Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Tess Gallagher's poem “Emanation of the Red Child” delves into the ethereal and transcendent concept of a child who never existed in a physical sense yet holds profound significance in the realm of imagination and spirit. The poem explores themes of existence, loss, and the interplay between the tangible and the intangible, using vivid and fluid imagery to evoke the presence of this enigmatic child.

The opening lines, "Child that never existed / because to exist / is to need the world," immediately establish the paradoxical nature of the red child. This child does not conform to the conventional definitions of existence, which are tied to the physical world and the cycle of life and death. Instead, the red child embodies a form of being that transcends these boundaries, existing in a liminal space that is both present and absent.

Gallagher uses the metaphor of a horse crossing a river to illustrate the child’s elusive presence. The horse’s legs stepping through the river symbolize the child’s ephemeral nature, with the "red of you in the river-flow" signifying a constant yet elusive visibility. The child’s form is described as "undulating / edgeless," emphasizing its fluid and ungraspable essence. The rider dismounting and standing waist-deep in the river, surrounded by the child’s presence, captures the intimate and immersive experience of encountering something both real and unreal.

The poem’s imagery of the child "pulling light / into a tattered guess-work shawl / under trees" evokes a sense of innocence and mystery. The child is a "spirit-shout / whose echo refuses its assignment / of incremental leave-taking," suggesting a defiance of the natural order of life and death. This refusal to depart incrementally imbues the child with a timeless quality, "fringed with loss just glancing / off promise." The child’s delight, exceeding what can be perceived by onlookers, hints at a profound joy that is beyond ordinary understanding.

The red child is described as exceeding our thoughts and enveloping "eagerly the shimmering / notion of the horse’s nostrils sifting its / water-garden of breath-lilies." This imagery blends the physical and the fantastical, creating a vivid scene where the child’s essence interacts with the natural world in a dreamlike manner. The idea that "no birth can empty it and no death / ever drink its fill" underscores the child’s eternal and unquantifiable nature.

As the poem progresses, the red child’s existence is likened to a "riderless horse / letting the river fall from its flanks / as it gains the bank." This image captures the transition from the fluidity of the river to the solidity of the bank, paralleling the child’s movement between different states of being. The horse’s "horse-mind" catching the glint of light in water, where a stirrup marks the "red-child-moment," emphasizes the fleeting yet significant impact of the child’s presence.

The poem concludes with a meditation on the emptiness and the persistent visibility of the red child. The stirrup, "so empty / we keep on seeing / what can’t be / seen," encapsulates the paradox of the child’s existence—visible yet intangible, present yet absent. This final image reinforces the central theme of the poem: the enduring and enigmatic nature of the red child, whose presence challenges our understanding of existence and perception.

“Emanation of the Red Child” is a deeply contemplative and evocative poem that uses rich, fluid imagery to explore profound philosophical and existential questions. Gallagher’s masterful blending of the tangible and the intangible invites readers to reflect on the nature of existence, the power of imagination, and the enduring impact of what can’t be seen. Through the figure of the red child, the poem captures the essence of a presence that defies conventional understanding, offering a glimpse into the mysterious and transcendent aspects of being.

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