Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Cosante," translated by Denise Levertov, Octavio Paz delves into the complexities of love and suffering through the recurring image of a nightingale perched "on the ramparts." The nightingale, a bird often symbolizing love, beauty, and poetry, is here an ambiguous figure embodying pain, struggle, and yearning. Paz turns the traditional symbol on its head, giving us a bird that is as much about the agony of expression as it is about the euphoria of love.

The poem opens with "a slit tongue / and open eyes," instantly creating a tension between vulnerability and vigilance. The nightingale's "slit tongue" may be self-inflicted or a result of some external violence, but it also suggests a singer or poet, who, even wounded, cannot help but sing. Its "open eyes" bear witness to "stored-up pain," indicating an endless accumulation of suffering and sadness.

The phrase "feathers of blood" evokes the dual nature of the bird's existence; its feathers should enable it to soar, but they are laden with blood, a symbol of life and, simultaneously, of death and pain. This tension is further emphasized by "brief dazzle," suggesting a fleeting moment of joy or inspiration amidst an otherwise tormenting existence.

Fresh "water given birth in the throat" again carries a dual meaning. On one hand, water is usually a symbol of life, renewal, and purity; on the other, the "throat" is the site of the nightingale's song, "stricken with love," and thus of its perpetual yearning and suffering. This dichotomy is echoed in "water with wings," where water-normally flowing freely-is burdened with wings, possibly suggesting the heavy responsibilities that love often carries.

"Among black stones the white voice" is a line that stands as a powerful contrast to the surrounding imagery. The "white voice" of the nightingale stands out among the "black stones," evoking purity in the midst of bleakness, hope amidst despair. Yet, this voice is "of love-struck water," a love that seems to be both a blessing and a curse.

In the poem's concluding lines, the nightingale continues to sing "with slit tongue / blood on the stone," encapsulating the essence of the entire poem. The bird's love is both its source of agony and its reason for singing, just as the poet writes because of, and in spite of, the pain and complexities of life and love.

Through repeated motifs and haunting imagery, "Cosante" explores the inextricable link between love and suffering. The nightingale, so often an emblem of romantic or poetic love, is here a more complicated symbol, embodying the pain and passion that often accompany the most profound human experiences.

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