Derek Walcott's "Nearing Forty" was first published in his 1969 collection The Gulf and Other Poems, when the poet was indeed nearing 40. The poem can be considered autobiographical, as the speaker frets about aging and worries that his earlier work was "fireless and average." He turns for inspiration to John Figueroa, a man 10 years his senior and an important friend and mentor in his life. Figueroa exemplifies a workmanlike approach to poetry, advising that aging poets can either give into self-doubt or "rise" and "set" their "lines to work," no matter the result.
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(for John Figueroa) ...
... a frosted pane,
nearer the day ...
... fireless and average,
which would be ...
... of occasional insight;
you who foresaw ...
... a louvre's gap,
then, watching your ...
... conventional for convectional;
or you will ...
... can really sleep,
measuring how imagination ...
... seems to weep.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Walcott Remembered — Read Walcott's 2017 obituary in the New York Times, which quotes his metaphor comparing history itself to an "insomniac night."
A Walcott Documentary — Watch a short film about Walcott and his twin brother, Roderick (also a writer and artist).
The Poet's Biography — Read about Derek Walcott's life and work at the Poetry Foundation.
The Poet as Nobel Laureate — Read a biography of Derek Walcott, his citation for the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature, and his Nobel lecture.
An Interview with Walcott — Listen to the poet discuss his life and work.