Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Descending Figure: 2. The Sick Child," inspired by a scene in the Rijksmuseum, is another emotionally evocative poem by Louise Gluck. The poem explores the emotional landscape of a mother and her ailing child, trapped in a moment that combines both intimacy and imminent loss. Here, Gluck takes us on a poetic journey that illuminates the complexities of love, mortality, and the moral dilemmas that arise from our most intimate relationships.

Set in Antwerp in the depths of winter, the poem presents a somber setting of a room where a "small child is ill, has wakened." The child, we learn, "relaxes in her mother's arms," drawing comfort from maternal closeness. However, the mother is described as unable to sleep, her gaze "fixedly into the bright museum." This juxtaposition between the child's temporary reprieve and the mother's relentless vigilance is the crux of the poem. Her vigilant stare is not just one of watchfulness but seems to symbolize her grappling with an unbearable future knowledge-that "by spring the child will die."

The line, "By spring the child will die," serves as a turning point in the poem. It transforms the emotional context entirely, reframing the earlier lines and casting them in a far darker light. Suddenly, the mother's holding her child, which seems an act of love and comfort, becomes morally complex. Gluck asserts, "Then it is wrong, wrong / to hold her-." This line resonates deeply, as it challenges our conventional understanding of love and caregiving. The argument appears to be that perhaps the most humane course of action is to allow the child to be "alone, without memory," rather than being imbued with a love that will only deepen the tragedy of her inevitable loss.

The poem concludes with a stark image of "the others" who "wake / terrified, scraping the dark / paint from their faces." It's a haunting visual that suggests a collective suffering or perhaps the universal human struggle against the darkness of mortality and loss. The dark paint could symbolize the emotional and existential burdens that people carry, burdens made even more painful by the presence of love and memory.

The moral complexity of "Descending Figure: 2. The Sick Child" lies in its challenge to the conventional wisdom that love, even in the face of impending loss, is always right or beneficial. Gluck raises uncomfortable questions about the ethics of love in the context of inevitable tragedy. While the poem doesn't necessarily answer these questions, it offers a profound exploration of the human condition, making us ponder the intricacies of love, the moral choices it imposes on us, and the inexorable reality of mortality that hangs over even the most intimate moments. In doing so, Gluck leaves us with a poignant, troubling image that continues to haunt us long after we've left the "bright museum" of the poem.

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