Summary
First stanza
The poem begins with a man’s query “Will it last?” which is reported in third person narration by the speaker. Interestingly, though the question is identified as such through punctuation, the poet does not write he “asked” but rather he “says," perhaps because the question is not directed toward anyone but himself. The speaker then includes another question, presumably posed by the same man: “Is it a masterpiece?" This question refers again to “it,” which is so far an unknown object. Based on the title, the reader may think that the “it” is a snowflake, but then the next two lines, “Will generation after generation / Turn with reverence to the page?” imply that the snowflake may be a metaphor for the social, historical and intellectual status of written work over time, and that the man is wondering if his work will be revered.
Second stanza
In the second stanza, the speaker seems to inhabit the voice of the man, or merge with him. He wonders how the “Birdseye scholar of the frozen fish"—likely Clarence Birdseye who invented the frozen food industry—would make sense of the unique and vivid phenomenon of a salmon jumping out of the water once it has disappeared with no trace.
Third stanza
The third stanza—also three lines—suddenly and assertively breaks from the format of asking questions. The speaker declares, “To be, yes!—whether they like it or not!,” referencing Hamlet’s speech and proposing that one choose life and existence, whether others approve or not. The reader does not know who “they” refers to, but it could be a reference to people over time, and the people “generation after generation” mentioned in the first stanza who presumably have opinions and taste. "They" could also refer to the fish, who like all beings, do not get to choose whether or not they are born. Then, the speaker, or the man whom the speaker seems to now embody, shifts his tone and makes a distinction. He says, “But not to last when leap and water are forgotten, / A plank of standard pinkness in the dish,” referring to a salmon whose leaping days in the water are —now cooked and on a plate.
Fourth stanza
In the last two lines of the poem, the speaker seems to have a change of heart about his statement in the previous stanza, stating “They also live / Who swerve and vanish in the river,” possibly referring to life that exists outside of human remembrance.
Analysis
The title of this poem gives more information than the average title, as it makes an assertion that reveals the conceptual plane of the poem. From the title, we learn that the notion of time will be explored, likely through metaphor. We can surmise that MacLeish (or the speaker) believes that in some sense, a snowflake—something that would seem to be both unique and short-lasting—is eternal and lasts forever. The word “hence” most likely means “thus,” suggesting that because a snowflake exists now in the present moment, it will, therefore, last forever. The reader is left pondering this odd argument as the poem begins. The questions in the first lines, “Will it last?” and “Is it a masterpiece?” illustrate to the reader that despite the declarative nature of the title, the speaker is actually unsure about whether the snowflake will last, and—even further—if it is indeed a beautiful or masterful creation.
The next two lines complicate the subject matter, because they reveal the snowflake to be strictly a metaphor. The speaker asks “Will generation after generation / turn with reverence to the page?” The page is likely synecdoche for a written work, given that people “generation after generation” may “turn” to it, as if compelled to read its words. If this metaphor of “text as snowflake” is so, then the initial two queries become more anxious in tone—perhaps comparing the melting of snow to outdated, disintegrated or forgotten texts. The reader now knows that the speaker is not actually asking about how enduring or masterful a snowflake is. Instead, the speaker seems to be exploring the notions of poetic craft, transience and the reputation/reception of texts across generations. Because the reader is now aware of the actual subject matter, it seems likely that the speaker is the poet himself, and the questions illuminate a personal desire to be admired and remembered.
The next three stanzas introduce another metaphor centered around fish. By referring to Birdseye, the inventor of the frozen food industry, MacLeish shows how we attempt to “freeze” things in time and skirt around the issues of transience, immediacy or loss when it comes to life. In the same way, we also forget that we have forgotten the life that has been (like the fish we eat). MacLeish is in some ways comparing himself to Birdseye, wondering what he—as someone who attempted to freeze transience—would make of how quickly a beautiful moment or being disappears without a trace. It seems that MacLeish hopes that Birdseye would be equally stunned and concerned by this quality of life.
In the context of the first stanza, the second stanza seems to suggest that MacLeish himself doesn’t know what to make of something that is there and then gone, much like he does not know what to make of his own life which will exist and then be over (without knowing if his work will be revered many years hence). The life of a salmon is an appropriate metaphor for this conundrum, because it is so active and alive in the present moment, but can easily be thwarted by hungry people who eat it without the same admiration surrounding the view of its “leap.” And if not eaten, a fish will simply be forgotten once it slips back into the water.
In the third stanza, MacLeish seems sure that existence is a given, and should be chosen. In writing “To be, yes!,” MacLeish gestures to the age-old choice to live or die, explored by Shakespeare in Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech. By exclaiming “yes!” MacLeish rejects suicide—engaging in one of the few definite forms of agency we have in life, namely, rejecting life as such. In the context of the previous stanzas, MacLeish seems to be implying that despite the anxieties and limitations he has expressed, one must choose life. By adding “whether they like it or not!,” MacLeish is emphasizing that life has merit, no matter what reputation one has. Therefore, it seems that MacLeish is playing devil’s advocate around his earlier anxieties, or is at least trying to comfort himself about his likely impermanence.
Then, MacLeish writes “But not to last when leap and water are forgotten, / A plank of standard pinkness in the dish.” These lines indicate yet another change in perspective, in that MacLeish is acknowledging the downside of lasting forever, potentially through fame, because his true vibrancy and presence (“leap and water”) will ultimately deteriorate in the collective consciousness, and be replaced by a more conventional, “standard” interpretation of who he was. He will be remembered like the dead and cooked salmon: still there, but no longer vibrant. This dilemma brings us back to the metaphor of the snowflake as well, because a snowflake is unique and exquisite, but in order to last longer, it must make the sacrifice of losing its individuality and blending in with the others.
To try and convince himself more of this realization, he becomes an advocate for the legitimacy of those who make a quick impression and then disappear, acknowledging that “They also live / Who swerve and vanish in the river.” Perhaps by the end of the poem, the speaker has embraced that his life is still valuable and true, even if it only exists in the present. Paradoxically, this message is being conveyed through a poem, which in itself is meant to be published, read, distributed and passed down through generations. Therefore, it seems that the actual poem is an embodiment of his predicament and ultimate indecision about confronting his impending death and insignificance. By writing the poem, MacLeish exposes his hope to last beyond death. Therefore, despite MacLeish's evolving perspectives, we are still left with the original fantasy implied by the title: that by living now and creating work that is revered, he can somehow secure eternal relevance.
