Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Frederick Nims’ "Pascal on Ultrasound" intertwines the existential philosophy of Blaise Pascal with a contemporary medical experience, creating a meditation on the nature of the self, the unknown vastness of existence, and the sustaining power of love. The poem deftly blends humor, medical imagery, and philosophical reflection into a compact yet expansive sonnet that transforms a moment of vulnerability—lying on a gurney awaiting a medical procedure—into a cosmic revelation.

The opening line—"Just midway on the gurney of …"—immediately evokes Pascal’s famous notion that humans exist "midway" between the infinitely vast and the infinitesimally small, suspended between the immensity of the cosmos and the complexity of microscopic life. The ellipsis suggests an unfinished thought, a hesitation, mirroring both the uncertainty of the medical situation and the broader existential uncertainty Pascal described. The speaker’s quip—calling his journey through the hospital’s "fluorescent gloom" and "abysmal / Hallways of anesthesia" a kind of midpoint between awareness and unconsciousness—introduces a wry, self-aware tone that persists throughout the poem. The juxtaposition of the mundane hospital setting with the weighty philosophical theme establishes the poem’s central irony: that even in the sterile corridors of modern medicine, one can encounter the sublime.

As the speaker undergoes an echocardiogram, he watches his own heart on a screen, transformed by "vestured tall attendants" into a luminous spectacle. The phrase "enhance my heart with ultrasound" plays on multiple meanings: the literal enhancement of the organ’s visibility through imaging technology, but also a poetic elevation of the heart from a mere biological pump to a radiant, celestial object. The heart appears as "fields of light; a galaxy / Grand as our own, it scintillates around," drawing a direct parallel between the microcosm of the human body and the macrocosm of the universe. This comparison recalls Pascal’s Pensées, where he describes man as caught between the infinite expanses of the heavens and the infinite depths within himself. Nims suggests that the heart, with its "whirl within whirl complying, as entranced," mirrors the vast, intricate dance of galaxies—a striking image that collapses the distance between human fragility and cosmic grandeur.

Yet, for all its grandeur, the speaker insists that his heart’s motions—its "systole, diastole"—are "Less awesome than your love." This turn, marking the poem’s volta, re-centers the meditation on intimacy rather than vastness. If Pascal found existential terror in the silence of infinite spaces, the speaker finds solace in love, which becomes the true "prime mover" of his heart. The reference to "Ces espaces … m’effraient?" directly quotes Pascal’s Pensées: "Le silence éternel de ces espaces infinis m’effraie"—"The eternal silence of these infinite spaces terrifies me." But rather than experiencing terror, the speaker counters with confidence: "Not any more. I've been there. Know the way." In this closing assertion, he reclaims his place in the vastness of existence, finding familiarity in the seemingly unfathomable.

The poem’s tight structure and controlled rhyme reflect its thematic balance between precision and mystery, between rational order and the ineffable. The interplay of medical and cosmic imagery reinforces the idea that scientific exploration does not diminish awe but rather transforms it. The heart, seen through ultrasound, becomes both a literal organ and a metaphor for love’s constancy. And in contrast to Pascal, who trembled before infinity, Nims’ speaker embraces it, assured that love provides an orientation even in the face of vastness.

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