season. He does not enter the dark woods nor does he share its lament.  He enjoys the beauty of starry sky, staying outside,

But no, I was out for stars:

I would not come in

I meant and even if asked

And I hadn’t been.

Unlike Robert Best’s description of the flying of geese in ‘V formation’ with his warm relation to them, Frost describes the action of a duck’s swimming in a lake and admires its strength in the other bird poem, ‘The Most of It’. He shows no relation to it. He describes the habits of birds like the thrush to build its nest in the oven shape in comparison with the human craft but shows no relation to it.

The mingling of facts and fancy makes the poem, ‘A Perfect Start to Autumn’ delightful. Best delineates the facts: birds to migrate to the place of their comfort and joy and birds’ flying in V formation. It at the same time reflects the poet’s love for the calm and apparent beauty in nature and fancy for the most pleasant sight of birds’ flight in the sky ‘in a perfect V formation’, ‘glorious summer’, ‘graceful arcs’, and so on.    

Best’s love for nature is pure and birds are friendly like Wordsworth’s one in motherly nature. Frost as a poet with his distinctive treatment to nature marks a distinction from Wordsworth and Best for their deep involvement in the beauty of nature. Frost springs from fancy to fact and fancy back to fact as he does not get engrossed into the beauty of nature like the Romantic poets. He watches beauty in nature and hears the song of thrush from outside the woods where as Best treats birds as friends with all love and becomes one with them at their sights and sounds, movements and flights.

Best is for nature with the sights, sounds and shines of birds seen outside of his cottage. He stays at his cottage but loves to live in nature, watching birds for bliss. 

The simplicity and naturalness of the poem is the special merit of the poem. It reflects the apt and adept use of words and repetition of words like ‘wept’ and ‘perfect’ to express the fact, the intensity of his emotion. The title is ‘A Perfect Start to Autumn’ more appropriate than the one, ‘A Start to Autumn’ that does not sound enough to be appropriate.

Best’s references to seasons have symbolic significance. Autumn is a season of leaf-fall, the shedding of all beauties meant for the gaieties of viewers. Summer is a season of glories and joys. The birds in flight symbolize time with its endless flow.     

Robert Best has risen to the heights of a poet par excellence by virtue of his imagination and vision. The poem, ‘A Perfect Start of Autumn’, he expresses his powerful emotions appealing to the heart. His deep and passionate love for birds shapes his creative imagination and poetic vision.

It is an excellent bird poem for the readers to enjoy its beauty sketched in the hues  of words. It is affluent in images, lucid in language and deep in emotions. All the poetic skills shape it into a beautiful poem.

Works cited:   

Best, Robert. ‘A Perfect Start to Autumn’, Poetcrit (Vol.34 No.2 July, 2021) 120

Published

Robert Best

Shamanic Poet

https://shamanicpoet.com/a-perfect-start-to-autumn/

July 2021

ENGLISH

            'English is an international language, world-wide language, global language or universal language,' said Mr. Akash to Mr. A to Z Shastri who is a great lover and staunch supporter of his mother tongue.

'I don't agree with you... English is a foreign language...It's not our language...,’ said Shastri.

 

'It's a got a lot of significance across the world and we should realize it...It's the language of universal importance...You should try to know it,' said Akash. 

'You think like that...You feel like that...You dream like that...You're unaware of mother tongue's importance. You and your-like are giving importance... undue importance to English...,' said Shastri.

'The state Government is giving importance to it now as the medium of instruction in schools even in the Government sector as it's essential for all purposes There's no doubt it...' said Akash.  

'Why should we be so much crazed with the spell of English when it's a foreign language...? Why...Why...Why...Why...?' said Shastri.

           'We're not simply crazed with the spell of English.... We'll have suitable rewards by the grace of English...That's the unrivalled greatness and unsurpassed success of English... We should know that we're supposed to learn it if we want to achieve our goals,' said Akash.

 

'Is English necessary in India? Can't we live in India without English? Can't we play without using English? Why should we study in the medium of English? Didn't our forefathers live without learning English? Didn't they study without English? Can't we have scientific advance and technological progress without English? Can't we cultivate land and have crops without knowing English? Why don't you agree to the statement of the most famous writer, Kommarraju Lakshmanrao that there's a clear-cut difference between the students studying in their mother tongue and those studying in a foreign language...? There's a glaring difference like the one between the babies to drink mothers' milk and those to drink servant-maids' milk?' said Shastri laying stress on his mother tongue.

'You may have a series of questions to pose...You're ignorant of the importance of English...,' said Akash.

'The sun arises and sets, and the moon waxes and wanes without having the knowledge of English. Nights fall and days fall without hearing English... Do they stop to do so if you don't speak English...?' said Shasthri.

'The sun and the moon are the witness of the fact that everyone is wishing others "Good Morning", "Good Night", so on in English...Even the people of a little awareness, including servant-maids, are greeting others in English...All are calling their parents "mummy" and "Daddy ",' said Akash.

'I don't greet any one in English...I don't call my parents "Mummy" and "Daddy". I don't like English... its colour..., its taste..., its smell, its sound..., its flavour..., its touch...,' said Shastri.

'Even you cannot live without it...English has become a part of our life...We can't deny its importance...' said Akash.

'It's nothing for me...I can breathe air, drink water and have food without the knowledge of English...I can sleep with my life-partner and speak to her and all others without the use of English...,' said Shastri.

'It's impossible to come up...impossible to come up...without English. The sun and the moon are the real witness of the fact,' said Akash.

'I can make it possible...What is not possible...? Challenge...,' said Shastri.

Shastri was such a person. He was a man of challenges and stubborn nature. He did not like English nor did he like the customs and traditions of the English people, the Europeans. With all reluctance, he listened to others speak English sometimes or often. He very often found even ordinary people use English words in their speech. When he encountered all such situations, he convincingly advised all of them not to speak English at any cost. 

'It's Inglipis...English is sometimes in the mockery of saying Inglipis... It's a foreign language...It's the language used overseas... Our chaste mother tongue is there for us to use for our communication,' said Shastri. 

Shastri developed a grudge against English and the users of English. He practiced to live without the use of English. On that mission, he trained nine people enabling them to the extent possible not to use the words of English at any cost. He made all efforts to achieve his goal and conquer Akash in his effort. He took them to him to prove what he had promised and achieve his goal set before him. 

'These're my friends. They're lovers of their mother tongue...only mother tongue... You can listen to them use their chaste mother tongue to express their ideas,' said Shastri.

'Very good...I appreciate your efforts...I call all the ten people of yours. Hello, it's Number one... You can speak on "money and savings". Let me listen to you...' said Akash with the sense of challenge.

'"Okay" I speak on the topic...We can earn money by virtue of our hard work. We can save money in the "bank" for the future...for our children... We can't keep money in the house... In order to open an "account", we have to fill a "form" in the presence of the "Manager". I keep my savings in it only. In this process, we get "interest". It's there for our investment and development; security and safety and so on,' said Number One.

'You've used six words of English...The next can speak of entertainment and amusement...,' said Akash.

'"Okay" I speak on entertainment and amusement. Whenever I feel boredom...I feel like spending my time in entertainment and amusement... I buy a "ticket" and go to a "cinema" with the "matinee"...  I enjoy the "picture". Later I've some "drink" and go home,' said Number two. 

'You too have used only six words in your speech...Good...Next you can speak on "Your children's education",' said Akash.

"Okay" I would like to speak on my children's education...I sought "admission" for my son in a "school" by paying "fees". There're very good "Sirs". They teach well... My son is a good student...He got the first rank...He got "scholarship" for that.  About my son there was some news appreciating him in the "paper", a daily. I'm "happy", said the Number three with a smile in his face.

'You've used eight words of English...Okay...Okay...the next comes and speaks on "dressing styles",' said Akash.

'"Okay"...I'm "ready"...Now-a-days people wear "dress" as per the "fashion" of the day. The children wear the school uniform ... They've "dress code". Every school has some "uniform". In the "cinema" the hero and the heroine have their own "style" in their "dressing",' said the Number four. 

      'Congratulations...You've used twelve words...You're great...I welcome the next...You can speak on the "rules of the road",' said Akash.

'"Okay"...We drive vehicles on the "road". In my travel, I found a spot that was dangerous for the vehicle running at a high "speed". Once a "cycle-motor", crossed the "line" and dashed a "bus". It was a big "accident". I saw a boy riding a bi"cycle" nearby. I found the "police" on "duty "at the crossroads to give a "signal".  We should follow the "rules" of the "road",' said Number five.      

            "Hearty congratulations to you...You have used thirteen words of English...Of course one word has been used twice...Yours is the highest score...Okay...the next one...You can speak on "elections"... Very easy topic for you...my dear...,' said Akash.

'"Okay"...I speak on "elections"...Everyone is lucky to have the "vote" right...A man from our village got a "ticket" from the "TRS" "party" to be in the fray. He met all the “voters".  He promised his all-time help in getting a "loan" from any "bank". I went to the "polling" booth and the "Sir" gave me a "ballot" "paper". I voted for him and put it in the "box." His man at the gate said, "Thank you...",' said the Number six.

   

"Hearty congratulations to you...You topped all the speakers using fifteen words of English... Next, you can speak on the "social evils today",' said Akash.

'"Okay..." Society is full of evils shunned and of ills cured. A single reformer cannot eradicate, and a single "doctor" cannot cure the ills.  I don't like "ragging". It is the worst evil, the sin of sins. What's the "Government" doing? What're the "leaders" doing? When the "police" and the "court" are there, there should be punishments. As punishments are not there, the evils continue to exist and persist....' said Number seven.

 

'Good...You, Number Seven, have used seven words, for you love English very much...I call the next ... You cannot speak on "computers" without using English...,' said Akash.

 

'"Okay"...I try to use the words of my mother tongue... I'm ready to speak on the use of the "computer". It's an "electronic" "device"... The "data" is "installed" into it.  It's the "CPU" ("Computer" "Programming" "Unit") to start the computer. We've the "key-board".  First, we've to go to "desktop"... The "mouse" helps us to move the "curser"... For opening "windows", we've to "click". We use the computer for many purposes as it's the age of computers,' said the Number eight.

'You've tried not to use English words...It's impossible to talk about Computers without using English...You've used sixteen words... I invite the next...to speak on his everyday activity,’ said Akash.

'"Okay"... I'm the "last" but not the "first" to participate...I wake early and go for "walking". I "brush" my teeth. I use Colgate tooth "paste".  I've bath using "soap". I "dress" myself. Then I've meals at a "hotel" sitting in a "chair" at a "table". The "supplier" is very polite to me. He supplies good "food". I pay the "bill"...I go to "office" everyday as I mind "duty". Now and then, I've "coffee" or "tea" only. After doing duty, I go to "stadium" or the "club" and play games... Later I go to a "cinema" or a "circus" or "pub". After having "dinner" I come back to go to "bed" after writing the "diary" using my favourite "pen",' said Number nine.

'You topped the list of nine candidates by using twenty-seven words of English to speak of day-to-day activities... Congrats...,’ said Akash.

'"Sorry" I trained all the nine members to speak on different subjects in their mother tongue...It's I who "fail"ed, ' said Shastri.

'You've used two English words...in two sentences,' said Akash.

'Right...' said Shastri.

'You've used one word...That's also an English word,' said Akash.

'Yes...,' said Shastri.

'Again, you used an English word,' said Akash. All the members including Shastri used English words and Akash laughed loudly for about five minutes.

Shastri completed his degree in the regional medium. With a great difficulty, he secured border marks in English after his repeated attempts. The examiner might have felt that the answer script was of a wounded soldier. There were clear evidences of his copying in the answer book. He put the question paper and tied up it with the answer script. There was handwriting of someone else for the writing of all bit answers. In one of the answers, he copied the note: "For the rest of the answer, refer to the last but one page". He clearly wrote it by copying from his guide. Even the laziest examiner clearly understood. The examiner showed it to other examiners and all of them laughed at the paper. If there had been the student of the paper, they would have beaten up him like anything.  

When his friends got jobs, Shastri also applied for jobs. For all jobs, there was an examination in English as the main subject. They faced interviews to test their communication skills.

Shastri faced an interview. Interviewers were there to test their communication skills, general knowledge and subject knowledge. They were very particular about communication skills. Three stalwarts sat there to test all of them on those lines.

Shastri's turn came to face the Interview. He entered the Interview Hall with no confidence, as he knew some basic words with no knowledge of their correct spelling. He had a letter of recommendation with him to submit to them. That letter infused some confidence in him. That was why he walked briskly, entering the hall. He wished the interviewers Good Morning, and all expected him tell all answers. He showed his resume along with certificates and the cover with the recommendation letter. The interviewers were strict and so they did not care for the cover with the recommendation letter. He introduced himself to the interviewers. They started to interview him:

'How do you convey the idea of the old, torn currency note?' asked the first interviewer showing it to him with a view to knowing the level of his communication skills and knowledge of English.

'This old ten-rupees does not walk on the road...very old note...very old note...a very old note...Not walk anywhere...,' said Shastri.  

'You should say that it's a counterfeited note or a currency note not in circulation...,'said the first Interviewer.

'I see...I see...,' said Shastri.

'How do you start the Body of the Letter, the Message or the Communication when you write a letter to your friend...?' said the first Interviewer.

'I'm well...I hope that you're in the same well...the same well...,' said Shastri.

'You should write not like that... What you said means differently...You don't know what your sentence means...You should learn many things to have command over communication skills...'said the first, Interviewer, laughing.

'I see...I see...' said Shastri.

  

'Okay...When you've no need to fill anything in any column of your application form, what do you write...?' said the first Interviewer.

'Nill' said Shastri.

'Is it with double 'LL' or single 'L'...?' said the first Interviewer. 

'With double 'LL' like 'LL' in 'fill',' said thoughtfully.

'It's not 'Nill'...my dear candidate... It's 'Nil'... said the Interviewer.

'When 'Fill' is right, 'Nill' must be correct...'Put' and 'but' are not pronounced alike in English. That's English,' said Shastri.

'Okay...How many letters are there...?' said the first Interviewer.

'Only a letter... a political leader's letter...,’ said Shastri.

'I'm not asking about it...I'm asking about the number of letters in the English alphabet,' said the first Interviewer.

'I haven't counted them...,' said Shasthri.

'There're twenty-six alphabets in English...Is it right?' said the first Interviewer.

'What you say...right...right...,' said Shastri confidently.

'What I said is not right...It's not "twenty-six alphabets"...but "twenty six letters"... Mind it...There're twenty six letters in the English alphabet...,' said the first Interviewer.

'I learnt... all of them...but did not count them... No necessity of the number...the Number ... no need...,' said Shastri confidently.

'Yes...It's a waste of time...a sheer waste of time....' said the first Interviewer.

When Shastri answered all wrongly, the other two interviewers were disappointed deeply. They did not feel like asking him no more questions on general knowledge and subject knowledge. All the interviewers wanted to tell him very openly,

'You're unfit to do any job...,' said all the three Interviewers in one voice.

'I... not...like English...I... hate... I hate it... It is Inglipis...I... dislike...like not...like not...' said Shastri.

'English is very essential for career development... English is in use for all purposes... English is a universal, international, global or universal language...English is the language of universal communication. English is the language of science and technology...English is the language of competitive examinations...English is the source for securing enormous knowledge...English is of universal importance... English is for overseas studies and job opportunities. English is life...Life is English...You can't question its priority and supremacy...Mind it and get out...' said all the three Interviewers in one voice.      

Shastri did not get any job anywhere. He was jobless for some years. He approached Akash with an appeal to him,

'I want to learn English...I want English...It's my prestige question...izzath ka savaal...I want to learn it...,’ said Shastri.

'Good...You've realized the importance of English...,' said Akash.

'Yes...Yes...I want to learn it... I learn it...It's my dream...It's my only dream...my sole dream...,' said Shastri.

'After a series of failures, you've learnt some English by virtue of your perseverance. Failures teach man many things and leads him to triumph...It's a real success in life...,’ said Akash.

'Yes...Yes...Yes...Yes...Yes....' said Shastri.

Akash started to teach Shastri Grammar for accuracy, pronunciation for fluency and body language for decency. He took it as a challenge to learn it...He learnt it perfectly. He achieved his goal. He faced one more interview with the same Interviewers. When he spoke very good English and impressed them without any letter of recommendation this time. They were surprised at the enormous improvement in him to face the interview successfully. He came out of the Interview Hall with flying colours. His nine trainees learnt the secret of his success. They too learnt English perfectly and won their desired jobs.  

 

Shastri came to Akash with a constant glow and glittering smile in his face with the words of joys,

'I've got a job of my choice in the job mela,' said Shasthri.

'Congratulations...,’ said Akash.

'English is life...Life is English,' said Shastri with emphasis on English.

   

'The cloud shrouded was disrupted by the English storm...Your strong desire to learn English disrupted your glooms. That's your spirit...the real spirit of Shastri,' said Akash happily.

Shastri left the place singing a jubilant song loudly when his nine trainees joined him to sing the song in chorus. 

Published

Creation & Criticism

Vol. 6 Joint Issue 22 & 23 July - October 2021