The Simple Life

A member of the "Beat" Poets, Gary Snyder is a man whose poetry is characterized by simple language and the freedom of self-expression. His poem "Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout" is no exception to this spontaneous and free-spirited writing style. The narrator of this poem looks out from atop a soaring height down to the beautiful nature below, all the while thinking of past memories and the appreciation he has for his solitude.

The first stanza of this poem is rife with meditation. Snyder's lines flow smoothly in a trace like state. Describing the scene that he views from above, the narrator states, "Down valley a smoke haze/three days heat, after five days rain" (Lines 1-2). These simple observances are what illustrate the nature of this poem. The simplicity of the verses is deliberate and speaks to the fact that  they were written by a man whose appreciation for nature is apparent in his poetry. Snyder even appreciates "Swarms of new flies" (Line 5) and the way the "Pitch glows on the fir-cones" (Line 3).

After his lines of praise to nature, Snyder begins to explore the psychology of the narrator. He writes, "I cannot remember things I once read/A few friends, but they are in cities" (Lines 6-7). For this man, appreciation for a world outside of man's influence leaves a greater impression. It is in the simple life that this narrator finds his greatest happiness. He recalls "Drinking cold snow-water from a tin cup/Looking down for miles" (Lines 8-9).  These natural sights create more of an impact on his memory and way of life than any man or book possibly could.

The facet of life that brings the narrator the most happiness is living it simply and austerely. Gone is the pressure of friends and city life. Snyder writes of a narrator who embraces the simplicity of nature as opposed to the ephemeral power of material possessions. This man lives among the trees and among the flies, away from friends whom he can hardly recall. Even "things [he] once read" (Line 6) were unable to form a lasting impression as powerful as drinking snow or gazing down a valley filled with new flies. In this poem, Snyder hails the power of the simple life and its profound effect on a man who chose to pursue it. the beat poets may have embraced a sort of "counterculture", but the counterculture that this narrator chases after is one more natural and inherently human than any life in cities or among friends may hope to suggest.