Once More, The Round by Theodore Roethke

What's greater, Pebble or Pond?
What can be known? The Unknown.
My true self runs toward a Hill
More! O More! visible.

Now I adore my life
With the Bird, the abiding Leaf,
With the Fish, the questing Snail,
And the Eye altering All;
And I dance with William Blake
For love, for Love's sake;

And everything comes to One,
As we dance on, dance on, dance on.

I was so happy when I read this poem. Roethke had hard life and here it looks as if he finally found his peace. Here Roethke writes of his life without stress and tension. He starts of by wondering about the unknown and almost seeing the answers. They get clearer and clearer. The turn in the poem is on line five and it’s not only the turn of the poem, but it seems it is also the shift in Roethke’s life. “Now I adore my life.”

Roethke writes that he finds an eye that sees all. In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, there is a third eye. This is the spiritual eye. When the other two look out, this one looks inside one’s self. It is used to find yourself and peace. Roethke believes he has found his third eye. He no longer feels lost. His questions have been answered and he has found his inner harmony. He understands and accepts that the world changes and will always change but now he has the foundation to move with it.

The tone in this poem, changes slightly from stanza to stanza. The first four lines are filled with seeking, and yearning; chasing the knowledge that he can feel is just so close. The next six lines are joyous in the presence of finally finding solace. He learned what he needed. The last two lines sing of peace and closure. He accepts that the world will continue to move and dance but now he can dance too.