From the Misery of Don Joost
- From the Misery of Don Joost
From the Misery of Don Joost is a poem from Wallace Stevens's first book of poetry, "Harmonium". It is in the public domain according to Librivox. [http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4077] The only reference to this poem in Stevens's letters isn't helpful. Responding to a question from Hi Simons, he writes, "This is really #2 in your letter. Don Joost is a jovial Don Quixote. He is an arbitrary figure." [Stevens. H., p. 464]
Buttel lists this poem as among a few from "Harmonium" that anticipate Stevens's later poetry. [Buttel, p. 250] The others on his list are "Sunday Morning", "The Snow Man", "Another Weeping Woman", and "Death of a Soldier". Mention should also be made of "Le Monocle de Mon Oncle", with which it shares a focus on leaving youth behind. His body, the animal, has become old. He counts the passage of time by reference to the seasons, and his passage through the seasons is compared to a storm, which is abating. The combat with the sun may be a creative struggle, viewed as finished.
The writing of "Harmonium" was a watershed for Stevens, and this is one way he experienced it.
Notes
References
- Buttel, R. "Wallace Stevens: The Making of Harmonium". 1967: Princeton University Press.
- Stevens. H." Letters of Wallace Stevens". 1966: University of California Press.
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