Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Jane Kenyon’s poem "Woman, Why Are You Weeping?" juxtaposes a Biblical moment of profound loss with the speaker's own spiritual and existential crisis. Through a blend of personal reflection and vivid imagery, Kenyon explores themes of faith, disillusionment, cultural contrast, and the search for meaning in a complex and often incomprehensible world.

The poem begins with a retelling of Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the empty tomb: “One morning after the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene came to see the body of Christ. She found the stone rolled away from an empty tomb. Two figures dressed in white asked her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?'” This sets a tone of deep mourning and confusion, which parallels the speaker’s own emotional state.

Kenyon transitions to the speaker's personal experience: “Returned from long travel, I sit / in the familiar, sun-streaked pew, waiting / for the bread and wine of holy Communion. / The old comfort does not rise in me, only / apathy and bafflement.” The contrast between the familiar church setting and the speaker’s internal sense of loss and disconnect highlights a crisis of faith. The mention of India introduces a stark cultural and spiritual contrast, emphasizing the speaker's disorientation: “India, with her ceaseless / bells and fire, her crows calling stridently / all night; India with her sandalwood / smoke, and graceful gods, many-headed and many- / armed, has taken away the one who blessed / and kept me.”

The poem then delves into the philosophical: “What is Brahman? I don't know Brahman. / I don't know saccidandana, the bliss / of the absolute and unknowable. / I only know that I have lost the Lord / in whose image I was made.” This passage reflects the speaker’s struggle to understand and reconcile different religious beliefs and the profound sense of loss that accompanies the abandonment of a once-comforting faith.

Kenyon’s vivid imagery continues as the speaker reflects on the absurdity of religious forms and language: “The absurdity of all religious forms / breaks over me, as the absurdity of language / made me feel faint the day I heard friends / giving commands to their neighbor's dog / in Spanish.... At first I laughed, / but then I became frightened.” This fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar encapsulates the speaker’s broader existential anxiety.

The speaker’s connection to Christ is deeply personal and poignant: “They have taken away my Lord, a person / whose life I held inside me. I saw him / heal, and teach, and eat among sinners. / I saw him break the sabbath to make a higher / sabbath. I saw him lose his temper.” These intimate recollections emphasize the human aspect of Christ and the deep, personal loss the speaker feels.

Kenyon juxtaposes this with the stark reality of life in India: “A man sleeps on the pavement, on a raffia mat -- / the only thing that has not been stolen from him. / This stranger who loves what cannot be understood / has put out my light with his calm face.” The contrast between the man's apparent contentment and the speaker’s turmoil highlights the disparity between different ways of experiencing and understanding life and spirituality.

The poem concludes with a powerful scene on the Ganges: “Rajiv did not weep. He did not cover / his face with his hands when we rowed past / the dead body of a newborn nudging the grassy / banks at Benares.” This stark imagery of life and death underscores the speaker’s profound questioning of faith and existence. The indifference to the dead child, juxtaposed with the sacredness of the Ganges, encapsulates the complexity and often harsh realities of life that challenge the speaker’s previous beliefs.

In “Woman, Why Are You Weeping?” Jane Kenyon masterfully intertwines personal and religious disillusionment with vivid cultural contrasts, creating a deeply introspective and thought-provoking meditation on faith, loss, and the search for meaning. Through her evocative language and rich imagery, Kenyon captures the profound sense of displacement and the struggle to reconcile different spiritual and existential perspectives, offering a poignant reflection on the human condition.

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