I love when art is referenced in poetry, so I immediately gravitated towards writing about “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” for my blog post. This poem really proposes a beautiful message, and begins with a clear purpose (that is only heightened when looking at the painting it is paired with). The first stanza alone is shocking in its redirection from the generic. Williams writes “According to Brueghel / when Icarus fell / it was spring”. This line was so jawing for me because it highlighted aspects about the infamous story of Icarus that are usually insignificant. The subject of this stanza is not Icarus — it is spring. This poems story is not set up to remind readers about the overused and cliche remark “Don’t fly too close to the sun” that is usually referred to when discussing Icarus. William’s discusses the “ordinary” events that went on when Icarus perished — and the same events that were not effected in the slightest by Icarus’s fall from the sky. To the “farmer [who] was ploughing”, the melting of Icarus’s beautiful wings and his plunge into the sea was completely unimportant. Williams even writes that the splash was “unnoticed” by those around. With Icarus being (arguably) one of the most famous characters in Greek mythology, it’s refreshing to remember that his death was as insignificant as it was infamous. It is also important to note that Williams wrote this poem after Brueghel’s painting, which is shown below. The painting is equally as impactful, as most viewers will glance at this painting and admire it for the beautiful landscape and entrancing colors — and not the flailing man drowning in the lower right corner. It is remarkable how poet and painter can create such a connection of emotion between two different mediums, with both producing the same message. Although I believe there are multiple messages to get from this painting and poem, I like to see this story in a more positive light. Life will continue to move on, and even an event like the fall of Icarus will remain unnoticed by many. While that insinuates that we as humans are insignificant against the plethora of things that are happening at any given time, it is heartening to think that there is so much happiness and light that can surround so much tragedy and despair.
