Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Jorge Luis Borges' "Poem of the Gifts" is a deeply personal and reflective meditation on the intertwined nature of blessings and curses, specifically focusing on Borges' own experience of losing his sight while being surrounded by the very books that he loves. The poem explores themes of fate, irony, identity, and the profound connection between knowledge and blindness, using rich imagery and philosophical musings to convey the complex emotions and thoughts that accompany his condition.

The poem begins with Borges acknowledging the irony of his situation: "No one should read self-pity or reproach / Into this statement of the majesty / Of God, who with such splendid irony / Granted me books and blindness at one touch." Borges rejects any interpretation of his words as a lament or a complaint, instead framing his condition as a divine irony—he, a lover of books and knowledge, is granted both an abundance of books and the blindness that prevents him from reading them. This juxtaposition sets the tone for the entire poem, where the gifts of life are shown to be inseparably linked to the limitations they impose.

Borges continues by describing his current state: "Care of this city of books he handed over / To sightless eyes, which now can do no more / Than read in libraries of dream the poor / And senseless paragraphs that dawns deliver / To wishful scrutiny." Here, Borges portrays his blindness as a kind of exile from the world of books he once inhabited. His "city of books" is now inaccessible, and the knowledge contained within them is reduced to "senseless paragraphs" that he can only attempt to grasp in dreams. The phrase "libraries of dream" evokes a sense of yearning and loss, as Borges is left to wander through a mental space filled with echoes of the knowledge he can no longer fully access.

The poem draws a parallel between Borges' condition and the ancient Greek myth of Tantalus, who was condemned to eternal hunger and thirst while surrounded by food and water that were always just out of reach: "From hunger and from thirst (in the Greek story), / A king lies dying among gardens and fountains." This reference underscores the cruel irony of Borges' situation, where the very thing he desires most—access to the knowledge in books—is perpetually beyond his grasp, despite being physically surrounded by it.

Borges then reflects on the vastness of the knowledge stored in the books around him: "Cultures of East and West, the entire atlas, / Encyclopedias, centuries, dynasties, / Symbols, the cosmos, and cosmogonies / Are offered from the walls, all to no purpose." The enormity of human knowledge, represented by the "entire atlas" and "encyclopedias," is present but inaccessible, highlighting the futility of his desire to engage with it. The "walls" that offer these treasures are, in a sense, mocking him, as he can no longer partake in their riches.

In a poignant shift, Borges turns to the image of himself navigating this "blind library": "In shadow, with a tentative stick, I try / The hollow twilight, slow and imprecise— / I, who had always thought of Paradise / In form and image as a library." This passage captures the contrast between Borges' previous conception of Paradise—a library filled with books and knowledge—and his current reality, where he must navigate a shadowy and imprecise world with the aid of a stick. The "hollow twilight" suggests both the physical darkness of blindness and the emotional void left by the loss of his ability to read.

Borges then contemplates the idea of fate and the possibility that his condition is not merely a random occurrence but part of a larger design: "Something, which certainly is not defined / By the word fate, arranges all these things." He acknowledges that another blind man, Paul Groussac, a prominent figure in Argentine literature and history, experienced a similar fate. Borges feels a "vague and holy dread" as he imagines himself as a continuation of Groussac's life, as if the two of them are connected by their shared blindness and love of books.

The poem questions the nature of identity and the relationship between Borges and Groussac: "Which of the two is setting down this poem— / A single sightless self, a plural I?" Borges reflects on the idea that their shared experiences blur the boundaries between individual identities, suggesting that the "curse" of blindness creates a collective identity among those who share it.

In the final lines, Borges contemplates the fading of his own perception: "Groussac or Borges, now I look upon / This dear world losing shape, fading away / Into a pale uncertain ashy-gray / That feels like sleep, or else oblivion." The world around him is dissolving into an indistinct and colorless blur, symbolizing not only his loss of sight but also the gradual approach of death. The "ashy-gray" that "feels like sleep, or else oblivion" reflects Borges' acceptance of his condition and the inevitability of his own mortality.

"Poem of the Gifts" is a profound and moving reflection on the complex interplay between blessings and curses, identity, and the inescapable ironies of life. Borges uses his own experience of blindness to explore broader philosophical themes, inviting readers to consider the ways in which limitations can define and shape our lives. Through his eloquent and introspective language, Borges offers a meditation on the human condition, the nature of fate, and the bittersweet beauty of existence.

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