Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"What Do I Know of the Old Lore?" by Robert Duncan delves deeply into the poet's contemplation of the Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, intertwined with his reflections on the broader human condition and the nature of understanding sacred texts. Duncan uses this poem to express both his fascination with and his distance from the esoteric aspects of the Kabbalah, blending personal introspection with mythical and spiritual imagery.

The poem opens with a request from a "young editor" for Duncan to write about the Kabbalah for his magazine, immediately setting up a tension between the editor's expectations and the poet's self-professed ignorance: "What do I know of the left and the right, of the Shekinah, of the Metatron?" This rhetorical question underscores Duncan's uncertainty about the profound, dualistic concepts within Kabbalistic thought, which include divine manifestations and mystical hierarchies.

Duncan describes the Kabbalah as "an old book lying on the velvet cloth," a metaphor that evokes the sacred and ancient nature of these texts, portrayed with rich, tactile imagery that suggests depth and complexity. The description of the book’s setting—“the color of olive under-leaf and plumstain in the velvet”—enhances the mystical and almost forbidden allure of these teachings, which he sees as a "romance of pain and relief from pain," a narrative deeply intertwined with human suffering and redemption.

The poem explores the communal aspect of Kabbalistic study through the image of rabbis engaged in devotion, their emotions and thoughts interwoven like "a thousand threads of their threnodies, praises, wisdoms, shared loves and curses." Here, Duncan touches on the communal and intensely interconnected nature of Jewish scholarly and spiritual life, which contrasts starkly with his sense of external observation and limited understanding.

The poet acknowledges the morally complex and sometimes troubling aspects of these ancient stories and prayers, particularly how they reflect on historical and theological conflicts, such as those between Jacob and Esau. Duncan reflects on how these stories embed "terrible things in the design they weave," suggesting that the divine narratives and moral lessons of the Kabbalah are as fraught and nuanced as any human history.

Moving towards a broader reflection, Duncan considers the universal motifs of myth and religion, noting the influence of celestial bodies like the moon on human belief systems and the natural world. He describes the transformative knowledge contained within the Kabbalah as a "mountain that comes of knowing," an accumulation of wisdom that is both enlightening and burdensome.

Towards the end of the poem, Duncan revisits the request to write about the Kabbalah, tying it to his own fascination with the mystical and the magical elements of existence—“dark magic, the sorcerer’s sending up clouds of empire and martyrdom.” He compares the Kabbalistic texts to mythical creations, such as a "mirror made by goblins for that Ice Queen, the Shekinah," which adds a layer of fantastical interpretation to his understanding of these spiritual teachings.

In conclusion, the poem circles back to the simplicity of nature, contrasting the complex and often opaque teachings of the Kabbalah with the tangible and immediate beauty of the natural world, like the "Glory of the Shekinah shines from lettuces." Here, Duncan emphasizes the sacred in the everyday and the accessible, a reminder that divine revelation may be as present in simple, living things as in ancient, mystical texts.

Overall, "What Do I Know of the Old Lore?" is a reflective and richly layered meditation on the limits of understanding and the deep well of human and divine knowledge contained within ancient religious texts like the Kabbalah. Duncan’s poem navigates between reverence and skepticism, between the allure of mysticism and the grounding presence of the natural world.

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