Landscape with the Fall of Icarus - By William Carlos Williams

According to Brueghel when Icarus fell it was spring

a farmer was ploughing his field the whole pageantry

of the year was awake tingling near

the edge of the sea concerned with itself

sweating in the sun that melted the wings' wax

unsignificantly off the coast there was

a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning


Theme: The central theme of the poem revolves around the profound indifference of the world toward individual human suffering and tragedy. While a massive life-ending tragedy takes place for one person, the rest of the world/society actually remains deeply absorbed in their daily activities. Life relentlessly moves forward as normal and it barely cares about individual tragedy. The poem also highlights that personal catastrophe is ultimately insignificant within the endless cycle of nature and daily human existence.