The Pain and Glory of Art

“Busking” directly addresses the dichotomy at the centre of an artistic life. The speaker is a guitar player, an instrument commonly chosen at least in part for its idealism and visual appeal. The poem presents music and the pursuit of a musical career — or life — as something that is both torturous and rewarding. In the opening stanza, the speaker says that “[t]he day folds up” (Line 1); in other words, it passes by quickly and easily. Soon, however, the speaker reflects on the stress and anxieties that come with playing music for the public: “Half-hundred times I wanted / to hock these six strings” (Lines 7-8). The hyperbole suggests an inherent sense of stagnancy and hopelessness.

In spite of the temptation to give up, the speaker never does. This may be for financial reasons, but the suggestion is that something greater lies...