Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Promises: 16. Ballad of a Sweet Dream of Peace: 5, You Never Knew Her Either, Though You Thought You Did, Inside Out," Robert Penn Warren continues his exploration of surreal and unsettling imagery to delve into themes of pain, ritual, and the complexity of identity. The poem presents a woman engaged in a mysterious nocturnal ritual, her actions steeped in both the grotesque and the spiritual. Warren uses this haunting scene to explore the tension between physical suffering and spiritual understanding, as well as the ways in which we perceive and misinterpret the inner lives of others.

The poem opens with a question: "Why now, in God's name, is her robe de nuit / So torn and bedraggled, and what is that stain?" This question introduces the reader to a scene of disarray and mystery. The woman's nightgown is torn and stained, suggesting a recent ordeal or a long-standing engagement with some form of suffering. The mention of "dried blood" as the source of the stain immediately evokes a sense of violence or injury, setting a tone of unease and prompting questions about the circumstances that led to this state.

The speaker then shifts focus to the leaf the woman carries in her hand. It is a "burdock leaf under which she once found / Two toads in coitu on the bare black ground." This image is both earthy and visceral, connecting the woman's current state with a past experience of witnessing a moment of primal, natural intimacy. The burdock leaf, often associated with tenacity and resilience due to its clinging burrs, becomes a symbol of the woman's connection to a deeper, perhaps darker understanding of life. The fact that she carries this leaf with her and uses it as part of her ritual indicates a desire to hold onto or make sense of this encounter with nature's raw, instinctual force.

The poem reveals that the woman is "nightly bound / To come forth to the woods to embrace a thorn tree, to try to understand pain." This ritual of embracing a thorn tree—a symbol of suffering and endurance—suggests an attempt to physically and emotionally engage with pain in a direct and unmediated way. By seeking out the thorn tree, the woman seems to be enacting a form of penance or searching for a form of enlightenment through suffering. Her actions speak to a desire to transcend or transform pain, to find meaning in it rather than simply endure it.

After embracing the thorn tree, the woman wipes "the blood on her silken hair" and cries aloud, "Oh, we need not despair, / For I bleed, oh, I bleed, and God lives!" Her declaration merges physical pain with spiritual affirmation, suggesting that through her suffering, she finds evidence of God's existence. The act of bleeding becomes a testament to life and divinity, an indication that pain is not devoid of meaning but rather a sign of being truly alive. This conflation of suffering with spiritual presence is a recurring theme in Warren's work, highlighting the paradoxical nature of human experience where pain and faith are intertwined.

The poem then asks the reader to identify the woman, hinting at a connection between her current state and a previous role she played: "She's the afternoon one who to your bed came, lip damp, the breath like myrrh." This revelation adds a layer of complexity to the woman's identity, suggesting that she is not merely a figure of suffering but also one of sensuality and intimacy. The use of "myrrh," a substance often associated with both love and death in ancient rituals, reinforces this duality. The woman is not easily defined; she embodies both the sacred and the profane, the lover and the penitent.

"You Never Knew Her Either, Though You Thought You Did, Inside Out" is a meditation on the enigmatic nature of suffering and the multifaceted identities people inhabit. The woman's nocturnal ritual represents a personal journey into understanding pain, suggesting that such a journey is both a form of self-discovery and a confrontation with the divine. Warren uses vivid imagery and symbolic actions to explore how individuals cope with suffering, seeking meaning in pain through rituals that blend the physical and the spiritual. The poem challenges the reader to reconsider preconceived notions of identity and the ways we attempt to make sense of the suffering we encounter in ourselves and others.

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