Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Charles Olson?s "What?s Wrong with Pindar" engages with questions of form, nature, and artistic creation, using Pindar, the ancient Greek lyric poet, as a point of departure to critique and reimagine the ideals of classical order. Through layered imagery and linguistic play, Olson contrasts the notion of perfection with the irregularities that define human growth, creativity, and history, suggesting that vitality lies in the irregularities and contradictions that disrupt classical ideals.

The poem opens with the metaphor of the pearl: "The pearl. It?s baroque. Regular-irregular." The pearl, a natural formation often celebrated for its smooth, round perfection, is here reframed as "baroque," a term associated with ornate, irregular beauty. Olson suggests that the irregularity of the baroque is more vital and truthful than the false perfection of classical ideals. The "bad dialectic" critiques the reduction of complexity into neat oppositions or harmonious resolutions, proposing instead that the irregular—bumps and asymmetries—is a more authentic reflection of life and growth.

Nature itself is positioned as inadequate—"Will not do"—if it is approached through static or idealized forms. Olson emphasizes growth and action as processes that inherently move "away from the mother," a metaphor for leaving behind the origin or the classical foundation. This movement is directional and purposeful: turning "east as south to catch concupiscence in our pants" reflects a human trajectory driven by desire, exploration, and creative energy. Olson celebrates this dynamic, unruly force, rejecting the classical fixation on symmetrical beauty and formal constraint.

The poem critiques the reassertion of "imagination and sentiment" as obfuscations that conceal the raw, transformative energy of life. Olson juxtaposes these reassertions with the industrial vitality of "masts and engines" that disrupt the static "wharves and spires of the city." This imagery pits the mechanical, evolving forces of modernity against the fixed, idealized structures of classical tradition. The tidal movements described—“rising and falling, and of gulfs bays rivers twice / in each lunar day”—serve as a metaphor for natural rhythms and the underlying dynamism of life, contrasting with the rigidity of classical forms.

Olson extends his critique to the act of creation itself, arguing that "the history and functions vivify the coming into being of anything." Here, he emphasizes that creation is not static but an evolving process tied to time, context, and history. Without a structural framework, however, Olson warns that modes—artistic or otherwise—risk lying inert, like "gods thrown down helpless." This reference to mythological deities evokes the tension between tradition and innovation, as new forms rise to disrupt and redefine the old.

Saturn, the Roman god of time, makes a striking appearance: "Saturn, on his elbow, looking over Rhea done in on the ground." This image embodies a moment of dismemberment and renewal, where the past (Saturn) oversees the collapse of its own structures (Rhea) to make way for new forms. The pearl, in this context, becomes a potent symbol of transformation: an object of beauty formed through the accretion of layers around an irritant. Olson suggests that this process of creation—rooted in irregularity, conflict, and growth—is what imbues art and life with vitality.

In the closing line, Olson asserts that "The oyster" is the locus of this transformative process, its unassuming form capable of producing pearls through the intrusion of foreign elements. This metaphor encapsulates Olson?s belief in the generative power of disruption and irregularity. The oyster’s labor parallels the creative act: messy, unpredictable, and inherently tied to the external world.

Olson’s "What?s Wrong with Pindar" is a critique of classical ideals that privileges irregularity, growth, and historical dynamism over static perfection. By reimagining the pearl as "baroque" and embracing the dissonances of life and creation, Olson challenges traditional notions of beauty and form, advocating instead for a poetics that reflects the raw, chaotic vitality of existence. His rejection of static classical forms aligns with his broader vision of a modern, process-oriented aesthetic, where the irregular becomes the seat of meaning and creativity.

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