Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Carolyn Kizer's poem "The Ashes; For William Gass" is a poignant exploration of loss, historical trauma, and the complex interplay between personal and collective memory. Through the narrative of an elderly Chinese poet, Kizer delves into the devastating impact of political upheaval on individual lives and artistic expression, while also reflecting on the nature of translation and the unfulfilled desires that linger from the past.

The poem begins with a stark and evocative image: an elderly poet who, in a moment of panic and fear, burns the only manuscript of her poems to avoid persecution by the Red Guards. This act of destruction is both literal and symbolic, representing the erasure of her life's work and the loss of her voice. The line "The only copy" underscores the finality of this loss, emphasizing that these poems, and the experiences they encapsulated, are gone forever. The arrival of the Red Guards and the poet's mother's suicide attempt further highlight the brutal and dehumanizing environment in which these events took place.

Kizer captures the poet's bitterness and frustration, noting her achievements and the timing of her return to China in 1948, a period of significant political change and turmoil. The poet's bitterness extends to Kizer herself, who has chosen to translate a younger poet's work instead. This decision is laden with complex emotions, as the elderly poet's "good work died in the stove," and she is acutely aware of the loss of her potential and the life she might have had. The elderly poet's desire for Kizer to "recompose them / From the ashes" speaks to a longing for redemption and a futile hope to reclaim what was lost.

The poem also touches on the dynamics of translation and the intimate, yet fraught, relationship between the translator and the poet. Kizer's decision to translate the work of a younger poet is seen as a betrayal by the elderly poet, who yearns for her own work to be revived and recognized. The poet's demands—wanting the noose around her mother's neck untied, wanting her life to be different—are impossible to fulfill, highlighting the depth of her despair and the weight of her unfulfilled desires.

Kizer's reflection on a hypothetical scenario where both poets are young and successful adds a layer of poignancy to the poem. In this imagined past, the elderly poet's English is flawless, and Kizer's Mandarin is fluent, creating a perfect symbiosis between them. This idealized vision contrasts sharply with the reality of their separate, unfulfilled lives. The poem closes with a bitter irony: the Red Guards, once a symbol of terror and destruction, are now reduced to "red sword-lilies / That invigalate the garden," a mundane and almost beautiful image. This transformation underscores the passage of time and the shifting perceptions of historical events.

"The Ashes; For William Gass" is a deeply moving meditation on the ravages of history, the fragility of artistic creation, and the enduring human desire for recognition and redemption. Through the lens of the elderly poet's story, Kizer invites readers to consider the profound impact of political and personal trauma on the creative spirit, and the ways in which memory and loss shape our understanding of the past and our hopes for the future.

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