Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem begins with an intense, almost meditative focus on a knot in a plank of wood, a symbol that evokes the profound and often overwhelming encounters with the sublime that Blake reported experiencing throughout his life. This staring contest with the "Ghost within the wood" suggests a moment of visionary insight, where the mundane is transformed into a portal for transcendental communication. The ghost's return gaze, "Haughty & imperial," and its speech in a dialect reminiscent of "Red Indian" that paradoxically sounds like English, underscores the universal and timeless nature of visionary experience, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Wojahn's reference to the "fiery pentecostal ways of Knowing" alludes to the Pentecost, a biblical event where the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, allowing them to speak in tongues. This metaphor captures Blake's belief in direct, unmediated spiritual knowledge and his commitment to a form of communication that transcends conventional language, tapping into a deeper, prelapsarian (before the Fall of Man) mode of expression.

The poem then shifts to a more personal recounting of Blake's life, mentioning his wife Catherine and their experiences of singing "Naked in the Garden," conversing "Naked with the Angels," and engaging in profound spiritual exchanges. These references not only highlight Blake's rejection of societal norms and his embrace of innocence and purity but also his deep, spiritual bond with Catherine, who was an integral part of his creative and visionary life.

Wojahn's invocation of "the Angel Tongue" as a "Pre-Lapsarian sort" of English further emphasizes Blake's desire to reclaim a state of innocence and direct communion with the divine, a language uncorrupted by the Fall and capable of expressing the "ecstasies" of their shared visions. This longing for a return to a state of grace is a recurring theme in Blake's work, reflecting his critique of the materialism and rationalism of his time.

However, the poem also acknowledges the transient nature of these ecstatic states, which are eventually replaced by "The Abstract Word" and leave behind a sense of "Abjection." This shift from the visionary to the mundane, from the divine ecstasy to human "Tincture," reflects the tension between the infinite and the finite, the eternal and the temporal, that pervades Blake's work. The mention of the speaker's fingertips "night-blue with ink" and the reference to "Cain's indelible Mark" signify the physical and moral consequences of human labor and creativity, as well as the burden of consciousness and the legacy of sin.

"Blake" is a richly textured poem that captures the complexity of William Blake's visionary world, weaving together themes of spiritual ecstasy, artistic labor, and the quest for a language capable of expressing the inexpressible. Through Wojahn's masterful use of imagery and allusion, the poem pays tribute to Blake's enduring influence as a poet and thinker who sought to transcend the limitations of the material world and connect with the divine through the power of imagination and creativity.

POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=41878

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