* Disruptive and unsettling: The poem's imagery of a "shattered landscape" and the speaker's feeling of being "lost" hints that true discovery can be jarring and disorienting. It's not always a neat, packaged experience. The initial excitement can give way to confusion and a sense of displacement.
* Existentially challenging: The lines "the whole world/was a thing I'd never known before" speak to the profound shift in perspective that comes with genuine discovery. It forces a reevaluation of everything that came before, potentially undermining previously held beliefs and certainties. The feeling of being lost suggests an existential questioning of self and place within the world.
* Involving a loss of innocence: The imagery of the "buried city" and its “unraveling” suggests that discovery can unearth unpleasant truths or destroy cherished illusions. The act of uncovering something hidden can be a loss of innocence or naiveté.
* A process, not an event: The poem isn't about a single "aha!" moment. Instead, it depicts the ongoing process of coming to terms with a discovery. The speaker is still grappling with the implications of what they have found; the journey of understanding is far from over.
* A solitary experience: Although the discovery may have implications for the world (the "buried city"), the poem focuses on the intensely personal and solitary nature of the experience. The speaker's feeling of being "lost" emphasizes this isolation.
In short, MacEwen's "Discovery" presents a nuanced and often unsettling portrayal of the process, emphasizing its disruptive power and the internal struggle that accompanies significant revelations. It moves beyond the simplistic notion of discovery as solely positive and enlightening, highlighting its potential to be disorienting, challenging, and even painful.