Lines 1-2

The first word of "Song of Reasons" is a direct tie-in with the title. Opening with the word "Because" implies that the poem may be full of answers and explanations as to why things are as they are, but one does not have to read very far to find that this is not the case. Instead, the first word gets attached to a sudden shift of key in an old Italian repertoire favorite, popular among opera singers. When the pitch in the "little tune" becomes higher, Pinsky claims that "everyone feels / A sad smile beginning," but who "everyone" is and what role nostalgia plays at the outset of the poem is not clear.

Lines 3-6

The second half of line 3 begins a new sentence, but it starts with the word "Also," linking it to what has already been said. Apparently, the human reaction evoked by "Come...