The Emperor of Ice-Cream

16 lines

Wallace Stevens·1879–1955

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Summary Meaning

Wallace Stevens's 'The Emperor of Ice-Cream' juxtaposes the vitality of sensual experience with the stark reality of mortality, using the figure of the 'emperor' to symbolize the transient sovereignty of earthly pleasures over the finality of death. The poem's central imperative to 'let be be finale of seem' underscores a phenomenological acceptance of existence without illusion, while the titular ice-cream functions as a metonym for both fleeting joy and the cold permanence of the end. Philosophically, Stevens resists transcendental consolation, instead affirming a Stoic hedonism that locates meaning in the immediate, carnal world. The tone is at once imperative and paradoxical, blending colloquial directness with a detached irony that refuses moralizing, ultimately celebrating life's ephemeral richness in the face of inevitable extinction.

all the roller of big cigars,

The muscular one, and bid him whip

In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.

Let the wenches dawdle in such dress

As they are used to wear, and let the boys

Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.

Let be be finale of seem.

The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

Take from the dresser of deal,

Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet

On which she embroidered fantails once

And spread it so as to cover her face.

If her horny feet protrude, they come

To show how cold she is, and dumb.

Let the lamp affix its beam.

The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

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