As from a Quiver of Arrows
by Carl Phillips
What do we do with the body, do we
burn it, do we set it in dirt or in
stone, do we wrap it in balm, honey,
oil, and then gauze and tip it onto
and trust it to a raft and to water?
What will happen to the memory of his
body, if one of us doesn't hurry now
and write it down fast? Will it be
salt or late light that it melts like?
Floss, rubber gloves, and a chewed cap
to a pen elsewhere —how are we to
regard his effects, do we throw them
or use them away, do we say they are
relics and so treat them like relics?
Does his soiled linen count? If so,
would we be wrong then, to wash it?
There are no instructions whether it
should go to where are those with no
linen, or whether by night we should
memorially wear it ourselves, by day
reflect upon it folded, shelved, empty.
Here, on the floor behind his bed is
a bent photo—why? Were the two of
them lovers? Does it mean, where we
found it, that he forgot it or lost it
or intended a safekeeping? Should we
attempt to make contact? What if this
other man too is dead? Or alive, but
doesn't want to remember, is human?
Is it okay to be human, and fall away
from oblation and memory, if we forget,
and can't sometimes help it and sometimes
it is all that we want? How long, in
dawns or new cocks, does that take?
What if it is rest and nothing else that
we want? Is it a findable thing, small?
In what hole is it hidden? Is it, maybe,
a country? Will a guide be required who
will say to us how? Do we fly? Do we
swim? What will I do now, with my hands?
Summary of As from a Quiver of Arrows
Popularity of "As from a Quiver of Arrows": Written by an English professor and poet, Carl Phillips, this beautiful and smooth poem first appeared in the magazine, The Atlantic, in 1995. Later, it again appeared in his collection, From the Devotions, published in 1998. The poem presents the disposal of the dead body, the issue of memory, the issue of the past and future, and also the issues related to human existence, obligations, and morality. The beauty of the poem lies in its smooth flow from one argument to another without making the reader take pause.
"As from a Quiver of Arrows" As a Representative of the Reality of Life: The poet presents a speaker who addresses himself respectfully in the first person plural, questioning the reality of the body and how to dispose of it. He also questions the memory of that dead body. The speaker further asks questions about the impact of this body on the people, how to consider it or regard it, and then asks if there are instructions on how to dispose of a body and where it would go without answering these vital questions.
The speaker goes on to say that in case another body is found, what course of action the people should take and how to consider their relationship? The last two stanzas two comprise the same questions about obligation, memory, forgetting, and remembering. The speaker concludes his thoughts by questioning the very existence of life, the status of human beings, how to find life on this earth, and where. These questions have opened the poet's interrogative mind.
Major Themes in "As from a Quiver of Arrows": Death, disposing of a dead body, thinking about metaphysical reality, and the life of human beings are major themes of the poem "As from a Quiver of Arrows." The poet wants to pose questions about disposing of a dead body after a person dies. He is perplexed over having various different traditions in different cultures about disposing of a dead body and then knowing what to happen with the memory of that dead body. Even the existence of life and the movement of man poses serious questions to the poet, whose speaker is unable to answer them.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in As from a Quiver of Arrows
Carl Phillips uses various literary devices in this poem to enhance the intended impact. Some of the major literary devices used are as follows.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in "and trust it to a raft and to water?" and the sound of /o/ in "What do we do with the body, do we."
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /l/ in "late light", or /w/ in "we wrap" or "where were."
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /d/ and /w/ in "What do we do with the body, do we" and the sound of /l/ in "salt or late light that it melts like?."
Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The poem shows the use of enjambment, such as;
Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Carl Phillips used imagery in this poem, such as "would we be wrong then, to wash it?", "memorially wear it ourselves, by day" and "a bent photo—why? Were the two of / them lovers?"
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of a candle for the memory that it would melt if not written down.
Rhetorical Question: It is a rhetorical device in which questions are asked not to elicit answers but to stress upon the idea. The poet used various rhetorical questions, such as;
Simile: It is a figure of speech for direct comparison to understand the meanings of a thing being compared. For example, the poet used a simile in a question such as; "
"do we say they are
Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as dead body, gauze, direct, balm, and honey to point out the problem of disposing of dead bodies after death.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in As from a Quiver of Arrows
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic and flowing diction.
Free Verse: It means to use free verse, having no rhyme scheme, rhythm, or meter. This poem is a free verse poem.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are eight stanzas each comprising five verses.
Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a quizzical, perplexed, and anxious tone throughout the poem.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote to pose questions about human life and how to find it.
? Is it a findable thing, small?
swim? What will I do now, with my hands
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