Gill’s
Poetic Idiom in The Flame
Dr. Sudhir K. Arora
It was William Wordsworth who had to pen ‘Preface to
Lyrical Ballads’ in order to make his stand understood concerning poetry which
he defined as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and poet as “a
man speaking to man”. His poetry with a few exceptions is a translation of his
concept of poetry.
Stephen Gill follows the tradition of Wordsworth not
because of his poetry which is certainly not the case but because of writing
‘Preface’ which reflects the very poetic idiom that he has applied in his
poetry. In ‘Preface’ to The Flame, he has articulated his concept of poetry
which is more akin to Eliot’s than to that of Wordsworth or anyone though he
does not refute the significance of “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”
when he talks of robins— the birds whom he nourishes with the passion to hear
their notes of freedom. With the passage
of time, the poet in Gill becomes mature and,
so, changes his dealing with these birds that he now wishes to nourish more
artistically. When he talks of feeding these robins to his satisfaction, he
sounds like “emotions recollected in tranquility”,
the later part of Wordsworth’s definition of poetry. Stephen Gill thinks more
and more when he gets any robin i.e. feeling, and continues to focus on it
whenever he has time. He continues to muse over them until he is satisfied with
his feeding that makes him ready to kick the robins i.e. ready for publication.
In his theory of poetry, he echoes not only Eliot’s concept that “The poet has
not a ‘personality’ to express, but a particular medium (the mind), which is
only a medium and not a personality, in which impressions and experiences
combine in peculiar and unexpected ways” when he talks of poetry as
“intellectual exercise” but also Matthew Arnold’s concept “Poetry is a
criticism of life under the conditions fixed for such criticism by the laws of
poetic truth and poetic beauty.”
Gill has expressed his concept of Poetry in Author’s
Preface. He puts
forward his perception on Poetry very clearly. “Poetry is an unusual experience
that shakes a poet thoroughly. A poem is by a human for humans about a deep
inner experience that is symbolized through a language. To describe or illustrate,
poets need tools and the struggle to master the use of the tools is
perspiration. Through images and the arrangement of words and other tools,
poets convey their experiences to their readers. Poetry is not only to convey
that experience to readers, it is also to convey it in a beautiful way and that
beautiful way should also be something like a new and delicious dish. That is
where perspiration gets involved” (Preface 18). He echoes
One who suffers knows the sufferings of others.
Mostly poets suffer and face the predicaments in life. Shelley is right when he
says: “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought”. Gill in his
‘Preface’ admits the fact that his inadequate education, discriminations and
religious riots made him insecure and this feeling of insecurity created in him
a certain fear that forced him to “the
caves of isolation, thinking, browsing and imagining” which for him became “a
good recipe to be a poet” (Preface 14). Certain odd circumstances that bring
change in the thought process make the recipe of a good poet. Gill, being a
peace loving soul, does not find solace in the world which is surrounded by
anxiety, cut-throat competition and fear. It is the “absence of peace” which
shakes his psyche to the extent that he has to pass the solitary hours of the
night “in the web of fear” and the days “without friends and hope” (Preface
15). Such adverse circumstances make him introvert, resulting in isolation and
alienation from the world. He gives credit to “those days and nights” which
drove him “to the island of imagination that laid the seeds for his development
as a poet and writer” (Preface 15).
Gill writes poetry because it gives him refuge and
helps him in providing a stage for promoting peace which the world lacks. No
doubt, he feels the pain and suffering of the people and sympathises
with them. He speaks for them in a forceful way but that forceful way does not
come automatically; he has to work to acquire a technique that makes
articulation impressive to the extent that it goes to the heart satisfying the
head which is convinced by the innovative experiments. To say that poetry is
the result of sudden or spontaneous feeling is unfeasible for him. It is not
wholly divinely inspired. However, it may take birth spontaneously in the form
of seed in the heart but the seed sprouts when it gets proper nourishment
through feeding of which Gill often talks. He talks of feeding to the robins as
long as they are not fit for kicking. He considers poetry as cooking which
needs proper management otherwise it will not be fit for eating. Poetry needs proper
care i.e. proper arrangement of words that is certainly an intellectual
exercise. He writes in this connection: “There is a myth that poetry strikes a
poet like a flash, or it is a divine bolt. For a serious poet, it may be bolt
and divine, but mostly it is cooking. I believe there is beauty everywhere.
That is what the Bible says in its story on the origin of the universe. After
every creation, God said beautiful. There is beauty in every object and so is
poetry. Beauty is poetry and poetry is beauty. But everyone does not have the
abilities to bring out gracefully the god within. It is a poet who gives that
god a shape with the beauty of the language. Language is a media between an
object and poet that gives life, as God did when he created the universe with
his words. What is important in a poem is the arrangement of words. This is an
intellectual exercise that needs dipping into the amazing world of words. These
efforts need the proper knowledge of the tools” (Preface 17-18).
To others, poetry may be revelation and flash but to
Gill, it is largely perspiration. To make it beautiful, he talks of the proper
knowledge of tools. He correlates inspiration and perspiration. It is the
inspiration that takes him to the ladder that requires perspiration in order to
climb. “The talent” for him “by itself is nothing unless it is blended with
perspiration that includes mastering the tools of the art. (Preface 9)
Perspiration is the continuous practice of editing and reading that need
patience and a lot of labour in order to produce a
beautiful piece. Revision is indispensable as it gives opportunities for
rethinking and re-editing which result in making
the literary piece more beautiful and more articulating. He never hesitates to
recommend revisions to
shape up a beautiful poem. He states: “A poet should never be tired of
revisions. A time comes when a poem
would tell when to stop” (Preface 17). The two most important things over which
a poet should get mastery are “arrangement of words” and “economy of expression”
and the things that he should avoid are “repetition of words” and “clichés”.
Very forcefully, he states: “I am a
proverbial enemy of
clichés though some are animating
and some may creep in
without my being
aware of them. I believe that a poet should use fresh
images” (Preface 7-8). To him, the most important features of a poem are
“arrangements of words” and “economy of expression”.
Let Gill’s theory of poetry be
applied to The Flame to assess how far he
succeeds in execution of what he proposes. The Flame, a long poem about the
destruction caused by the maniac messiahs, surprises the readers not only by
its peace promoting theme but also by its innovative technical designs that
make its fabric appealing.
Gill’s The Flame makes an absorbing reading not only
because of its relevant theme but also because of the tonal variations which create
different moods. The poem that begins
with the speaker’s extolling tone: “You are the imperishable harmony / that
reaps unparalleled prosperity” (32) ends with his determination of not being
tempted by the maniac messiahs as he believes in the smell of his lilac which
is “more animating / than their promises” (152). Some excerpts from The Flame
are quoted to prove his tonal variations.
You are nirvana
that helps in restraining
relentless brutalities
and manna for
those who hunger
for the morsels of equity
on the mountain of intolerance
where
the biting winds blow. (33)
The tone of the speaker, no doubt, is devotional when
he calls the Flame ‘nirvana’ a stage too difficult to achieve. In spite of his
devotional tone, he makes variations, expressing that he is not satisfied with
the present scenario of the world which is suffering from brutalities and
hunger. It is she who can restrain brutalities and provide manna for those who
are hungry. He wishes for equity.
The poet in Gill varies his tones while talking to the Flame, meeting,
imagining and separating from
her. A lover becomes crazy and behaves in an unpredictable manner. He calls his
relation with the Flame mysterious because they have never met yet. He feels
that they are one and have never been apart. Mystery becomes impenetrable when
he realizes meeting in separation. “What an impenetrable mystery / we do not
meet / yet are never apart” (115). The poet calls himself “a spark / that
neither fully flares / nor fully blows out” (115). Though he talks that he has
never met her, he praises her look which is mysterious as a knife and feels
that her smile will take his life. This is a platonic kind of love between a
lover and a beloved. Mark the excerpt for his absorbing and playful tone while
talking to the Flame:
Your look
mysterious
a knife so sharp
your smile
takes my life.
(122)
Now, he asks the Flame in a very beseeching tone to
accept him because he is a lamb that needs a shepherd. His talking of lamb and
of the flame as a good shepherd reminds the readers of William Blake’s The
Lamb. Mark the excerpt for his surrender before the Flame:
Accept me readily
I am a lamb unclaimed
I need a good shepherd. (129)
As a sufi he talks in a sufiana tone:
I wish to swing
under the wings of our affinity
on the steps of a sufi. (137)
His tones vary according to situations in which the
speaker is placed. He speaks in a romantic tone while talking about the Flame.
He expresses his desire to become a lamb that needs a good shepherd. In sufiana or bhakti tone, he is
submissive and loving. He has a longing for total surrender before the Flame as
he knows that it is she who can guide him and instill in him a kind of driving
force that will make him face the odd circumstances in life.
The poet in Gill becomes emotional to the extent that
he becomes curious to know about the fatherly touch that will lift him out of
himself and will make free his freedom. The tone is more of request than of
asking though he does not write any word of request. The tone itself expresses
his mental attitude which is quite soft and curious for the knowledge. He
appears before her like a student before teacher with the intention of gaining
knowledge. Mark the excerpt for the
speaker’s curiosity to know:
Tell me
how to feel
light fatherly fingers
that shall lift me as a leaf
out of myself
to free my freedoms from the tribes
of chaos
(39)
Mark the excerpt that illustrates the speaker’s tone
which is informative in nature. He simply gives information about the loss that
occurred on account of the destruction caused by the maniac messiahs. In this
excerpt, the poet-speaker has not employed the poetic words as he knows that he
is simply providing information to the reader which requires facts.
Many lost their eyes
ears and fingers
bones broken and twisted
rambled in shock
among the debris and dead bodies. (52)
The speaker guesses with some questions in his mind.
His tone is neither determined nor informative rather it is of
conjecture. Mark the excerpt for such a tone:
Who can tell
how they felt
tormenting the bird of peace
with the cigarette lighter of their lust
or the butt of the rifle of their bigotry. (93)
The tone clearly reveals the speaker’s reflective
mind as he uses some words that do not reveal the meaning directly. He speaks
symbolically and, hence, his tone is more reflective than of any other
category.
Sample the excerpt for logical tone of the speaker
who asserts that
nothing is lost if the will is not lost. He proves this with a logic that the
shrines are uprooted through bulldozers but the land does not dry as it becomes
wet and fertile if the proper attention is given to it.
When the bulldozers
uproot the shrine
the land does not go dry. (98)
Like a true saint, he instills courage and patience
in the hearts of the readers who are satisfied with the reasons he offers them. It is
true that the path of peace like the path of love never runs smooth. It is
always tested by the cyclonic adverse circumstances. Mark the tone that the
poet adopts in convincing the readers:
Peace has been tested
in the cyclone of
the freshness
of early morning. (100)
New beginning can be begun but not through
remembering the past which will not allow them to forget; it can be begun by
burying it as it is only a broken image. The poet convinces mothers, asking
them not to remember past which is nothing except a broken image. He
adopts a tone of confidence and shows them future where they are expected to
rock the cradles in which babies of aspiration are lying. Mark the confidence
in tone:
Dear mothers
do not unfold
the bed of the past
a broken image
in the foggy mirror.
There are cradles
in which
new babies of aspiration
are to be rocked. (101)
Now Gill reveals his dream of an ideal world where
love will not be suffocated. Note the dreamy tone he assumes while telling his
dream:
Where love is not suffocated
and the twigs are not damaged
by the trotting swarm of savages (146)
The tone becomes soft and dream-like. He uses soft
words like love and twigs with the harsh words like suffocated, damaged and
trotting swarm of savages. The soft words are spoken softly with emotional
touch in order to penetrate the heart while the harsh words are spoken slightly
louder to reveal their harshness so that they may create an image of fear mixed
with havoc. The readers, who are in a position to decide between these two
contrasting issues, certainly make the verdict in favour
of soft as they
are human beings and being human beings, peace becomes the prime factor in
order to make life worth living. This is
the tone adopted by Gill in order to win the sympathy of readers by convincing
their head along with their hearts.
Mark the tone that shows Gill’s courage and
determination:
I shall pursue my odyssey
through the barren regions of the moor
where the scamps of ego erect
the deceitful caves
and the reptiles of the debasing bargain ramble. (152)
He uses the words odyssey which is inspiring in
itself. He depicts the picture of the place from which he has to go through,
facing the ‘scamps of ego’, ‘deceitful caves’ and reptiles’. They symbolize the
destructive evil powers which he has to face but he is encouraged and, so, is
ready to make his odyssey. The excerpt expresses this tone very effectively.
Sample the tone adopted by Gill for making the
readers aware of the equipments and the weapons used by the terrorists, called
maniac messiahs, for their purpose. He also lets them know that these
terrorists have the tigers with which they try to paralyze the democratic set
up. The tone is simply informative with the touch of the knowledge about the
persons and their purpose mentioned.
Car bombs, mobility and might
have become the toys of robots.
They know how and when
to free their unfed tigers
from the cages of
depravity
to stifle democracy. (102)
Devastation is caused and its information is provided
through the means of communications. Televisions provide the news of this
devastation but they cannot catch the actual loss and the magnitude of the
wounds. Mark the tone that offers the opinion:
Televisions
shall not catch
the magnitude of the wounds (60)
Now, mark the variation in tone when he depicts the
scene which is a co-sequence of the destruction. He depicts the scene where he
sees the pieces of the flesh, the pool of blood, cops walking amid the dead
bodies and scattered hands, thumbs and legs. It is repulsing sight which
creates a kind of fear as well as sympathy. Fear is felt because of the
destruction caused by the terrorists while sympathy is felt because of the dead
bodies that were of persons like them. The scene also creates a kind of
impression on the readers who somewhere make themselves
mentally prepared to fight against the havoc. Mark the excerpt for the tonal
variation with the variation in the things that are lying on the ground.
gathering pieces of flesh
amid pools of blood
they walked in a shattered shell
where hands, thumbs and legs
littered
and blood stains were washed
by rains. (66)
Gill is very careful in employing words and phrases
as he does not want to repeat them but while writing a long poem, he does not
deny “possibility of repetition of words and phrases” (Preface 8).
In a long poem, it is difficult to maintain the
logical flow and continuity and the poet in Gill is aware of this fact but he
attempts to make all the parts of the poem in continuity. The Flame, in spite
of having 8 parts divided in 62 cantos, has continuity. The Cantos can be read
separately without connecting the other cantos i.e. they can be enjoyed
separately. But, when they are read at one sitting, they reveal the fact that
they are interlinked and cannot be separated. The continuity flows without
interruption. The reader while reading The Flame feels that he is reading an
epic as he goes through the invocation to the Flame, then to the devastation
created by the maniac messiahs, then to the loss occurred due to it, then to
despair, then to the psychological approaches to know the causes and at last,
feels satisfaction in hoping with the poet who is ready to begin his odyssey
through the region of the moor. The following poem from Canto 26 of Part Six
has 26 lines but the factor that strikes the reader is its continuity. Except a
few semi-colons, the poem has no stop until the poem comes to an end. Mark the
poem for continuity— continuity in its rhythm and continuity in its
presentation of theme:
I ask blood spillers
from the cabaret of appalling barbarity
if they hear
the silence of infants
in the cradles of terror;
share
the woes of mothers
in the winter of their lives;
see
the shreds of peace flying
with the winds of the daggers
poisoned in their forts of infamy;
perceive
the twigs wounded
with the kisses of storms;
feel
the virginity of spring losing warmth
to the indifference of cold;
meditate
over the depth of obsessive depravity
that spells disaster
for the birds of freedoms
or glance
at the silk brocade of colours
in the opening sky
when it is raining. (89)
Certainly the Canto 26 surprises the readers who
wonder how the poet in Gill has maintained its continuity. The poem is well
connected through the prepositions like—‘from’, ‘in’ , ‘with’, ‘to’, ‘over’,
‘for’, ‘at’, connectives like—‘if’, ‘that’, ‘or’, ‘when’, articles like—‘the’
five times and finally verbs like—‘share’, ‘see’, ‘perceive’, ‘feel’,
‘meditate’ that make continuity strong with semicolon not only grammatically
but also thematically as a reader, after hearing anything, first shares, then
sees, after seeing, he perceives, after perceiving, he feels and then , at
last, meditates over it. Hence, the Canto 26 is a study in continuation not
only in technique but also in theme.
The poet in Gill gets the economy in expression
through the phrases. His phraseology always offers newness and never lets the
reader feel dull. He uses soft and sweet words for aspiring things while the
harsh and dreadful words for the destructive things. If he has used the soft
words for the harsh things, he has used to create an ironical effect. His
phraseology is not spontaneous but it seems to be the result of great labour acquired through perspiration. Mark the phrases for
their soft touches that appeal the readers who always wish for them. Phrases
like “the chalice of your peace” (32), ‘the necklace of the serene mosaic”
(34), “the pilgrims of peace” (35), “a young wood of the solace” (36), “The
rough diamonds of your eyes” (45), “the loitering clouds of your hair” (45),
“the virginity of spring” (89), “the smooth-sailing ark / of freedoms” (94),
“new waters of decision” (100), “the golden canopy / of your presence” (106),
“a seductive wonder” (113), “the comprehension of your solicitude” (126), “the
plateau of my desire” (126), “the seedlings of my passion” (133), “the ambrosia
of my strength” (137) are the instances that prove his skill in employing the
soft words for creating the effect of desire and wish. Now sample those phrases
which have the harsh words in them. He is able to create a feeling of repulsion
through them. Phrases like—“ the ghost of despair” (45), “the avatars of
savagery” (48), “Spiders of sinister news” (48), “the jungle of deafening
disorder” (52), “fractured columns” (64), “a heartbreaking sight” (77), “the
outburst of cyclone” (79), “the blisters of shocking atrocities” (90), “the
carcass of their rusted notions” (92), “a tornado of malice” (93), “the cage of
depravity” (102), “the ditches of agonies” (102) , “a carpet of paralyzing
fear” (102), “the albatross of intolerance” (106), “Worms of wrong prophets
/eat into flesh” (106), “the giants of ferocity / grow the weeds of shame”
(108), “soul-crushing monotony” (112), “snakes of personal migraines” (114),
“the waves of disorder” (124), “the uncouth savagery of a tiger” (126), “my
painful hunger” (131), “the arrows of despair” (132), “the lava of devastation”
(134), “the cactus of shame” (145) are such phrases which fill the reader with
a feeling of hatred. In some of his phrases he has employed good and aspiring
word for repulsive things and ideas but he has done so in order to create an
ironical effect. For instances, phrases like “the avatars of savagery” (48),
“the canopy of derangement” (49), “the cabaret of appalling barbarity” (89),
“the depth of obsessive depravity” (89), “the altar of a seething cauldron / of
wrath” (91), “the fire / of mental pain” (93), “the waves of disorder” (124)
etc. create confusion in the mind of the reader who is not in a position to
decide whether he should aspire for them or repulse them. Only a poet can think
of “the mountain of emptiness” (94) and “the well of emptiness” (107). The
emptiness may be as vast as the mountain and as deep as well.
The poet in Gill is more careful about the images
than the figures. He uses figures like simile, metaphor and alliteration
wherever they seem to be necessary. Sample the figures like Simile in the
lines: “broken bodies / discarded like hot dog wrappers (55)” and “the air like
a tornado (56)”, Metaphor in “You are / the white lotus that buds / from the
undisturbed waters / of uncommon patience. (36)” and “Your memory / is the wine
that matures / in the cellar of my aspirations. (113)” and Alliteration in “the
amaze of the amazing abode (44)” and “that fathoms the fathomless seas (138)”
Gill has used his imagery in keeping view his
statement in ‘Preface’. He has attempted to use “every word carefully as a
brick to build the edifice of The Flame” (Preface 8). He has used clichés
nowhere in The Flame. A few instances will prove his stance.
From the bushes of disharmony
leaves fly around
and fall in the pond of mistrust (48)
Bushes and Pond are the words that are employed by
Gill to create the desirable effect on the readers who imagine the bushes as
disharmony and pond as mistrust. From bushes, leaves fly and fall in the pond.
Disharmony creates mistrust. The imagery is fresh, visual and communicative.
Mark one more instance:
a pyramid of ashes
over the cradles—
a bone-chilling calculation (78)
Pyramid, cradle and calculation are the words that
create an impression of the dominance, innocence and materialism. The words
“Ashes over cradles” are used to exhibit the difference between the two in size
and after that the poet has used a long hyphen that makes the reader stop for a
moment so that he may be in a position to calculate. Mark the beautiful
instance for Gill’s skill in making the abstract concrete with the help of
images that are imprinted on the mind with the patterns that they indicate:
When the spectre of gloom
looms in the gown of fear
escape by the boat of hope
draws me closer
to you.
(127)
The poet has employed gown and boat— the concrete
things to indicate gloom, fear, hope— the abstract. Gloom is the ghost that
appears in the gown of fear. The boat is used for hope. Mark the excerpt for fresh
images that appeal to the reader who feel them in his heart and cries in
wonder.
My feet rest in the waters
but the mouth is parched.
Near ripples I lie
both solitary sides
stare at the banks tearfully
to kiss each other’s dry lips
while the waters flow by. (115)
The poet’s feet are in waters but his mouth is
parched. He stares both the banks but found them anxious to kiss each other
because of dryness they feel in spite of the flow of the water. The poet is,
undoubtedly, innovative in his approach as he depicts the picture of the two
banks that are thirsty in spite of waters that flow between them.
The poet in Gill appears with a new technique—camera
technique. He zooms the scene to create the desirable
effect. Note the excerpt:
A man hung out of a window
blood from his head
dripping. (52)
Here the poetic camera begins to shoot the picture.
He shoots man, his head hanging out of window and blood dripping from his head.
This is the visual shot through the poetic camera which makes the scene more
effective than any other technique. Now see the other photo taken by Gill’s
poetic camera:
While carrying an infant
when a cop paused to breathe
he looked down.
He was standing
on a dead child. (73)
The camera shoots the victims in the blast. He shoots
a cop with an infant. The cop stops to breathe. The camera shoots him in this
posture. Now he looks down. The camera shoots him and also the expressions on
his face. The impressions of surprise as well as fear on the face of the cop while
standing on the dead body of the child are shot by the poetic camera.
The poet has his knack in narrating the scene in such
words that the whole picture comes before the eyes of the readers who feel
himself at the spot of the incident. Mark the excerpt for his skill in
narration:
Suddenly
windows came crushing in
and the ceiling began to drop.
Some became soundless
others stared or cried.
Infants did not know
how to run
where to hide
and how to crawl under desks.
They had no shelters
or grottoes
within the day care centre
that disappeared
as a wax toy
in the raging fire of the wrath. (70)
The above lines are from Canto 19 which describes that the day care centre has been the target of the terrorists. Children are
taking breakfast. A teacher is going to
tell a tale. Suddenly there is a scene which the children never expected.
Windows crush and ceiling begin to drop. Some children become soundless, some
stare while some cry. They do not know what to do, how to run, where to crawl
and where to hide. The day care centre disappears just as a wax toy melts in
the fire. The day care centre melts in the fire of wrath of the maniac
messiahs. Readers feel that they are at the spot where the day care centre
disappears before their eyes.
In The Flame, the poet in Gill employs the technique
of pathetic fallacy as he makes the objects of nature play their parts as human
beings. He makes them express the human predicament. He makes sea waves sing
his song. “Sea waves / sing my songs / and the rainbow colours
/ my amorous tale” (133). When the maniac messiahs cause destruction at the
religious place, the poet makes the sky wonder at the incident. Mark the
excerpt: “the sky wondered sadly / at the mutilated temple / pushed / into a
grave of unfathomable horror / by the avalanche of / the hate” (58). Out of the
terror created
by the terrorists, the streets “wandered forlorn for days” (95) and the smiling
landscape “lost the freshness of a white daisy” (111). Not only the objects of
nature but the animals also are affected by the actions of these maniac
messiahs. The poet makes dogs take part like human beings. Mark the
excerpt: “The perfidious conditions /
stressed even dogs / who felt dispirited / for not finding anyone alive” (68).
The best poetry is written through images and
symbols. Gill knows it and, hence, exploits these techniques in The Flame which
is known more for fresh images than for symbols. He has used the symbol of Dove
for the innocent and peace. At one place, he wishes to be “a dove in flight /
above the black mud of fetters” (126) and at another, he dreams of a world
where there will be justice and the innocent will not be harassed. His dove is
the dove of peace. It flies where there is justice. He dreams of a world “Where
the dove flies
without fear / and the lilies of justice
/ blossom for all” (146). The poem The
Flame is in itself a symbol. He dedicates the whole poem to the eternal flame
that symbolizes “sharing , compassion, sacrifice,
courage and witness” (Preface 22). It is the Flame that is emphasized more than the dove. It is
the Flame that becomes “binding force / for families, planets / every atom /
and every part of every individual.” It is his belief that “Life disintegrates
/ where the rays of flame / do not reach” (135).
What makes Stephen Gill’s poetry striking is his
unusual knack in the use of synthesis. Synthesis is the link through which he
connects his poetic lines. It is synthesis which makes his lines flow and gives
a kind of rhythm. For instance:
They crush buds
with bulldozers
wearing the gown of sanctimony
to cover the nakedness
of their disease
that eats away
the flesh of peace. (134)
This excerpt if placed together will make prose of
high order. If dissected, the first line
“They crush buds” is connected with “with” and the third is connected through
participle “wearing” and the fourth and the fifth lines with prepositions “to”
and “of”, the sixth line with relative pronoun “that” and the last line becomes the complement of
the previous line. Punctuations like full stop, comma, semi-colon, inverted
commas are well employed. All his poems in the collection are grammatically
correct. The thing that surprises the reader is Gill’s questioning without
question marks. For instance:
Who shall step
into the hamlets of the story kingdom
where
the giants of ferocity
grow the weeds of shame. (108)
There is no question mark after ferocity. Why so
? It is not a typographical error
because in all the questions he has not used the question mark. It seems that
he has an unflinching faith in the power of the Flame and, hence, has no
courage to put questions before her regarding her justice.
The poet in Gill employs the techniques to make his
poetic idiom rich and flawless. He knows well how to exploit language tool to
get the maximum poetic effect on the readers who are charmed by the theme and
techniques. The Flame succeeds in
providing them an outlet for their reactions out of feelings and emotions which
they feel for the victims. The Flame stirs and makes them ready for action for
the welfare of human beings. It shows them the way of peace that results in
creation and union. It gives a message of binding the people to one another in
a peaceful thread. He succeeds in his attempt because of his poetic idiom which
he has developed well for articulating his message to the people. What he has
articulated in his Preface, he has applied in The Flame word to word. That is why, he is so arresting and articulating not only in
conveying his message to the people but also in convincing them through his
poetic idiom.
Works Cited:
Gill, Stephen. The Flame (