Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Holy Innocents" by Robert Lowell is a poignant poem that reflects on innocence, sacrifice, and the cyclical nature of violence throughout history. Through a mix of pastoral and biblical imagery, Lowell draws parallels between the biblical massacre of the innocents by King Herod and the modern world's capacity for cruelty and loss, particularly in the aftermath of World War II.

The poem opens with a peaceful yet melancholic scene: "Listen, the hay-bells tinkle as the cart / Wavers on rubber tires along the tar / And cindered ice below the burlap mill / And ale-wife run." The sound of hay-bells and the imagery of a cart moving over a cold, industrial landscape evoke a blend of rural simplicity and harsh reality. The presence of "cindered ice" and the "burlap mill" suggests a setting marked by industrial activity and the residue of hardship.

As the poem describes the oxen, "drool and start / In wonder at the fenders of a car, / And blunder hugely up St. Peter’s hill," it contrasts the natural, uncomprehending innocence of the animals with the technological advances symbolized by the car. The oxen's reaction highlights their innocence and lack of understanding of the modern world, metaphorically representing the "undefiled by woman"—a reference to the biblical Holy Innocents, the infants slaughtered by Herod in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus.

The poem then delves into deeper theological and philosophical reflections: "Their / Sorrow is not the sorrow of this world: / King Herod shrieking vengeance at the curled / Up knees of Jesus choking in the air." This line juxtaposes the pure, almost detached sorrow of the innocents with the brutal, vindictive rage of King Herod. The image of Jesus "choking in the air" may evoke the crucifixion, suggesting the cycle of violence and sacrifice that continues through history.

Lowell extends the metaphor, suggesting that "the world out-Herods Herod," indicating that modern atrocities surpass the ancient ones. The "nineteen-hundred forty-fifth of grace," marking the end of World War II, is depicted as a time burdened with losses, climbing "the clinkered hill / Of our purgation." The "clinkered hill" evokes a landscape scarred by war and destruction, and the term "purgation" suggests a painful cleansing or reckoning with the past.

As the oxen near "the worn foundations of their resting-place, / The holy manger where their bed is corn / And holly torn for Christmas," the poem returns to the nativity scene, emphasizing the contrast between the humble birth of Jesus and the violent history that surrounds his story. The reference to "holly torn for Christmas" suggests the disruption and commercialization of the sacred.

The final lines are a meditation on the nature of sacrifice and innocence: "If they die, / As Jesus, in the harness, who will mourn? / Lamb of the shepherds, Child, how still you lie." The comparison of the innocents to Jesus, "in the harness," implies their role as sacrificial victims, bound by circumstances beyond their control. The rhetorical question "who will mourn?" highlights the often-overlooked suffering of the innocent. The concluding image of the "Lamb of the shepherds" lying still emphasizes the quiet, unnoticed suffering of the innocent, paralleling the quietude of the nativity scene with the violent reality of the world.

"The Holy Innocents" is a powerful meditation on the cyclical nature of violence and the enduring presence of innocence amidst a world of suffering. Lowell uses rich, evocative imagery to draw connections between past and present, highlighting the persistence of human cruelty and the quiet, often unnoticed sacrifices of the innocent. Through this poem, Lowell challenges the reader to reflect on the nature of purity, sacrifice, and the capacity for mourning in a world that often overlooks its most vulnerable.

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