Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Simpson’s poem "Physical Universe" juxtaposes the vast, cosmic origins of the universe with the mundane routines of everyday life, exploring the tension between grand existential questions and the simple, grounding tasks that define our daily existence. Through the poem’s narrative, Simpson subtly reflects on the human need to find meaning in both the profound and the ordinary, capturing the irony, humor, and subtle wisdom that can emerge from the intersection of these two realms.

The poem begins with a man who wakes up early, unable to return to sleep, and stumbles upon his son’s homework—a book that details the formation of the universe. This opening scene sets the stage for a contemplation of the cosmos, as the man makes coffee and begins to read about the "local eddy in the swirling gas of the primordial galaxy" and the formation of the solar system. The scientific language used to describe the "protosun," "protoplanets," and the early Earth, "2000 times as wide as it is now," evokes the grandeur and complexity of the universe’s creation. The biblical echo, "The earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep," bridges the scientific with the spiritual, highlighting humanity's long-standing fascination with the origins of existence.

However, this deep contemplation of the universe’s beginnings is abruptly interrupted by a mundane concern—Tuesday, the day the garbage is collected. The poem’s shift from the cosmic to the domestic is both humorous and telling, illustrating how even the most profound reflections must eventually yield to the necessities of daily life. The man "leaped into action" to take out the garbage, a task he performs with care and attention, ensuring that the screen-door does not slam and that the raccoons do not get into the garbage. This detailed description of a routine chore underscores the poem’s central theme: the juxtaposition of the infinite and the trivial, the sublime and the ordinary.

After completing his tasks—disposing of newspapers and fliers, and taking out the garbage—the man returns to bed, where his wife, Susan, speaks in her sleep. Her question, "Did you put out the garbage?" initially seems like a simple, sleepy inquiry. However, the man, still in the mindset of cosmic contemplation, interprets her words as something more profound, likening her response to an oracle speaking from the "Collective Unconscious." The reference to Carl Jung’s concept of the Collective Unconscious, which encompasses the shared memories and experiences of humanity, adds a layer of depth to the interaction, suggesting that even the most mundane questions can carry a weight of deeper significance.

The man then asks his sleeping wife a question that blends science with religion: "Do you agree with Darwin that people and monkeys have a common ancestor? Or should we stick to the Bible?" Her response, the same as before—another inquiry about the garbage—strikes the man as having "something in it of the sublime." He compares her answer to a Zen koan, a paradoxical statement or question used in Zen practice to provoke deep thought and enlightenment. This comparison elevates the everyday task of taking out the garbage to the level of a spiritual or philosophical riddle, suggesting that perhaps the true answers to life’s biggest questions lie not in abstract contemplation, but in the simple, repetitive actions that structure our lives.

The poem concludes with the man putting his arm around his wife, who continues to sleep peacefully, breathing "evenly from the depths of sleep." This image of calm and intimacy contrasts with the earlier cosmic imagery, grounding the poem in the warmth and security of human connection. Through this final gesture, Simpson seems to affirm the importance of the ordinary—the quiet moments shared between loved ones, the small rituals that anchor us in the present—amidst the vast and unknowable universe.

"Physical Universe" is a meditation on the balance between the cosmic and the everyday, the infinite and the finite. Simpson captures the humor and irony in how our grandest thoughts are often interrupted by the simplest tasks, and how these tasks, in turn, can hold their own kind of profundity. The poem suggests that while we may seek answers in the stars, the true meaning of life might just be found in the everyday routines that keep us grounded, and in the relationships that give our lives warmth and meaning.

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