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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"We Are in Love, The Celibates Gravely Say" by Daniel Berrigan offers a profound and nuanced reflection on the nature of love, sacrifice, and the embodiment of Christ's presence in the world from the perspective of those who have committed to a life of celibacy. Through vivid imagery and a deep understanding of Christian theology, Berrigan explores the paradoxes of physical absence and spiritual presence, the dynamics of divine love, and the role of the celibate in mediating this complex relationship. The poem begins with an evocative scene where Christ is held up for ascension "like twelve earnest athletes at a trampoline," a metaphor that captures the disciples' role in facilitating Christ's return to the Father. This image is both dynamic and playful, suggesting a certain lightness and cooperation in the act of ascension, yet it is charged with the profound mystery of Christ's departure and promise of return. Berrigan uses the phrase "but if I go, I return" to echo Christ's assurances to His followers that His leaving is not a final separation but part of the mystery of salvation that encompasses both His death and resurrection. Christ's mastery over "gravity and the dynamics of flesh" speaks to the Incarnation's central mystery, wherein the divine enters fully into the human condition, embracing both its limitations and its potential for transcendence. The comparison of Christ's "continuing declension" to natural and violent phenomena— "like dew or fiery napalm / or the seeding of streams with trout eggs"—illustrates the varied and often paradoxical ways in which Christ's presence continues to manifest in the world. These images suggest a presence that is at once gentle and destructive, life-giving, and purifying, reflecting the transformative power of divine love. The "twelve earnest orantes" with their hands "safe as stone" evoke the posture of prayer and supplication, a gesture of openness and receptivity to the divine. Christ's striking, forcing, and filling of the "absent One" into the "World, and world's Body" captures the Christian belief in the ongoing incarnation of Christ in the church and the world, a presence that is both mysterious and tangible. In contemplating the celibates' proclamation of love, Berrigan touches on the profound commitment to embodying Christ's love in a world marked by physical absence. The celibate's love is not diminished by the lack of a marital partner but is instead directed toward a deeper participation in the mystery of Christ's love for the world. This love is mediated through acts of prayer, sacrifice, and service, reflecting a spiritual fecundity that transcends the bounds of physical procreation. "We Are in Love, The Celibates Gravely Say" is a meditation on the complexities of divine and human love, the interplay between absence and presence, and the call to live out the implications of Christ's incarnation in daily life. Through this poem, Berrigan invites readers to reflect on the nature of commitment, the manifestations of divine love, and the ways in which individuals are called to participate in the ongoing story of redemption. POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=29699
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...O, BREATHE NOT HIS NAME! by THOMAS MOORE THE TRIUMPH OF TIME by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE THE BLUET by W. I. LINCOLN ADAMS ODE TO THE RIVER TEIGN by JOHN CODRINGTON BAMPFYLDE SARAH THREENEEDLES (BOSTON, 1698) by KATHARINE LEE BATES THE HEALERS by LAURENCE BINYON |
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