Zbigniew Herbert: “Preliminary Investigation of an Angel” (1969)
Posted on December 14, 2007
Filed Under Poetry |
Preliminary Investigation of an Angel
When he stands before them
in the shadow of a suspicion
he is still all
composed of light
the aeons of his hair
are pinned up in a bun
of innocencethe blood is helped on
with instruments and interrogationswith an iron ferrule
a slow fire
the limits of his body
are defineda blow on his back
fixes his spine
between cloud and mudpuddleafter a few nights
the job is finished
the leather throat of the angel
is full of gluey agreementhow beautiful is the moment
when he falls on his knees
incarnate into guilt
saturated with contentshis tongue hesitates
between knocked-out teeth
and confusionthey hang him head downwards
from the hair of the angel
drops of wax run down
and shape on the floor
a simple prophecy[trans. Alissa Valles]
This seems to me to be the way to write a political poem. Tangential, even cagey. Drawing on cultural symbols with deep emotional roots. A quiet voice speaking matter-of-factly about horrifying realities. In this poem, Herbert performs poetic jujitsu from stanza to stanza, keeping the reader off balance even as the lines themselves are phrase-based and do not disrupt the syntax of the poem.
Later: There is an optical phenomenon, or quality of the human eye, so that when you look just beside a faint object, you see it more clearly. I think poetry often operates like that. Herbert was writing during the Soviet domination of Poland, of course, so he had life/death reasons for being cagey; still, looking beside the thing, giving it an old, deep name instead of a modern one — especially when combined with a kind of deadpan voice — you get a poem that insinuates itself into the reader’s mind.
Comments
2 Responses to “Zbigniew Herbert: “Preliminary Investigation of an Angel” (1969)”
Stumble it!
I agree about the poem, and about the peripheral nature of poetry — seeing more clearly by looking askance.
Joseph… thanks for linking to LiteralMayhem!… (and always happy to return the favor)
I love the Dewey quote. The fruits of communication can indeed be luscious or poisonous depending on what soil we grow it in.
I like the poem too. To me the best descriptor would be resonant. The more you read it the more you can visualize the real-life echoes. And like the proverbial pea under a pile of mattresses, it just keeps digging into you….