The Poem “From Blossoms” by Li-Young Lee

The Preliminary Chart

Evidence from the Poem	Inference from this Evidence
“From blossoms comes / this brown paper bag of peaches” (Lee, lines 1-2).	The poet appreciates nature and its gift – the peaches. He is glad and excited about eating them; this is pure childish happiness.
From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all (Lee, lines 6-9).	It does not matter for the author where the peaches came from or if his hands are dirty. He enjoys this pleasant moment of eating them; also, from the word devour, it is possible to understand that they do not just eat the peaches. They do it greedily as if they are thirsty and hungry both for food and nectar and for joyful moments.
“comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat” (Lee, line 10).	The dust on the peaches and its taste reminds the author of his past and all the previous summers, whether they were happy or not.
O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into the round jubilance of peach (Lee, lines 11-16).	By holding the peach, adoring it, and biting into its “round jubilance,” the poet wants to remember the summer and that specific day and moment. For the author, it is not just eating; it is a symbol of hot and happy days he wishes to carry within him for the rest of his life. Also, he wants to remember all such moments, even though they are not really important but sweet to his heart.
“There are days we live / as if death were nowhere / in the background” (Lee, lines 17-19).	The described moment is one of those when people are just happy and forget about the transience of life and the inevitability of death. Unfortunately, even though they want to forget about dying, it is impossible to run away from it.
from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom (Lee, lines 19-21).	For the poet, life means being happy and going from one joyful moment to another.

The poem “From Blossoms” by Li-Young Lee appears in a 1986 collection of poems titled Rose and published by BOA Editions, Ltd. The author of the poem is an Asian-American of Indonesian descent. During Lee’s infant years, his father suffered political persecution under President Sukarno. It took Lee’s family about five years to flee Indonesia and earn political asylum in America (Lee, “A Conversation with Li-Young Lee”). The poem “From Blossoms” describes a group of people who noticed a boy at the bend in the road selling peaches (Lee, lines 1-5). They bought a bag of these fruits, and while eating them, the author is thinking about life, death, summer, happiness, and memories he wants to carry through his life (Lee, lines 6-22). This poem’s theme, which is evident from its text, the interview with Lee, and researchers’ works, is the importance of enjoying the simple things and, with the help of that, saving one’s sweet memories for the whole life. It is essential for the poet since he had some problems with identity and alienation in his life.

Analysis of the Poem

This poem is an amazing symbol of happiness, summer, and enjoying life and simple things. Since Lee had a rather difficult childhood, and his infancy and refugee status in several places greatly influenced his poems, in “From Blossoms,” he wants to state the importance of memories. Life may be hard, painful, and full of problems and sufferings, but it is vital to remember that these are not the only things it can offer people. There are many moments like eating peaches on a hot summer day that make one’s life better, brighter, and worthy of living and remembering. Lee’s philosophy of poetry is “to propose a vision of the well-formed human” (Lee, “A Conversation with Li-Young Lee”). Such a person is aware of the importance of memories and living a joyful life but does not forget about the inevitability of death.

There are twenty-two lines and four stanzas in the poem. They are divided according to the main thoughts appearing in each of them. Thereby, the first stanza is like an introduction; several people (as the poet says we instead of I) buy dusty peaches from a boy on the road. The tone of this stanza is rather calm and relaxed; the poet even notices and remembers a sign with painted Peaches on it (Lee, line 5). In the next stanza, the author becomes more poetic and inspired. Here comes imagery – one of Lee’s most favorite literary devices. It helps the poet to create a strong and bright picture in the readers’ minds and let them feel the peaches’ color, taste, and smell. The lines “comes nectar at the roadside, succulent / peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, / comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat” are full of imagery (Lee, lines 8-10). While reading them, it is impossible not to see these people eating the peaches greedily and holding them with their dusty, summer hands.

Also, by saying that the peaches come both from the blossoms and the boy’s hands, Lee suggests a rather interesting thought. According to Lemon, Lee’s poems are “near mysticism” and “fully engaged in life and memory,” and this statement is proved by the appeared idea. If to develop it, it turns out that nature and people need to unite to produce something beautiful and maintain peace (Lee, lines 1-2, 6-7). On the other hand, the peaches are the creation of nature, and the people destroy this creation by taking and eating it. However, they were humans who made the garden and planted the peach trees, and this idea proves the first thought about the importance of unity.

The third stanza’s mood acquires a hint of sadness, as the poet understands how much he wants to remember all such moments and carry them through life. He exclaims: “O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard” but realizes the impossibility of this desire (Lee, lines 11-12). The poem’s tone becomes even gloomier when the poet suddenly recalls death: “There are days we live / as if death were nowhere / in the background” (Lee, lines 17-19). However, the ending of the poem is not very sad. There is a strong idea that if a person is living “from joy / to joy …, from wing to wing, / from blossom to blossom,” he or she is totally happy and is not scared of death (Lee, lines 19-21). Such life is full of events and memories; hence, it is not wasted.

Also, it is possible to suggest that the imagery of peaches becomes a metaphor or even a symbol of the transience of life. This ripe, succulent, and juicy fruit is like a happy and healthy person. The moment of eating the peach is a metaphor for this person dying. Hence, this is another reminding of the impossibility of escaping death; and this rule applies both to animate and inanimate creations of nature.

Works Cited

Lee, Li-Young. “A Conversation with Li-Young Lee.” Interview by Paul T. Corrigan. Image. Web.

—. “From Blossoms.” Rose: Poems, BOA Editions, Ltd., 1986, p. 21.

Lemon, Alex. “Li-Young Lee’s Third Eye.” Star Tribune, 2008. Web.

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