Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Come Before His Countenance with a Joyful Leaping" by David Wagoner is a vibrant and kinetic meditation on movement, resilience, and transcendence. The poem’s title borrows from a scriptural allusion, suggesting an act of joyous worship, but Wagoner reinterprets this as a physical and chaotic celebration of human vitality and the struggle for spiritual or existential alignment.

The poem begins with an immediate sense of motion, as the speaker summons the participants to enter "swiveling flat-soled on the dirt" and "ready to bound in arches." The diction is dynamic and irregular, emphasizing the energy and unpredictability of the act. The description of "footbones rattling like claques" evokes both the fragility and the percussion of movement, setting a tone that is both jubilant and precarious. This opening frames the act of leaping as an instinctive, almost primal response to existence.

Wagoner’s imagery grows increasingly expansive and surreal. The participants are described as "storking knees careering into the crooked distance" and "coasting in circles, rearing, running aground." These phrases conjure a carnival-like chaos, where bodies defy gravity and logic, mimicking the spontaneous unpredictability of life itself. The repeated command to "come" imbues the poem with urgency, as though the act of movement is both a necessity and a ritual.

The central motif of physical exertion—bounding, leaping, flinching—parallels a spiritual striving. The phrase "outflanking the body?s heights at a single stroke" suggests an attempt to surpass physical limitations, reaching for something beyond the tangible. Yet, this striving is marked by strain and imperfection: participants are "out of breath, out at the elbows," "jerking free at the heart," and "blinking on dislocated ankles." Wagoner does not idealize the struggle but instead highlights its raw, human persistence.

In the latter half of the poem, the focus shifts to a higher, almost divine presence. The "He" mentioned could symbolize God, a spiritual force, or even an abstract embodiment of purpose. This figure is depicted as "falling apart in His unstrung parbuckles" and "His beard blown loose by harmonious unction." These images juxtapose divine grandeur with vulnerability, suggesting that even higher powers are subject to disarray and fragmentation. The divine countenance "breaking" mirrors the chaotic leaps of the worshippers, creating a symbiotic relationship between human and divine imperfection.

The closing lines—"His fragments flopping up and around without us to the stretches of morning"—introduce a poignant ambiguity. The image of fragments dispersing could signify dissolution or renewal, hinting at the cyclical nature of existence. Morning, often a symbol of rebirth, contrasts with the exhaustion and wreckage described earlier, offering a tentative hope for restoration or continuation.

Wagoner’s poem is a masterful blend of physicality and metaphysics, using vivid, often disjointed imagery to explore themes of struggle, celebration, and transcendence. The "joyful leaping" is not a simple act of praise but a messy, imperfect testament to resilience and the human desire to connect with something greater. Through its energetic language and relentless momentum, the poem captures the essence of life as a series of leaps—joyful, painful, and endlessly striving.

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