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Friday, 20 November 2020

Summary and Analysis of Philosophy by Nissim Ezekiel

Introduction to the Author

Nissin Ezekiel (1924-2004) is a pioneer in modern Indian English poetry. His role as translator, editor, playwright and reviewer has contributed significantly in shaping modernist poetry in India. The modernist movement of 1950s and 60s was known for its precise use of language, well crafted images, ironic stance, treatment of sexuality and male-female relationship. Ezekiel is often described as father of modernist movement and he writes introspective, ironic and humorous poems of self exploration and self formation. He has brought out seven collections of poetry; they are A Time to Change and Other Poems (1952), Sixty Poems (1953), The Unfinished Man (1960), The Exact Name (1965), Hymns in Darkness (1976), and the Sahitya Akademy award-winning Latter-day Psalms (1982).

Outline of the Poem Philosophy

This poem is taken from The Exact Name (1965) and the poet speaks about a place he often goes. This is an involuntary journey on which the poet has no control over.  This place is away from the everyday existence and offers him clear vision over the chaotic physical world. Here, thoughts and ideas flow freely and he says that the ‘mills of God’ are never slow. This may refer to the pristine nature of the place which is not made impure by human intervention and rationality. The creation and growth of the place follows the natural (divine) rhythm. Ideas and thoughts are spontaneously generated.

In the second stanza, the post continues to emphasise the pristine nature of the landscape. Like language in its early stage, the landscape has not gained any fixed form so that it can accommodate all forms of life. From this vantage point, the poet is able to comment on the passage of time and how every historic passion of the humans is reduced to a blink in the sad eye of time. The poet is skeptical of the growth and progress of the species and the evolution of the planet.

In the third stanza, the poet narrates the degenerated condition of the present. He traces the residues of the pristine landscape in the chaotic world that he lives in. Instead of following the clarity of vision (light) offered by the ‘place’, he joins the struggles of the living creatures to attain a formula of light. It is crucial for a poet to give voice to the darker myths (emotions) of human life than offering a formula of light (explanation to life) which is believed to be offered by the philosophers. The poet realises the futility of offering clear explanations to the complexities of human passions and miseries and states that he too rejects the clarity of light which argues off the pangs of existence. This statement hints at his poetic sensibility and deeper understanding of the human nature. It also reveals that he prefers poetry to philosophy.

In the final stanza, the poet identifies the true nature of poetic language. He says that the narration of sensual experiences (mundane language of senses) also creates an interpretation of life which is different from the critical explanation philosophy offers. These sensual experiences are so momentary and transient that any argument against them will die of cold before the truth is brought in.

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