Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "Definition of Creativeness" by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak delves into the complex and multi-layered dimensions of human creativity. The poem employs a range of vivid images and metaphors to illustrate the varying shades of inspiration, imagination, and inner struggle that characterize the creative spirit.

Pasternak delves into several salient themes:

The Complexity of Creativity: One of the foremost themes is the intricate and multifaceted nature of creativity. The poem refrains from providing a simplified or straightforward definition, opting instead to present the creative process as a fusion of dichotomies-dream and conscience, love and night.

Power and Responsibility: The image of the "ebony king" embodies the theme of the weighty responsibility that comes with the power to create. The figure is in a state of "rage" and "anguish," suggesting the internal conflicts and ethical considerations that creators must navigate.

Emotional Depth: The theme of deep, sometimes painful, emotions as a source of creativity is evident. The reference to the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde, as well as the "freezing-throb of pain," highlights how intense emotions often serve as the driving force behind artistic expression.

Universality of Human Experience: The poem asserts that the physical world and its elements are merely "types of passion hoarded by the heart of man." This theme emphasizes the universality of human emotions and experiences, suggesting that art is an external manifestation of internal human complexities.

Tension Between Order and Chaos: The structured form of the poem contrasts with its complex subject matter, bringing forth the theme of the tension between order and chaos. Creativity often emerges from this tension, balancing between the freedom to imagine and the constraints of form, ethics, or societal expectations.

Transcendence: The transition from a confined space to an expansive outdoor setting encapsulates the theme of transcendence. It echoes the ability of creativity to transcend individual limitations and touch upon universal truths.

The poem starts with a portrayal that is "maned as Beethoven's bust," immediately setting a high bar for artistic creativity and invoking a sense of grandeur. The chessmen held in "upturned hands" symbolize the dichotomies-dream and conscience, love and night-that govern human action and thought. These chessmen, representatives of dualities, suggest that creativity is not just an act of pure imagination but also one of ethical, emotional, and intellectual negotiation.

The ebony king, possibly a metaphor for dark, pressing ideas or challenges, is in "rage" and "anguished," emphasizing the conflict and turmoil that often accompany the creative process. This figure also represents the authoritative role that creators assume, reshaping and redefining the world according to their vision. They wield power over "pawn-plodders," which might be representative of common, banal ideas or even the mundanities of everyday life.

Pasternak then moves from the enclosed space of a room with chess pieces to the expansive realms of gardens and stars, echoing the way creativity often expands from the individual to universal scales. The "cellars of ice" from which stars rise in fragrance evoke the mysterious, often hidden sources of inspiration that fuel the artistic spirit. The nightingale choking "Tristan's freezing-throb of pain" refers to the story of Tristan and Isolde, a tale of tragic love, further emphasizing that creativity often springs from places of deep emotion and pain.

What is particularly striking is the poem's concluding lines, which proclaim that the diverse elements of the world are "only types of passion hoarded by the heart of man." Here, Pasternak makes a profound statement on the nature of creativity: it is the result of various passions and experiences that accumulate in the human heart. Creativity is not an abstract, isolated phenomenon but an amalgamation of the complexities and contradictions that make up human life.

The poem's structure is tight, adhering to a rhyme scheme and meter that contrast the uncontainable subject it seeks to define. This tension between form and subject matter serves to emphasize the dichotomies inherent in the creative process-between order and chaos, confinement and freedom, suffering and beauty.

In conclusion, Boris Pasternak's "Definition of Creativeness" serves as a compelling exploration of the nature of artistic creativity. It employs a rich tapestry of images, references, and symbols to depict the labyrinthine pathways of the human mind and heart engaged in the act of creation. Far from providing a simple or straightforward definition, the poem embraces the multifaceted, often contradictory elements that fuel the creative spirit.

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