Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In César Vallejo's "Absolute," we are privy to a lyrical confrontation with time, mortality, and the very essence of existence. The poem traverses from a temporal reality defined by months like July and August to the metaphysical domains of love, God, and the self. This dual focus creates a complex dialogue that challenges us to consider our existential bearings.

The poem opens with the enigmatic "Color of ancient garments," a phrase steeped in symbolic significance. Whether referring to the historical or the individual past, this phrase is at once evocative and ambiguous. We are then pulled into a landscape defined by months: "A July in shadow / and an August newly mowed." Here, Vallejo beautifully captures the cyclical nature of life, paralleled by the seasons. July's shadow may indicate the burden of life or impending mortality, while August, newly mowed, could signify a clean slate or perhaps the cut of death itself.

The poem then transitions into abstract notions as it talks about "one hand of water that grafted rotten fruit / onto the resinous pine of tedium." Water is traditionally a symbol of life, but here it contributes to the tedium of existence by grafting 'rotten fruit,' or perhaps failed endeavors or broken dreams. The pine tree, usually a symbol of eternal life, is marred by "tedium," reflecting existential despair.

Vallejo then addresses a "dark garment," which may be a metaphor for life or perhaps the human soul. It has "dropped anchor," becoming part of an ever-changing temporal reality. The dark garment is "sprayed with a gorgeous fragrance," perhaps the joys and love that occasionally permeate life. It then "changes into time, abbreviation," evoking how life is but a brief moment in the grand timeline of existence. The speaker admits to having "sung / the feast of evil inclinations that sank," possibly referring to past regrets or darker aspects of human nature that have led to personal downfall.

Despite these ruminations, the poem crescendos into a plea to the "Lord" to "prevail against death, against the limit, against that which ends." This segment underscores the human desire for eternity, for something absolute. The wound "smells of burnt honey," capturing both the sweetness and the pain that life offers.

The poem culminates in a declaration of the oneness of God, of love that transcends space and time, and of the heartbeat that is the "sole rhythm." Yet, even this does not escape the limitations of human existence, described as "limits shrug[ging] their shoulders in harsh irreducible scorn." The "shower of serpents / upon the virgin plenitude of I" introduces destructive elements that violate the individual's wholeness or "plenitude," leaving behind "A furrow, a shadow."

"Absolute" is thus an intricate meditation on the ephemeral and the eternal. It confronts the paradox of human life-a search for the absolute amid the inherently limiting nature of our existence. By negotiating between the temporal and the infinite, Vallejo creates a profound existential narrative that captures the complex dynamics of being human.

POEM TEXT:

Color of ancient garments. A July in shadow

and an August newly mowed. And one

hand of water that grafted rotten fruit

onto the resinous pine of tedium.

Now you've dropped anchor, dark garment,

sprayed with a gorgeous fragrance, you change

into time, abbreviation...And I've already sung

the feast of evil inclinations that sank.

But can't you prevail, Lord, against death,

against the limit, against that which ends?

Ay! The wound the color of ancient garments

how it opens halfway and smells of burnt honey!

O sublime unity! O that which is one for all!

Love against space and against time!

Sole beat of the heart;

sole rhythm: God!

And as the limits shrug their shoulders

in harsh irreducible scorn,

there's a shower of serpents

upon the virgin plenitude of I.

A furrow, a shadow!

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