Four Poems for Robin

During the speaker’s stay in Siuslaw Forest, he “slept under rhododendron / All night blossoms fell” (Lines 1-2). This prominent image, while a realistic depiction of springtime in the Pacific Northwest, also prepares the reader for the way Robin will drop into the speaker’s life. These events particularly occur while the speaker is sleeping or trying to sleep. The petals of the flowers serve as a metaphoric correlation to the way the speaker’s memory of Robin works, falling into his nightly existence and disturbing rest. The memories of Robin serve as the reason why the speaker isn’t fully engaged in “living this way” (Line 13), appreciating the “green hills” (Line 14) in Siuslaw Forest, or later, his Zen study in Japan. Thoughts of Robin interrupt his life like the falling petals disrupt his sleep.

In A spring night in Shokoku-ji, the speaker compares Robin to the “trembling ghost of Yugao” (Line 24). This is a reference to a prominent female figure in the ancient Japanese story, The Tale of Genji, written in the 11th century. In it, the romantic adventurer Prince Genji falls for a mysterious beauty who won’t reveal her true name. He therefore calls her Yugao after the pale, delicate flowers that grow around her house.