This is the time of wonder, it is written;You can find out more about Morris Bishop and his elf-loathing here.
Man has undone the ultimate mysteries.
(We turn from the Chrysler Tower to watch a kitten,
Turn to a dead fish from Isocrates;
Drinkers on five-day boats are gladly smitten
Unconscious on the subjugated seas;
Einstein is even more dull than Bulwer-Lytton;
You cannot smoke on the Los Angeles.)
Science no longer knows the verb-form "can't,"
Fresh meat will soon be shipped by radio;
Scholars are harnessing the urgent ant
And making monstrous bastard fruits to grow,
Building machines for things I do not want,
Discovering truths I do not care to know.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Scrutable Poetry Corner: "It Rolls On" by Morris Bishop
A poem for the uneasy modern, from the November 1, 1930 issue of The New Yorker.
It's extremely important to read about Prof. Bishop's background before attempting to comment. The Wikipedia article about him is helpful.
ReplyDeleteIf he's amazed by a skyscraper, and overwhelmed by the scientific wonders of his day, just imagine the fits he'd have with cloning, DNA, and walking on the moon!
As with writing that is rooted in a certain era, annotation would be useful. For example, I assume that the "Los Angeles" is a railroad train.
Isocrates (not to be confused with the software, "iSocrates") - well, I guess I have not studied enough of the classics. Even so, the dead fish reference is unresolved by a brief Internet search.
Any ideas about the kitten / fish / Greek philosopher connection?
I agree about the annotation, Gary; I was in too big a hurry to do the poem justice! Plus I think there's a lot of artistic license here which doesn't lend itself to a '30s-era decoding.
ReplyDeleteThe kitten/fish/philosopher elements and everything else in parentheses seem to be examples of "mundane" issues and experiences trumping the vast human accomplishments: we spend more time looking at kittens and preparing food than we do marveling at engineering feats and deep philosophy; people get drunk and party on ocean liners rather than stand in awe of their ability to cross the ocean in such comfort; people are more concerned with their inability to smoke on a train than they are with the work of Einstein.
I think it's brilliant how this poem expresses both awe and distrust; it isn't a condemnation of modernity or a luddite screed, but still expresses uneasiness.
I agree with you analysis.
ReplyDeleteBTW, you may have meant "self-loathing"; however, given the world-view expressed in this poem, I suppose Mr. Bishop could have something against the magical little fellas, too!
The Socrates/ dead fish reference he actually explained in a letter to Katherine White (editor of the New Yorker):
ReplyDelete"As Isocrates was delivering an oration, a rival stood up on a block of marble in the rear of the crowd, and held up a dead fish and said nothing. One looked around, nudged neighbor, and so on until the whole crowd turned from Isocrates and looked at the silent rival. He then spoke: “See how a dead fish is more interesting than Isocrates!""