What could the message of the second stanza of this poem mean?

Why do you strive for greatness, fool?








Why do you strive for greatness, fool?


Go pluck a bough and wear it.


It is as sufficing.





My Lord, there are certain barbarians


Who tilt their noses


As if the stars were flowers,


And Thy servant is lost among their shoe-buckles.


Fain would I have mine eyes even with their eyes.





Fool, go pluck a bough and wear it.








Stephen Maria Crane

What could the message of the second stanza of this poem mean?
The persona (the %26quot;I%26quot; in the poem) wonders why some people (%26quot;certain barbarians%26quot;) %26quot;tilt their noses as if the stars were flowers%26quot;, that is, they are so arrogant (they hold their nose up) as if they were going to smell the flowers in the sky (= %26quot;the stars). Then, he reveals what he thinks about those %26quot;barbarians%26quot;: %26quot;Thy servant%26quot; (= God´s servant, that is, the persona) %26quot;is lost among their shoe-buckles%26quot; (= keeps looking down at their shoes, fastened with buckles, which are probably very fancy). The shoe-buckles represent those men´s pride and luxury, and the persona´s reaction reveals his modesty and humble character. Finally, the last line shows that the persona would gladly look them (or him)boldly in the eye because, in point of fact, they (he) are (is) ostentatious, that is, much inferior to the persona himself, a simple man, who can appreciate the beauty of nature (%26quot; the flowers%26quot;). What seems confusing about the last line is word order, which is reversed. The natural order would be %26quot;I would fain have mine [my] eyes even with their eyes%26quot;. It is also interesting to note that the persona sometimes refers to a man in particular (%26quot;fool%26quot;) and sometimes to %26quot;certain men%26quot; (%26quot;certain barbarians%26quot;; %26quot;their eyes%26quot;). My opinion: Stephen Crane is a much better novelist (The Red Badge of Courage) than poet.
Reply:Why are you trying to be up there with the bigshots, because they%26#039;re not all that. I%26#039;d much rather be just regular. Snooty people with expensive clothes eat each other alive, so better to be dressed like Adam in the Garden of Eden than to be like them.





Paraphrased, of course - lol
Reply:Maybe its a reference to a laurel wreath, like the ancient Greeks used to give to those they wanted to honor.
Reply:The writter is a servant. He cleans the shoes of those who are stuck up. He would be happy and willing to be an equal to those men whose shoes he cleans.
Reply:It seems to me that the writer of this poem is telling people to stop being stuck up.
Reply:I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE BUT IT IS A RELIGIOUS REFERENCE OF COMPARISON WITH CHRISTIANITY,ALSO SOME REFERENCE TO HUMILITY... GOOD LUCK I HOPED I WAS SOME HELP...WOULD U IM OR E MAIL ME IF U FIND OUT FOR SURE? THIS WILL BUG ME FOR SURE. THX


PS HE IS A SHOE POLISHER!!!
Reply:I read something to the effect that:





You should bask in the beauty of this world, and %26quot;stop and smell the roses%26quot;. Don%26#039;t try to achieve greatness at the expense of others, or at the expense of your better values.


In striving for your own definition of greatness, you are missing out on the many wonders of nature that should be equally as satisfying, fool!
Reply:Ditto
Reply:What images does it bring to mind? %26quot;tilt their noses, as if the stars were flowers%26quot;... makes me think about people who never notice other people around them, who feel they%26#039;re better than everyone else... high and mighty ego...





Now you try the rest



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