We have steadily followed East Coker’s exploration of the pattern of life on earth—and under it—birth, growth, decay, death, repeat. This time in an age—1940, WWII—when death is out of season. Then darkness. Then life’s submission to the wounded surgeon. Finally the seeming pinnacle of East Coker—the crucifixion/eucharist. Now what? Now Eliot is back again protesting … Continue reading Words, Words, Words. East Coker 5
Hit by a book: East Coker 4
What amazing luck. Or misfortune. For the lot to fall to me, the coincidence, to get to comment on this particular movement of this our second Quartet. Me, a preacher (again), me a Calvinist. It seems like a tee shot here. What do I mean? Well, this is Eliot in a way finally being a … Continue reading Hit by a book: East Coker 4
In medias res: East Coker 3
This is the middle movement of Eliot’s second quartet, “East Coker” and, as we know by now, Eliot is exquisitely aware of his—and our—present existence as being the midpoint between past and future. My fellow blogger John Timpane spoke of this when he wrote about the idea of Immanence in his post last week. This … Continue reading In medias res: East Coker 3
Tearing down the scaffold: “East Coker,” Movement II
In Movement II of “East Coker,” Eliot gets rid of three things he (and maybe we) depend on for our sense of things: nature, creative expression (in his case, poetry), and wisdom itself. This triple rejection, tearing down the scaffold of our self-deceptions, strikes me as very frightening, very brave (especially for a poet), and … Continue reading Tearing down the scaffold: “East Coker,” Movement II
Turning from the Insistent Lane: East Coker 1
"Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires, / Old fire to ashes, and ashes to the earth / Which is already flesh, fur and faeces, / Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf." If Burnt Norton is the way of ascent, the realm of air and revelation, East Coker is the … Continue reading Turning from the Insistent Lane: East Coker 1
That Is Not It, at All: Burnt Norton 5
This final section of the first quartet (appropriately enough, section five!) is a deep dive into the impossible—and hopefully it’s not a dry pool. (Would Thomas Stearns Eliot appreciate the humor? I do indeed think we need some, after all this hifalutin language and metaphysics…. But alas, already I digress.) We dive into the impossible—and … Continue reading That Is Not It, at All: Burnt Norton 5
Pause or Journey: Burnt Norton 4
I count myself lucky in this first round of blogging on T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets” to be writing about the fourth section of the first poem in the series, “Burnt Norton.” Why? It’s the shortest section—just ten lines! But that’s not the only reason. In fact, the fourth sections of each of the “Four Quartets” … Continue reading Pause or Journey: Burnt Norton 4
Lent, the Subway Station, and a Descent into Solitude: “Burnt Norton,” Movement III
It’s hard to speak of spiritual things. They involve our deepest selves: our fears and hopes, our doubts and trials, our highest aspirations, that private work we do, every moment of every day, on the construction site of our souls. So it’s hard to talk about things such as Lent, prayer, meditation, the things we … Continue reading Lent, the Subway Station, and a Descent into Solitude: “Burnt Norton,” Movement III
The Everlasting Instant: Burnt Norton 2
“Except for the still point, / There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.” I remember the moment it happened. I was sitting in St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Princeton NJ, listening to a performance of The Ascension by the French composer, Olivier Messiaen. As a colossal cascade of harmonic … Continue reading The Everlasting Instant: Burnt Norton 2
A Walk in the Garden: Burnt Norton 1
We find ourselves in the peculiar time that is Lent. A wilderness season akin to Jesus’ 40 days and Israel’s 40 years. A space/time through which we journey seeking some truth, some glimpse of the holy, the intersection that is embodied in the cross and tomb. It is a good time for Four Quartets which … Continue reading A Walk in the Garden: Burnt Norton 1
