Analisys of the Poem Travelling Through the Dark by William Stafford

William Stafford, Travelling through the dark – Poem analisys

The lines of this poem involve variations of rhythm, carefully combining more formal elements with the relaxed diction of free verse. Stafford also flirts with rhyme by employing near rhymes, half rhymes, and off rhymes, particularly relying on assonance or consonance: “road” and “dead”; “killing” and “belly”; “waiting” and “hesitated”; “engine” and “listen”; “swerving” and “river”. The partial and imperfect rhymes hide the poem’s deliberate construction enough that the language does not appear forced or artificial, with the narrative sounding frank and unfiltered. Internal rhymes or echoing sounds are also embedded in the poem, subtly delivering an underlying lyricism that does not call too much attention to itself, and makes the words come across as delivered in natural speech. The speaker’s informality seems as intimate as an admission confided to a friend or family member.

It can be said that Stafford bridges conflicting worlds in his poem, such as human and nature, civilization and the wilderness, technology and the environment, emotion and reason, the physical and the mystical, as well as life and death. Through this, he conveys the clash that occurs when one state intrudes on the other, crosses unmarked borders, and delight drifts into disaster. We see at the beginning of the poem a moment of discovery with an opening line that would appear positive if isolated: “Traveling through the dark I found a deer…”. As the line turns, however, so does the emotional impact: “dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.”

With carefully organized lines and words, Stafford directs the reader through the experience both spatially and spiritually, evoking various levels of emotion. The order in which the speaker reveals his finding, “the heap, a doe, a recent killing”, is carefully planned in order to bring the reader closer while gradually unveiling disturbing specificity, and we see a constant move from...