Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Two Illuminations" is an intricate exploration of human emotions, equilibrium, and the search for inner peace amidst chaos. The poem employs rich imagery and metaphor to convey the complexities of love, desire, and personal transformation, while also touching upon themes of balance and renewal.

The poem opens with a vivid portrayal of turmoil: "Storm and disorder and the giant emotions, / The seven deadly sins, they scatter all my hope." This initial depiction sets the stage for a chaotic internal landscape where powerful emotions and moral failings disrupt the speaker's sense of hope. The reference to the "seven deadly sins" invokes traditional notions of vice and moral struggle, suggesting that the speaker is grappling with profound inner conflicts.

In response to this chaos, the speaker seeks to restore order: "To gather them in change I summon up the image / Of all arrangement in equilibrium." The idea of "all arrangement in equilibrium" reflects a desire for balance and harmony. This summoning of equilibrium is a mental and emotional effort to bring stability to the disorder within. The phrase "Moments of poise in the middle of madness; / Sharpened as a forest is sharpened by fire, / I mean destroyed" further emphasizes this paradoxical process of finding clarity and renewal through destruction and purification.

The poem then shifts to a more introspective tone with "O abstract jealousy, half angel and half bird, / The bird smashing itself on the lighthouse’s flying eye." Here, jealousy is personified and given a dual nature, part angelic and part avian, symbolizing its complexity and destructiveness. The image of the bird smashing itself on the lighthouse evokes a sense of self-destructive obsession and the painful consequences of uncontrolled emotions.

The speaker's journey continues with a moment of revelation: "Tonight able at last to imagine perfect love— / Out of all murders / midnight in desire." This line suggests a breakthrough, where the speaker is able to envision an ideal form of love despite the darkness and violence of past experiences. The juxtaposition of "murders" and "desire" highlights the intensity and duality of human emotions, where love and destruction are often intertwined.

The poem then enters a reflective phase: "Now in a twilight moment I summon up twilight, / The two illuminations that can tell / Nothing in any second by themselves— / Only the body’s knowledge, many fresh mornings, / Newborn experience says this flicker of air / Over the face, this time’s quick light is dawn." The "twilight moment" represents a time of transition and reflection. The "two illuminations" refer to moments of insight and understanding that are fleeting and often incomplete on their own. It is through the accumulation of these experiences—"many fresh mornings" and "newborn experience"—that true understanding and renewal are achieved.

Rukeyser introduces a powerful metaphor with "a longhanded mime of form, / A dancer carrying two great eggs, intricacies / Of music and equilibrium." The image of a dancer balancing eggs symbolizes the delicate and intricate balance required to maintain harmony and creativity. The "Javanese temple-dancer, thin-fingered, dancing / Turret-crowned, in his dark hands balancing / The eggs" evokes a sense of cultural and spiritual performance, highlighting the precision and dedication needed to achieve equilibrium.

The poem concludes with a poignant appeal: "Come back to me soon. You are my breath and wine. / Did we then wrestle as if we were our angels? / There is peace also, / love changing like religion." These lines express a longing for reunion and the essential nature of the beloved to the speaker's existence. The reference to wrestling "as if we were our angels" suggests a profound and spiritual struggle, one that ultimately brings about peace. The comparison of love to religion underscores its transformative power and its ability to bring about profound change and understanding.

The final lines, "Around your image now my prodigal wishes / Gather in, like the eye’s color in brightened rooms, / Contract like a cloud of birds about a tree," evoke a sense of resolution and convergence. The speaker's "prodigal wishes" return and gather around the image of the beloved, much like colors intensifying in light or birds flocking around a tree. This imagery suggests a coming together of desires and emotions, finding focus and meaning in the presence of the beloved.

In "Two Illuminations," Muriel Rukeyser masterfully explores the complexities of human emotions and the quest for balance and understanding. Through rich, evocative imagery and profound metaphors, the poem reflects on the transformative power of love, the struggle for equilibrium, and the moments of insight that guide us through the chaos of life. Rukeyser's language and imagery invite readers to contemplate the interplay between turmoil and peace, and the ever-changing nature of love and existence.

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