Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Vespers" by Louise Gluck presents an intimate conversation between the speaker and an unseen, omnipresent entity, presumably a deity or some form of a higher power. The poem unfolds as a monologue, where the speaker grapples with the notions of responsibility, failure, and the limitations of human agency in the face of nature or divine will. The imagery is rooted in the everyday-a failed attempt to grow tomatoes-but expands into broader questions about life, suffering, and the attributes of an indifferent universe.

The speaker reports "failure in my assignment, principally / regarding the tomato plants," attributing it to adverse weather conditions and, by extension, to the will of the higher power. This immediately introduces a tension between human effort and uncontrollable external forces. The speaker does not merely lament the failure but sees it as a reflection of their relationship with the world, which they believe is governed by an unseen authority.

"I think I should not be encouraged to grow / tomatoes," the speaker remarks, subtly suggesting that the higher power should not have allowed the circumstances for failure if the higher power indeed had expectations-or as the speaker states, "anticipating / some return on investment." It raises questions of predestination versus free will, as well as the idea of suffering as a test or a form of divine investment.

The poem delves deeper into the emotional toll the failure takes on the speaker, noting, "it was my heart / broken by the blight, the black spot so quickly / multiplying in the rows." It's more than just tomato plants; it's the speaker's emotional and psychological investment that has gone awry, reflecting their deeper existential anxieties. The blighted tomatoes become a metaphor for the unpredictable adversities we all face, inflicting emotional pain that, according to the speaker, an indifferent universe cannot fathom.

The speaker questions the deity's ability to feel, stating, "I doubt / you have a heart, in our understanding of / that term." This echoes the eternal philosophical dilemma about the nature of God: Is God indifferent to human suffering? This sense of divine indifference is heightened when the speaker says, "You who do not discriminate / between the dead and the living." It paints a picture of a universe guided by a sense of impartiality that borders on coldness.

Finally, the speaker accepts responsibility, stating, "I am responsible / for these vines." This acceptance is tinged with a sense of resignation and a subtle accusation towards the higher power. Even if the universe is indifferent, the speaker cannot absolve themselves of their own emotional investments and disappointments. They remain caught in the dualism of human existence: the will to create and sustain life (as symbolized by planting the seeds) and the vulnerability to conditions beyond one's control (as symbolized by "the blight" and "the black spot").

"Vespers" thus becomes a poignant rumination on the complex interplay between human efforts, emotional investment, and the inscrutability of a universe that remains indifferent to individual aspirations and sufferings. It is a dialogue not just with a deity but with the existential conditions of human life, set against the backdrop of an unfathomable cosmos.

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