Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Mosaic" is a rich and layered exploration of religious themes, history, and the nature of human conflict, conveyed through the metaphor of mosaic tiles. Each section of the poem reflects on a different biblical or religious scene, using vivid imagery and symbolic language to draw connections between ancient stories and contemporary experiences. The poem’s structure, divided into four distinct yet thematically linked parts, mirrors the construction of a mosaic itself—individual pieces coming together to form a cohesive whole.

 1. The Sacrifice

The first section, "The Sacrifice," centers on the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. The tile here depicts the knife "like a sickle-moon" hanging "in the painted air," a powerful image that captures the tension and impending violence of the moment. The knife, suspended as if in a dance, suggests both the ritualistic nature of the act and the weight of the decision Abraham faces. The comparison of the knife to a sickle-moon adds an element of inevitability, as if the knife is part of a larger cosmic cycle, much like the phases of the moon.

The boy, presumably Isaac, is described as moving "among the vivid / breakable flowers," highlighting his innocence and the fragility of life in the face of such a profound event. The flowers, vivid yet breakable, symbolize the beauty and transience of life, contrasting with the heaviness of Abraham's steps, "his two feet heavy / as stones." This weight reflects the burden of the sacrifice he is about to make, grounding the scene in a palpable sense of gravity and finality.

 2. Near Sinai

In "Near Sinai," the focus shifts to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. God's hand is "the size of a tiny cloud," an image that evokes both the omnipresence and the elusiveness of the divine. The "wordless tablets" that curve "like the temple doors" suggest that the laws Moses receives are not merely physical inscriptions but deeply embedded truths, shaped by the divine and the natural world alike.

Moses, reaching up towards these tablets, sees "laws chiseled in his mind / by the persistent wind / of the desert." This imagery connects the act of receiving the commandments with the harsh, relentless environment of the desert, where the elements themselves seem to shape human understanding. The wind, a symbol of both natural force and divine breath, is also linked to the earlier biblical story of Moses in the bulrushes, suggesting that his life and mission have been guided by this persistent, shaping force.

 3. The Flight Into Egypt

"The Flight Into Egypt" moves to the New Testament, focusing on the Holy Family's escape from Herod’s massacre. The halos "like rings around planets" immediately mark the figures as sacred, emphasizing their divine protection. The small donkey, burdened with its holy passengers, represents the humble means by which they flee from danger.

Pastan contrasts the "thunder / of the Old Testament" with the "lightning / of the New," suggesting a shift from the harsh, often wrathful God of the Old Testament to the more immediate, revelatory nature of the New Testament. The journey from one to the other, marked by the escape into Egypt, signifies a transition not only in the narrative of the Bible but also in the evolution of spiritual understanding.

 4. At the Armenian Tile Shop

The final section, "At the Armenian Tile Shop," brings the reader into the present, blending the ancient with the contemporary. Here, the biblical figures of Esau and Jacob, Cain and Abel—iconic pairs associated with conflict and betrayal—are depicted on the tiles. The "heavy eyes" of Esau, Jacob, Cain, and Abel reflect the weight of their stories, stories of competition and lost blessings that resonate through time.

The Arab assistant in the tile shop, watching the speaker with the same "heavy eyes," introduces a modern parallel, suggesting that these ancient conflicts continue to echo in the present day. The final lines—"all of us wondering / why for every pair / there is just one / blessing"—capture a universal sense of injustice and the perennial human question of why blessings seem so unevenly distributed, why some are chosen and others are not.

 Overall Interpretation

"Mosaic" is a poem that weaves together different strands of religious history, mythology, and personal reflection, creating a tapestry of meaning that spans time and culture. The use of mosaic tiles as a central metaphor is particularly fitting, as each section of the poem is like a piece of a larger picture, contributing to a complex and multifaceted exploration of faith, sacrifice, and the human condition. Pastan’s careful attention to imagery and symbolism invites readers to consider how these ancient stories continue to influence our understanding of the world and our place within it.

Through its layered structure and rich visual and thematic elements, "Mosaic" offers a meditation on the ways in which the past informs the present, and how the stories we tell—whether through art, religion, or history—shape our identities and our understanding of the divine.

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