Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Hester's Song" by Toi Derricotte is a deeply moving and intimate exploration of motherhood, drawing inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." Through the lens of Hester Prynne, the protagonist of Hawthorne's novel who bears a child out of wedlock and is marked by society with the scarlet letter "A" for adulteress, Derricotte delves into themes of creation, isolation, and transcendence. The poem speaks to the complex emotions surrounding the conception, gestation, and birth of a child under circumstances that society deems transgressive.

The poem opens with a personal anecdote, grounding the narrative in the contemporary moment as the speaker's son asks about "The Scarlet Letter." This question serves as a portal into the speaker's reflection on her own experiences of motherhood, which she intertwines with the symbolic and literal journey of Hester Prynne.

Derricotte employs celestial imagery to convey the profound and boundless nature of bringing a new life into the world. Descriptions of riding "piggyback through groundless sky" and stars as "white foam" in the face evoke a sense of wonder and the infinite potential encapsulated in the act of creation. The universe's response to the "thought of you" suggests that the child's conception was a cosmic event, challenging the narrow judgment of society with the expansive embrace of the natural and divine.

The poem vividly captures the protectiveness, fear, and awe that come with pregnancy. The speaker describes curling over the unborn child, "guarding my rage," an acknowledgment of the anger and defiance against those who would judge or harm the child. The fear that the child "might escape through the crown of my head like a chimney" is a striking metaphor for the fragility of pregnancy and the mother's role as protector and vessel.

Without the presence of a husband, the speaker finds solace and sustenance in a "stream of light," a metaphor for divine presence and the intrinsic worth of the mother and child beyond societal judgment. The invocation of God as "wide" and a "pillar" who "wrenched me" suggests a painful yet transformative encounter with the divine, leading to the realization that the child is a manifestation of prayer and grace.

The poem concludes with an exhortation to the child to "hold," affirming the child's intrinsic value as "the one gold ever to come of alchemy." This final line encapsulates the poem's central message: that despite societal condemnation, the love between a mother and her child is an unparalleled and sacred alchemy, transforming pain and ostracization into something precious and enduring.

"Hester's Song" is a testament to the power of maternal love and the indomitable spirit of those who, like Hester Prynne, navigate the complexities of motherhood under the weight of societal scorn. Derricotte's poem is both a personal meditation and a universal hymn to the transformative power of love and the enduring bond between mother and child.