Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Albert Goldbarth's "Some Common Terms in Latin That Are Larger Than Our Lives" reflects on the expansive nature of language, human experience, and the attempt to encompass the incomprehensible through words. The poem explores how certain terms and concepts can hold vast, almost infinite, meanings, capturing the enormity of human experiences and the mysteries of existence.

The poem opens with a description from a catalogue of rare science-fantasy titles: "Involves a utopian society in Atlantis, war with giant apes, prehistoric creatures, dragon-like beings, etc." This introduction sets the stage for the exploration of the term "et cetera," a Latin phrase meaning "and the rest." In this context, "et cetera" becomes a repository for all that is fantastical and beyond the ordinary, encapsulating an infinite array of possibilities and unknowns. The abbreviation "etc." can hold anything, from mutant-engineered bloodsucker djinns to past-life telepathic romance, illustrating the boundless scope of imagination and the human capacity to conceive of the extraordinary.

Goldbarth then references Borges, whose stories often delve into the infinite and the recursive. The idea of a world that is a library containing all books, with one book holding the sentence "This is all of the books in the world," mirrors the concept of "et cetera." This phrase, much like Borges's fictional constructs, signifies a self-contained infinity, a term that holds within it the potential for endless narratives and meanings.

The poem shifts dramatically to a poignant, real-life event: the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Goldbarth describes a woman on the streets of Manhattan, her expression encapsulating "a gene of the entire holocaustal event." This powerful image conveys how a single look can embody the magnitude of a catastrophic event, making the whole unbearable day accessible through that one moment. The concept of "et cetera" extends here to the collective memory and trauma of 9/11, suggesting that the entire event can be summoned through its fragments.

Goldbarth continues by depicting people "huddled under girders, shrieking out as if to angels somewhere at the edges of this," reaching beyond the human to supernatural realms—gods, demons, and beings. This invocation of "et al." (et alia, meaning "and others") encompasses the supernatural and the divine, highlighting humanity's need to reach out to something greater in times of extreme crisis. The term "et al." becomes a bridge to the beyond, connecting the finite human experience with the infinite.

The poem concludes with an image of individuals too dazed to react, staring at the "incomprehensible shape of things, the sky, and what's beyond the sky, and beyond that, ad infinitum." Here, Goldbarth touches on the Latin phrase "ad infinitum," meaning "to infinity." This phrase captures the boundless nature of the universe and the limitless extent of human contemplation and bewilderment in the face of the unknown.

"Some Common Terms in Latin That Are Larger Than Our Lives" by Albert Goldbarth intricately explores how language and certain terms can encompass vast and infinite meanings. Through references to science fiction, Borges, and the harrowing events of 9/11, Goldbarth illustrates how words like "et cetera" and "et al." serve as containers for the boundless and the incomprehensible. The poem invites readers to consider the enormity of human experiences and the limitations and expansiveness of language in capturing the infinite complexities of life.

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