Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's "Reading the Bible Backwards" presents a hauntingly beautiful vision that reinterprets the story of creation and the apocalypse through a lens that intertwines biblical references with vivid, nature-centric imagery. The poem starts at the altar, a place typically associated with beginnings and offerings, but here it is overgrown with lianas and blood, suggesting a primal, untamed world where divine and natural forces intertwine ominously.

The imagery of angels with "smoldering swords" and "rain-soaked wings" conveys a sense of celestial beings that are both majestic and threatening. These angels, unlike traditional messengers of peace, introduce a chaotic, almost apocalyptic atmosphere as they interact with the world.

The poem shifts to the birth of a child, depicted as a bright lemon in a basket. The child, symbolizing purity and new life, is attended not by wise men bearing gifts, but by uncrowned kings: a cockroach, condor, and leopard. These creatures, lords of decay, mountains, and plains, are drawn not to worship but to witness a prophecy—the end of the world as it has been known. This reversal of expectation sets a tone of disillusionment and foreboding.

As the narrative progresses, the polar caps melt, and the sea rises, swallowing landmarks and cities. The dolphins and anemones thrive in this new, watery world, their playful existence contrasting sharply with the destruction above. The transformation of the sphinx into a figure eroded by rain signifies the disintegration of ancient civilizations and the inevitable reclamation of human constructs by nature.

In a poignant scene, the child and its mother, along with the surrounding environment, are engulfed by water. This image, a tableau of apparent adoration, dissolves silently, emphasizing the indifferent, unstoppable force of nature. The angels, once seemingly solid, turn into quicksilver, further underscoring the ephemeral and transient nature of existence.

The poem concludes with a powerful vision of whales, now the rulers of a submerged world. They sing an epic of triumph as the land disappears, fulfilling their prayers for a world dominated by water. This final image of whales swimming among mountain peaks, like eagles of the deep, symbolizes a complete reversal of the terrestrial order. The basket of the child floats away, disintegrating in the water, embodying the ultimate fragility and impermanence of human endeavors.

Wilner's use of biblical language in the closing lines, "And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters," serves as a stark reminder of the cyclical nature of creation and destruction. By reading the Bible backwards, she underscores a return to primordial chaos, where human constructs and the natural world converge and collapse into each other.

The poem is a meditation on the fragility of human achievements and the relentless power of nature. Through its rich, symbolic imagery and intertextual references, it invites readers to reflect on the transient nature of civilization and the enduring, indifferent might of the natural world.

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