Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Michael Ondaatje’s "Diverse Causes" is an intricate exploration of domesticity, love, and the primal forces of nature that persist beneath the surface of everyday life. Blending vivid, sometimes surreal imagery with quiet moments of reflection, the poem examines the interplay of human connection, the natural world, and the lingering echoes of myth and history. Through its fragmented structure and layered symbolism, Ondaatje creates a tapestry of human experience that bridges the mundane and the sublime.

The opening lines, a quotation in archaic language, situate the poem within a historical or literary context. The reference to "a man and woman" and "olde jantylnes and olde servyse" evokes themes of love, memory, and continuity, suggesting that the intimate acts of kindness and devotion between lovers persist as timeless gestures. This invocation sets the tone for the poem’s exploration of connection, both in personal relationships and with the natural world.

The transition to the present is marked by a striking juxtaposition: "Three clouds and a tree reflect themselves on a toaster." This image fuses the natural and the domestic, illustrating how the external world seeps into the intimate, constructed spaces of human life. The toaster, a quintessential symbol of modern convenience, becomes a reflective surface for the organic forms of "clouds and a tree," merging the external and internal worlds. The kitchen window, "scarred, shattered by winter hunters," introduces a sense of violence and intrusion, hinting at the fragility of the human sphere when confronted with the forces of nature or human disruption.

The speaker characterizes the domestic space as "a cell of civilized magic," a phrase that encapsulates the tension between the safety and confinement of modern life. The "magic" of civilization—represented by powdered milk and Stravinsky’s roaring music at breakfast—is juxtaposed with the primal, untamed world outside. The "May god" who "moves his paws to alter wind" embodies this external force, a mythic presence shaping the environment and scattering shadows. The "minute birds," confidently walking through the cold grass, reinforce the idea of a world untouched by human dominance, one that exists independently of human concerns.

The poem’s focus shifts to the labor of daily life: fetching water, cleaning buckets, sweeping cobwebs, and moths "who have forgotten to waken." These tasks root the narrative in the physical and mundane, yet they are imbued with a quiet reverence for the rhythms of life. The act of cleaning and sweeping reflects a human attempt to impose order, even as nature—embodied by the moths and cobwebs—continues its own cycles.

The imagery becomes more intimate as the speaker observes their sleeping partner: "I turn a page / careful not to break the rhythms of your sleeping head on my hip." This moment of stillness and tenderness contrasts with the bustling activity of earlier lines, highlighting the dual nature of human existence as both active participants in and quiet witnesses to life’s unfolding. The "moving under your eyelid that turns like fire" suggests the inner vitality and mystery of the sleeping mind, a fire that mirrors the mythic and elemental forces present throughout the poem.

The closing lines weave together love, nature, and myth in a powerful culmination. The speaker describes "love and the god outside" as simultaneous presences, linking personal intimacy with the universal forces of the natural world. The imagery of "ice... limp[ing] in brown hidden waterfalls" and a daughter "burn[ing] the lake by reflecting her red shoes in it" illustrates the transformative power of both human imagination and nature’s relentless cycles. The daughter’s act of reflection, though seemingly small, alters the perception of the lake, symbolizing the profound impact of human creativity and presence on the environment.

Diverse Causes is a richly textured meditation on the intersections of love, labor, and the natural world. Ondaatje’s use of fragmented structure and vivid, layered imagery captures the complexity of human existence, where the mundane and the mythic coexist. The poem suggests that while humans strive to impose order on their surroundings, they remain deeply connected to the primal rhythms of nature and the mysteries of life. Through its intimate and expansive lens, the poem celebrates the beauty and fragility of these connections, reminding readers of the profound interplay between the personal and the universal.

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