Cy Est Pourtraicte, Madame Ste Ursule, et Les Unze Mille Vierges, by Wallace Stevens

Ursula, in a garden, found
A bed of radishes.
She kneeled upon the ground
And gathered them,
With flowers around,
Blue, gold, pink, and green.

She dressed in red and gold brocade
And in the grass an offering made
of radishes and flowers.

She said, "My dear,
Upon your altars,
I have placed
The marguerite and coquelicot,
And roses
Frail as April snow;
But here," she said,
"Where none can see,
I make an offering, in the grass,
Of radishes and flowers."
And then she wept
For fear the Lord would not accept.

The good Lord in His garden sought
New leaf and shadowy tinct,
And they were all His thought.
He heard her low accord,
Half prayer and half ditty,
And He felt a subtle quiver,
That was not heavenly love,
Or pity.

This is not writ
In any book.

(from, Stevens Collected Poetry & Prose, p.17)

* * * *

This poem follows well after 'Ploughing On Sunday' since it also touches on sexual themes. When I shared this poem with a couple of friends, they said it was irreverent, but it's only irreverent to those who are unaware that 'God' created sex! Of course, they already knew that, and we had a good laugh together.

As a child, I was taught that sex was part of the 'Fall' of humanity and nature, due to the original sin of Adam and Eve. But that's just one perspective. I think this poem is charmingly whimsical. It seems to me, neophyte though I am, that Wallace Stevens was not immune to the charms of the fairer sex. He, like the Lord, loved gardens, was always seeking "new leaf and shadowy tinct.' And I'm sure the sight of young women, especially during this first half of his life, elicited a pleasant feeling.

The use of French suggests romance. The combination of flowers (the sweetness of femininity and love) and radishes (the spiciness of life, the pepperiness of masculinity) suggest a sexual theme, but handled in a child-like almost sing-song manner: “She kneeled upon the ground/And gathered them,/With flowers around,/Blue, gold, pink, and green.” It’s an innocent, lilting piece that makes it possible to utter the ultimate irreverence: that the divine might have a sexual feeling! “This is not writ/In any (holy) book.” Yes, it does seem, most regrettably, to be left out. However, in India, it is included in sacred tradition, sacred statuary, and so forth.

There is even something comical about the sheer length and weight of le nom de la sainte: Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. A bit overwhelming, non?

About this poem, Ronald Sukenick says, "The sensual, as wellas the aesthetic, is a worthy aspect of creation." (WSMTO, p.215)

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