Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Window," Christopher Howell blends historical reflection with personal introspection, weaving together the past and present to explore themes of faith, intellectual pursuit, and the longing for spiritual clarity. Using the concept of a “window” both literally and metaphorically, Howell meditates on the tension between human desires and the ideals of a higher calling. The poem layers references to medieval spirituality, musicality, and personal reflection, capturing a moment of contemplative yearning for meaning that seems elusive and distant.

The poem begins with the speaker looking out a window and thinking of the Brethren of the Common Life, a religious community founded in the late 14th century by Geert Groote. This group advocated for a simpler, pious life rooted in communal devotion, and Howell invokes their legacy as a symbol of earnest faith and discipline. The reference to the “hard peculiarities of Groote’s devotions” suggests that their practices were challenging, rigorous, and even austere, demanding a kind of commitment that seems rare and distant in modern life. This historical reflection allows Howell to juxtapose the depth of their religious commitment with the speaker’s own search for purpose and meaning, grounding the poem in an intellectual and spiritual tradition that transcends time.

Howell’s imagination transports him to Deventer, the city associated with Groote and the Brethren, where he envisions the city’s “moat and ancient spires taking the sunlight.” This historical setting provides a backdrop for the figures of Frederick of Heilo and Thomas à Kempis, both associated with the Devotio Moderna movement, a movement that advocated for a personal, humble approach to faith. Howell envisions them “stroll[ing] together in their penguinesque cloaks,” a description that adds a touch of warmth and humanity to these austere figures. By imagining these historical figures in a scene of gentle sunlight, Howell suggests that, though separated by centuries, the ideals they represent—faith, humility, and a devotion to learning—still cast a meaningful light in the present.

As Howell contemplates Thomas à Kempis, he recalls the advice from "The Imitation of Christ", one of Thomas’s most influential works: “If you cannot sing like the nightingale and lark, then sing like the frogs and crows, which sing each as God intended.” This quote is a call to authenticity, a reminder that all beings have a purpose and value, regardless of their perceived beauty or importance. Howell juxtaposes this teaching with his own reality: sitting in a room on a “budding and breezy plain,” reading Thomas’s work while listening to Franz Liszt’s music. Howell’s reference to Liszt, a Romantic composer known for his intensity and passion, contrasts sharply with the modest, humble spirituality of Thomas à Kempis. The “active dark of the pianist’s left hand” evokes a sensual, almost indulgent atmosphere, one that stands in opposition to the simplicity of Thomas’s devotion. Howell seems to recognize the irony here—the distance between the disciplined, humble life espoused by the Brethren and his own intellectual pursuits, marked by a yearning for something grander or more profound.

As the poem unfolds, Howell’s thoughts shift to his personal journey through literature and love. He reflects on “ages of loving the wrong books, reading women whose syntax was ill will itself,” an acknowledgment of the ways in which his intellectual pursuits and romantic entanglements may have misled or distracted him. Howell’s description of these women—whose “eyes, when they turned from the fire, were the shapes of fire”—captures an allure that is both captivating and potentially destructive, suggesting that he may have been drawn to intensity and passion at the expense of stability and inner peace. This reflection leads him to “long for the lemony precision it is supposed we finally come to,” a phrase that captures his desire for clarity, order, and a kind of intellectual or spiritual purity that he associates with maturity or wisdom.

Yet, Howell admits that it is a “long way to the passions of the good brown scholars,” implying that the path to understanding and spiritual fulfillment is far from straightforward. The “good brown scholars” represent an ideal of intellectual dedication and reverence for the mysteries of faith, a standard that Howell feels is distant from his own reality. His desire for the “lemony precision” suggests a longing for simplicity and purity, yet he acknowledges the allure of “the extravagance of flesh” and the complexities of human desire. This tension between worldly passion and spiritual aspiration becomes a central theme, capturing the struggle between the life one leads and the ideals one yearns for.

In the final lines, Howell returns to the view outside his window, noting the “blue suggestions of the shriven life” that lie “farther from me than a cardinal can fly.” The “shriven life” refers to a state of absolution or purity, a life free from sin or guilt. By positioning this ideal as something unreachable, Howell acknowledges the limitations of human striving and the distance that separates him from the spiritual purity he admires. The redbud tree “sprays up to the sweet air on its knees dreaming of Liszt,” blending the natural with the spiritual and artistic, suggesting that even nature longs for transcendence, reaching upward in a posture of both beauty and humility.

In "Window", Howell explores the yearning for a deeper, more meaningful existence, juxtaposing personal reflections with historical and spiritual ideals. Through his contemplation of the Brethren, Thomas à Kempis, and his own intellectual and romantic experiences, Howell crafts a portrait of a mind caught between reverence and realism, between the call to a disciplined, humble faith and the pull of passionate, worldly desires. The window becomes a metaphor for the separation between these realms, a barrier that allows glimpses of an idealized life but keeps it at a distance. Howell’s poem invites readers to consider the complexities of faith, the limitations of understanding, and the ways in which we navigate the distance between the lives we lead and the ideals we hold dear.

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