Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Ruse," Louise Gluck explores the intricate relationship between distance and desire, probing the fragile interplay between physical separation, emotional intensity, and the longevity of love. The poem opens with a couple "sat far apart deliberately," a spatial representation that serves as a metaphor for the emotional and psychological gaps that can exist in relationships. The distance isn't a hindrance but rather adds "sweetness" to their meetings. This suggests that there is an element of intentionality in the couple's distancing; they understand that "erotic passion thrives on distance."

The poem discusses two types of distance: "actual" and "spurious, deceptive, a ruse." Actual distance, driven by conditions such as being married or no longer in love, generates a genuine gulf between the couple. However, the spurious distance is intentionally crafted to imitate societal expectations. It's a "ruse" that demonstrates not the "power of convention" but the "power of eros to annihilate objective reality." In this way, the poem delves into how love can dismantle or distort the structures and systems that govern society.

"The world, time, distance-withering like dry fields before the fire of the gaze-" paints a vivid image of how emotional intensity can transcend all measurable aspects of reality. The gaze, as an act of seeing and being seen, can be so powerful that it eliminates everything else in its path. The repetition of "Never before. Never with anyone else" emphasizes the uniqueness of the experience, making the reader feel as though this couple has tapped into something unparalleled. However, this sentiment is undercut later with, "And then the whole thing repeated exactly with someone else," laying bare the harsh truth that the pattern is cyclic, rather than unique.

Towards the end, the poem reveals that "the only constant was distance, the servant of need," implying that physical separation or emotional distance serves the core needs of an individual. It creates a space in which "fire" can burn, fueling individualistic passions or longings. The poem closes with a sobering realization that "distance was sufficient, by itself," arguing that perhaps the acts of love - "the eyes, the hands" - are "less crucial than we believed." The essence of relationships, it seems, lies not in the superficial acts of intimacy but in the intricacies of distance and proximity, a space that allows for both closeness and separation, necessity and desire.

"Ruse" serves as a complex, thought-provoking meditation on the relationship between love and distance. Through its unflinching look at the fragility and temporality of emotional bonds, the poem ultimately suggests that the truest forms of intimacy may lie not in closeness but in understanding and maintaining the essential distances that define us.

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