"The Ikons" by James K. Baxter is a reflective poem that explores the themes of mortality, loss, and the search for meaning in the face of darkness. The speaker contemplates the lessons of an elderly woman, Te Whaea, who teaches him about death, and reflects on the fallen "ikons" of his life, such as God, Mary, and poetry. Through his search for mushrooms in a field, the speaker grapples with his own longing and the darkness that surrounds him.
The Ikons: Poem Text
Hard, heavy, slow, dark,
Or so I find them, the hands of Te Whaea
Teaching me to die. Some lightness will come later
When the heart has lost its unjust hope
For special treatment. Today I go with a bucket
Over the paddocks of young grass,
So delicate like fronds of maidenhair,
Looking for mushrooms. I find twelve of them,
Most of them little, and some eaten by maggots,
But they’ll do to add to the soup. It’s a long time now
Since the great ikons fell down,
God, Mary, home, sex, poetry,
Whatever one uses as a bridge
To cross the river that only has one beach,
And even one’s name is a way of saying —
‘This gap inside a coat’ — the darkness I call God,
The darkness I call Te Whaea, how can they translate
The blue calm evening sky that plane tunnels through
Like a little wasp, or the bucket in my hand,
Into something else? I go on looking
For mushrooms in the field, and the fist of longing
Punches my heart, until it is too dark to see.
Critical Analysis
"The Ikons" by James K. Baxter is a complex and introspective poem that explores the themes of mortality, impermanence, and the difficulty of expressing one's inner experiences. The poem is notable for its vivid and sensory descriptions of the natural world, which serve as a contrast to the speaker's struggles with death and loss.One of the key themes of the poem is the idea of "ikons," or symbols that have lost their power or meaning for the speaker. He lists several possible ikons, including God, Mary, home, sex, and poetry, and suggests that these symbols no longer serve as bridges to something beyond his immediate experience. This sense of loss and disillusionment is further reinforced by the speaker's description of Te Whaea's hands, which are "hard, heavy, slow, and dark." These hands represent the inevitability of death and the impermanence of all things.
However, despite this sense of loss and impermanence, the poem also suggests the possibility of acceptance and even "lightness." The speaker notes that "some lightness will come later" when the heart has lost its unjust hope for special treatment. This suggests a sense of acceptance and resignation, and a recognition that all things must eventually pass away.
The poem is also notable for its rich sensory descriptions of the natural world. The young grass is described as delicate and fragile, like the leaves of a maidenhair fern. The mushrooms the speaker finds are described as small and easily consumed by maggots, highlighting their fragility and impermanence. These descriptions serve as a contrast to the speaker's struggles with death and loss, and suggest that there is a beauty and richness to be found in the natural world, even in the face of mortality.
Well, "The Ikons" is a complex and thought-provoking poem that explores the themes of mortality, impermanence, and the difficulty of expressing one's inner experiences. Through its vivid and sensory descriptions of the natural world, the poem suggests that there is a beauty and richness to be found in the world, even in the face of loss and decay.
Line by Line Summary
Hard, heavy, slow, dark,The poem opens with a description of Te Whaea's hands, which the speaker finds hard, heavy, slow, and dark.
Or so I find them, the hands of Te Whaea
The speaker acknowledges that his perception of Te Whaea's hands is subjective, and reflects his own experience of mortality and aging.
Teaching me to die. Some lightness will come later
Te Whaea is teaching the speaker how to accept death, and he suggests that there may be some "lightness" that comes with this acceptance.
When the heart has lost its unjust hope
The "unjust hope" the speaker refers to may be the idea that one can somehow avoid death or escape mortality.
For special treatment. Today I go with a bucket
The speaker shifts to the present moment, where he is going out with a bucket to search for mushrooms.
Over the paddocks of young grass,
The setting is a pastoral one, with the speaker walking through fields of young grass.
So delicate like fronds of maidenhair,
The grass is described as delicate and fragile, like the leaves of a maidenhair fern.
Looking for mushrooms. I find twelve of them,
The speaker finds a dozen mushrooms, although some of them are small and have been eaten by maggots.
Most of them little, and some eaten by maggots,
The speaker reflects on the impermanence of life, noting that even the mushrooms he finds are fragile and easily consumed by other creatures.
But they’ll do to add to the soup. It’s a long time now
He plans to use the mushrooms to make soup, and notes that it has been a long time since something has been whole and complete in his life.
Since the great ikons fell down,
The "great ikons" may refer to religious, cultural, or personal symbols that have lost their power or meaning for the speaker.
God, Mary, home, sex, poetry,
The speaker lists several possible ikons that have fallen for him, including God, Mary, home, sex, and poetry.
Whatever one uses as a bridge
To cross the river that only has one beach,
The ikons may serve as bridges or connections to something beyond the speaker's immediate experience.
And even one’s name is a way of saying —
‘This gap inside a coat’ — the darkness I call God,
The speaker suggests that even one's name is a way of expressing a sense of lack or incompleteness, and connects this to his experience of darkness or God.
The darkness I call Te Whaea, how can they translate
The blue calm evening sky that plane tunnels through
The speaker reflects on the difficulty of expressing or translating one's experiences or perceptions.
Like a little wasp, or the bucket in my hand,
Into something else? I go on looking
He continues to search for mushrooms, and wonders if his experiences can ever be accurately represented or translated.
For mushrooms in the field, and the fist of longing
Punches my heart, until it is too dark to see.
The speaker confronts his own longing, which he describes as a "fist" that punches his heart, until it is too dark to continue searching.
Style of the Poem
Stylistically, "The Ikons" by James K. Baxter is characterized by its use of vivid sensory descriptions and metaphors, as well as its use of repetition and parallelism.The poem opens with a series of adjectives that describe Te Whaea's hands: "hard, heavy, slow, dark." These adjectives create a sense of weight and inevitability, suggesting the speaker's struggle with mortality and impermanence.
Throughout the poem, Baxter uses rich sensory language to describe the natural world. The young grass in the paddocks is described as "delicate like fronds of maidenhair," while the mushrooms the speaker finds are "little" and "eaten by maggots." These descriptions create a vivid picture of the world the speaker inhabits and suggest a sense of fragility and impermanence.
Baxter also uses repetition and parallelism to emphasize certain themes and ideas. For example, the phrase "the darkness I call" is repeated twice in the final stanza, creating a sense of circularity and emphasizing the difficulty of expressing the speaker's inner experiences.
Another example of parallelism is the repeated use of the word "ikon" throughout the poem. The speaker lists several possible ikons, including God, Mary, home, sex, and poetry, suggesting that these symbols have lost their power and meaning for him. This repetition creates a sense of disillusionment and loss, while also emphasizing the poem's themes of impermanence and the difficulty of finding meaning in the world.
"The Ikons" is a stylistically rich poem that uses vivid sensory descriptions, repetition, and parallelism to create a sense of weight and inevitability, while also exploring the themes of mortality, impermanence, and the difficulty of finding meaning in the world.
Literary Devices in the Poem
"The Ikons" by James K. Baxter employs various literary devices to convey its themes and create a particular effect on the reader. Some of the literary devices used in the poem include:Major Themes
"The Ikons" by James K. Baxter deals with several major themes, including mortality, impermanence, and the search for meaning.well, the major themes in "The Ikons" suggest a sense of struggle with the human experience of mortality and the search for meaning in a world of impermanence
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