Winter Bird. Comments

Delmore Schwartz wrote dreams begin in responsibilities. His statement has puzzled me. But it makes sense in relation to WINTER BIRD because it suggests there is more to dreaming than the free play of the imagination. Dreaming has created a figure of desire but that creative energy has also consumed it: I BURNED IT TO ASHES IN THE DARK OF NIGHT. Dreams have both creative and destructive potential. How to control this is unclear, which is why the speaker sees herself as a wounded bird at the end. The figure of desire is nowhere in sight. Despite the failure of the dream to become embodied in reality, the poem is highly lyrical, creating a lovely song with a tragic message. Dreaming has created a figure of desire but that creative energy has consumed it: I BURNED IT TO ASHES IN THE DARK OF NIGHT.