Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Dixit Insipiens," Carolyn Kizer crafts a narrative that intertwines the realms of science, revolution, and the divine, drawing a vivid picture of societal upheaval and the displacement of religious authority by human intellect. The poem's title, which translates to "The fool says," alludes to Psalm 14:1 ("The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"), setting the stage for a critique of humanity's hubris and the consequences of forsaking divine reverence for scientific advancement and political rebellion.

The poem begins with an image of eminent men discreetly communicating: "At first, it was only a trickle / Of eminent men, with their astrolabes and armillae, / Who passed cautious notes to each other, obscurely worded." This sets a tone of secrecy and the dissemination of dangerous knowledge. The "astrolabes and armillae," instruments of astronomy, symbolize the pursuit of knowledge and the intellectual elite who wield it. The secrecy of their notes underscores the controversial nature of their discoveries and the potential threat they pose to the established order.

As the "terrible news leaked out," the reaction among the peasants is one of fear and anger: "Moans arose from the windowless hovels. / Men, hardly human, shouldering crude farm implements, / Gathered in knots along the roads and raved." This imagery contrasts the squalor and desperation of the peasants with the detached, lofty pursuits of the intellectuals. The peasants' response—"Storm the great houses! Smash the laboratory, / The retorts, the lenses - instruments of Satan"—reflects their perception of science as a malevolent force, alien and threatening to their traditional beliefs and way of life.

The violent reaction is met with equally forceful repression: "But the minions of the manors / Lashed them back from the bronze gates, / Back to the fetid darkness, where they scoured their knees, / Praying for us." The image of the peasants being driven back and praying highlights their powerlessness and their reliance on faith, even as they feel abandoned by the very powers they beseech for help. This scene illustrates the widening chasm between the ruling elite and the common people, as well as the clash between faith and reason.

The poem shifts focus to the correspondence between "Madame A." and "Monsieur B.," who display "a breathtaking indifference / To You: not even the target of a bilious epigram." This indifference to God suggests a profound secularism and self-assuredness among the intellectual elite. Their prime concern is not divine will but the strategic planning of their revolutionary aims: "Which voice, this time, will loose / Its thunderbolt? The straggling troops of revolution / Must be rallied yet again." This passage portrays the revolutionaries as calculating and methodical, driven by their own agendas rather than any higher moral calling.

In the concluding lines, Kizer underscores the transformation wrought by these intellectuals and revolutionaries: "In perfect confidence of their powers, / As if they, who after all are people of flesh and bone, / Despite their attainments, had replaced You; / Not by storming the throne room, nor by those manifestos / They so supremely compose. / You were swept out, and they swept in, that's all." The casual dismissal of God's displacement highlights the arrogance and self-assuredness of the new order. The revolutionaries' quiet usurpation of divine authority through knowledge and rhetoric, rather than through overt rebellion, underscores the poem's central theme of intellectual hubris and the secularization of society.

"Dixit Insipiens" is a powerful meditation on the tension between faith and reason, tradition and progress, and the human propensity for arrogance. Kizer's use of vivid imagery, historical references, and a narrative structure that moves seamlessly between the perspectives of different societal groups creates a rich tapestry that explores the consequences of abandoning the divine for the allure of human achievement and revolutionary fervor. The poem ultimately questions the wisdom of such a shift, hinting at the inherent folly in believing that human intellect and power can entirely replace the divine.