Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Pinsky’s "On 'Eve Tempted by the Serpent' by Defendente Ferrari" is a meditation on the complexities of human nature, imperfection, and the myth of Edenic purity. Through a reflection on Defendente Ferrari’s painting, Pinsky explores themes of temptation, innocence, and the inevitability of the Fall, weaving together visual imagery with philosophical inquiry.

The poem begins with a nostalgic tone, as Pinsky describes a "Rare spirit remembered with a pang / Of half forgotten clarity or density." This line suggests a longing for something lost, perhaps the original innocence or purity symbolized by the Edenic state. However, the "clarity" is only half-remembered, indicating that this innocence is not fully grasped or understood. The "quality, quilled, a learned freshness" evokes the delicate beauty and fragility of this state, something that is "Unshattered though not perfect not Eden." Pinsky acknowledges that even this idealized vision of perfection is flawed, "not Eden," and therefore already marked by the potential for its own undoing.

The imagery of "parentless leaves and branches tender" evokes a sense of natural purity, unmarred by human intervention or history. This description places the scene in a primordial world, untouched and innocent. Yet, Pinsky quickly contrasts this with the "myth of / Perfection painted just before unperfecting / Itself," suggesting that the very act of depicting or imagining perfection sets the stage for its destruction. The use of the word "impulse" indicates that this unperfecting is almost inevitable, an inherent part of the human condition.

Pinsky then shifts to a reflection on the nature of admiration and how it relates to self-perception. He writes, "Admiration is a form of self exculpation," suggesting that when we admire or idealize something, we may do so to absolve ourselves of our own imperfections. This idea is further developed through the metaphor of a "gaudy parrot escapee" that integrates itself into a flock of crows. The parrot, with its brilliant plumage, symbolizes an extraordinary, perhaps unattainable, excellence. Yet, it is accepted by the crows, representing the ordinary or flawed. This acceptance is preferred to the "other / Realized soul excellence eloquence made of our / Same eggs and flowers and waters," which suggests that we are more comfortable with a version of excellence that is different from ourselves, rather than one that reveals our own potential and limitations.

The poem then returns to the central image of the serpent, who is described as "petal-skinned / Has a man's head bignosed bearded / Stuck onto the tube of body." This depiction of the serpent as both human and non-human, both alluring and grotesque, reflects the dual nature of temptation: it is both familiar and foreign, desirable and repellent. The serpent is also described as a "helpless knowing / Beholder leering full of our childish / Legend of our imperfection," emphasizing its role as a mirror of our own flaws and insecurities. The serpent's knowledge is not empowering but rather a burden, something that leads to the inevitable Fall.

The final lines of the poem bring the focus back to Eve and the shared human experience of failure: "We fowl of a feather we feel we fail / And not that she made it look difficult / Or easy but possible and we fall." Here, Pinsky underscores the universality of the Fall, suggesting that it is not the difficulty of resisting temptation that leads to failure, but the mere possibility of it. The Fall is portrayed as an intrinsic part of being human, a shared experience that unites us all in our imperfection.

In "On 'Eve Tempted by the Serpent' by Defendente Ferrari," Pinsky uses the painting as a lens through which to explore deep philosophical questions about human nature, innocence, and the inevitability of imperfection. The poem is rich with imagery and metaphor, blending the visual with the conceptual to create a meditation on the paradoxes of purity and corruption, admiration and self-exculpation, and the eternal tension between the ideal and the real. Through this exploration, Pinsky invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of temptation and failure, and to consider the complex, often contradictory nature of the human condition.

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