Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Albert Goldbarth's poem "The Yoking of the Two Modes" explores the intersection of the mundane and the divine, using the egg as a recurring motif to symbolize the connection between everyday life and spiritual transcendence. The poem deftly weaves together various images and references, creating a tapestry that highlights the profound within the ordinary.

Goldbarth begins with the image of St. Theresa frying eggs during her ecstasies, juxtaposing a mundane activity with a moment of spiritual rapture. This sets the tone for the poem, suggesting that the divine can be found in the most ordinary actions. The mention of a billboard depicting Jesus Christ in a tangle of spaghetti further emphasizes this theme, as the sacred face of Christ emerges from a secular advertisement, blending the sacred with the profane.

The poem continues to explore this idea with the image of the Holy Mother appearing in the bark and shadows of a tree in the Bronx. This manifestation of the divine in an urban, everyday setting underscores the notion that spirituality can be encountered anywhere, even in the most unexpected places. Goldbarth contrasts this with the more traditional religious symbolism of the egg in Piero della Francesca's painting, where the egg represents resurrection and hangs as a celestial symbol above a holy scene.

Goldbarth's inclusion of an 18th-century home-art shingle for JAMISON POULTRY GOODS introduces a young girl candling eggs, her face illuminated by an orange flame. This scene captures the tension between the girl's monotonous labor and the potential for transcendence, as the flame almost renders her visionary. The girl's task is ordinary, yet the possibility of seeing something extraordinary through her work lingers.

The poem shifts to a reflection on marriage and the divine, likening the union to a perfect bivalve and suggesting that the egg is the dream the dream dreams. This metaphor speaks to the idea that within the ordinary lies the potential for profound meaning and connection. Goldbarth reinforces this with images of everyday life—cattle dung, income tax receipts, and a barroom scene—where moments of spiritual significance can unexpectedly arise.

Goldbarth draws on Japanese mythology, referencing the creation of the world from a mass like an egg. This ancient myth aligns with the poem's theme, illustrating how the cosmic and the mundane are intertwined from the very beginning. The poem returns to the girl in the candling shed, emphasizing her loneliness and the pressure she feels as she performs her repetitive task. Her yearning for something beyond her current existence mirrors the human desire to see God, to find meaning in the everyday.

The final lines of the poem capture the essence of Goldbarth's meditation: "We want to see God. We are given the egg in its fecal tiara." This stark imagery encapsulates the poem's central message—the divine is often hidden within the ordinary, and it is through the lens of our everyday experiences that we can catch glimpses of the sacred. The egg, with its dual nature as both mundane and miraculous, serves as a powerful symbol of this yoking of the two modes.

Goldbarth's poem invites readers to find beauty and meaning in the commonplace, to recognize that moments of transcendence can occur amidst the routine and the ordinary. Through his rich imagery and skillful blending of the sacred and the profane, Goldbarth creates a work that resonates with the universal human quest for understanding and connection.

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