Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Louise Gluck's "Jeanne D'Arc," the reader is transported to an ethereal plane where sanctity and torment dance in a delicate equilibrium. The poem, a brief but dense narrative, opens with a mystical experience: "It was in the fields. The trees grew still, / a light passed through the leaves speaking / of Christ's great grace." Jeanne is positioned within a landscape that undergoes a temporal transformation as the divine light speaks through nature. The trees growing "still" suggests a reverential pause, a moment of divine intervention. The role of light here is symbolic, often associated with revelation and epiphany, and indeed, the light speaks of "Christ's great grace," imbuing the scene with spiritual gravitas.

Then comes a shift: "I heard. / My body hardened into armor." Jeanne's communion with the divine transforms her, quite literally, into a warrior for her faith. The armor here serves as a twofold metaphor: a spiritual fortification and a physical manifestation of her newfound purpose. It symbolizes her commitment to her divine calling and, at the same time, a preparation for the battles-both spiritual and corporeal-that lay ahead.

As the poem transitions to her capture and imprisonment, "Since the guards / gave me over to darkness," the theme of transformation continues but with a different texture. If Jeanne's body was once transformed into a protective armor through her divine encounter, now she is asking to be "transformed to fire, for God's purpose." The fire here, unlike the armor, suggests not just defense but also purification, even annihilation for a higher purpose. It underscores her readiness to become a martyr, to be consumed by the very purpose that has guided her.

The poem culminates in an enigmatic surrender: Jeanne is compelled to "kneel / to bless my King, and thank / the enemy to whom I owe my life." This oxymoronic sentiment-thanking the enemy-sums up the labyrinthine complexities of her spiritual journey. She owes her life, paradoxically, to those who wish to end it because they have paved the path for her ultimate transformation into a saint, a figure forever etched in the annals of faith and history. The enemy, in becoming the instrument of her martyrdom, involuntarily elevates her to sainthood.

Thus, the poem becomes a narrative of illumination, transformation, and transcendence. Jeanne's journey from a girl in the fields to a saint in the making illustrates the harrowing yet glorious path of those chosen for a divine destiny. Her story, as told by Gluck, exemplifies the sublime and sacrilegious complexities of living-and dying-for a cause that transcends mortal comprehension. The poem leaves us contemplating the profound enigma of a faith so intense that it turns enemies into unwitting benefactors and mortal flesh into eternal fire.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...