Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker's poem "Bride" is a multi-layered exploration of Jerusalem, a city steeped in history, conflict, and mythology. Through vivid imagery and metaphor, Ostriker presents Jerusalem as a woman, a bride, embodying the complexities and contradictions of a city that has been both revered and ravaged throughout history. The poem delves into the various facets of Jerusalem's identity, from its sacred and historical significance to its present-day reality, marked by violence and political strife.

The poem is divided into two distinct sections, each offering a different perspective on Jerusalem. In the first section, Jerusalem is personified as a woman who "sits on her mountains" and is deeply engrossed in her own story. This portrayal suggests a city that is self-absorbed, constantly reflecting on its past, "going over and over her story," with every detail "memorized, magnified, / Interpreted." This obsessive recounting of history hints at the burden of Jerusalem's long and tumultuous past, filled with moments of glory and despair. The city's history is depicted as a series of intense experiences—lovers, children, warriors, and artists—all of whom have left their mark on her.

Jerusalem's pride is palpable as Ostriker writes, "What woman would not / Be thoroughly proud." Despite the city's suffering, including times of poverty and "begging in the streets," there is an undeniable sense of pride in being loved "Above the queens / Of the earth, above the other beauties." This pride, however, is not without a darker side. The poem acknowledges that today, "they are killing for her / Among the stones," highlighting the ongoing violence and bloodshed that continue to define the city's existence.

In the second section, Ostriker shifts focus from the grand, historical image of Jerusalem to a more intimate and surreal portrayal of the city. Here, the cats of Jerusalem are depicted as the "secret / Government," a metaphorical representation of the city's hidden and perhaps more sinister forces. These cats, with "hearts / As black as eels, or hearts as red / And wise as pomegranates," symbolize the stealth and cunning that pervade the city's undercurrents. The cats are omnipresent, "insinuate everywhere," suggesting an unseen yet powerful influence that shapes the city's destiny.

Ostriker's use of the cats as a metaphor for the city's underlying forces allows her to critique the more visible and established powers in Jerusalem. She dismisses the "rabbis and their frozen Law," the "sweaty / Knesset members," and the "competitive brands of Christians" as irrelevant or ineffective in addressing the true nature of the city's reality. Even the "fleshy mothers" and "the mayor, his rosy stitching and patching" are depicted as secondary to the deeper, more primal forces at play in Jerusalem.

The poem culminates in the image of a "small, blackened / Bronze Egyptian cat / In the Rockefeller Museum," which the other cats take orders from. This cat, with a heart "heavier / Than an iron cannonball," embodies the anger and resentment that have accumulated over centuries of conflict and oppression. The anger is described as being so intense that it weighs down the heart, symbolizing the heavy burden of Jerusalem's history and the seemingly endless cycle of violence that has plagued the city.

"Blood and sand" and the questioning of "What is reality and what is fiction?" point to the blurred lines between truth and myth in Jerusalem's narrative. The poem suggests that the city's identity is shaped as much by the stories and legends told about it as by the actual events that have transpired there. The repeated phrase "Forget" serves as a command to move beyond the surface-level understanding of the city, urging the reader to look deeper into the forces that truly govern Jerusalem.

In "Bride," Ostriker presents Jerusalem as a city that is both revered and ravaged, a place where history and mythology intertwine with present-day realities of conflict and violence. Through her vivid imagery and metaphorical language, Ostriker invites the reader to contemplate the complex and often contradictory nature of Jerusalem, a city that continues to captivate and confound those who seek to understand it. The poem is a powerful meditation on the enduring impact of history, the weight of memory, and the inescapable presence of anger and violence in the human experience.

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