Four Quartets

At the start of the first section of the second quartet, the speaker discusses beginnings and ends, comparing the construction and the destruction of homes to the life and death of individuals. Light falls on an uninhabited field near a village, as signs of humanity reveal themselves: A van drives by, electric lights go on, and “dahlias sleep in the empty silence” (Line 200). The speaker warns the reader to maintain a certain distance to hear a song and observe a dance taking place in the field. The laughter and footsteps accompanying the dance feed the earth below the field until the sun rises, and the day starts anew.

The second section of “East Coker” describes the seasons of the year, all four of which contribute to the “vortex that shall bring/[t]he world to that destructive fire” (Lines 244-45). The speaker critiques his own choice of words after describing the combined effect of fall, winter, spring, and summer, claiming “[t]he poetry does not matter” (Line 250). For the speaker, serenity and calm are only available when understanding that knowledge and wisdom have limited value. The speaker wants to hear of the “folly” (Line 273) of old men, of their insecurities and the sources of their anxiety, all of which are proof of humility—the most useful kind of wisdom.