"Dark Grace" or, "An Ode to Ignorance"

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Dimmesdale
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"Dark Grace" or, "An Ode to Ignorance"

Post #1

Post by Dimmesdale »

Sapiential Darkness – the solace of sleep.

At nighttime sayeth Thou– “I Will thee Keep.”

“Drop all thy fantasies and stay safe in me.

This is choice surrender – sweeter than candy.”



Ousting all the world, one is left but zero

And just then brave enough to act the hero!

Forget all realities harsh and vindictive,

Here is your Herculean sedative....



Shutting out all external stimulation

One is baptized into the atheist's initiation.

Following the mind's thread of imagination

One is led in sable skies of constellation.



With clever strokes of reasonings one's bought

And firmly imbibes a dark grace hitherto unsought.

Like a great earthy and bilious mountain draught!

One feels henceforth the battle's all half-fought.



Thus by attainments of the mind and will

One becomes austere, holy and "still."



By such strivings one comes to a twilight knowledge

Partaking of the true, as a beast may forage.

Such nourishment leaves one's psyche free.

Though the real conclusion be that of poverty.



I honor Ignorance when it is properly used.

Though it is in fact quite easy to be abused.

However, Denial, when put into focus

Is an antidote to stave off all sorts of hocus pocus.



Keeping your mind on the ball (and through it all)

Is something honor-filled and laudable.

Forget not, however, the states of affairs

Which indeed exist, and remain attentive to their cares.



Actually, Truth is harsh and vast, of the nature of Madness

And, what is more, sharp, and must gash you like a Cutlass.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein

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Re: "Dark Grace" or, "An Ode to Ignorance"

Post #2

Post by Dimmesdale »

[Replying to Dimmesdale in post #1]

Here is the commentary for anyone interested:

The first stanza establishes the scene for the entire poem. Night time. This is supposed to connote the quiet, peace and reflective composure required for philosophical thought. It is only during night that the senses can be withdrawn from false daydreams or "fantasies" and one may, without any distraction or coercion, come to an understanding of objective realities such as truth and wisdom. It is in this atmosphere that such thoughtfulness thrives; hence the Darkness is "Sapiential." However, with night comes, not only peace and understanding, but also a form of lethargy. One becomes steadily lulled by the dull sagacity inherent in these topics and setting, and one slides into a form of unconsciousness or sleep. One in a sense "surrenders" to this sleep; it is both inevitable and also pleasant, thus "sweeter than candy." There is also a sense in which the "Sapiential Darkness" is personified as a type of Father figure; one gives himself up to this ineluctable Force, which is also to be seen as, in one sense, suspicious. It may seem, after all, as though one is being drugged. Rather than being truly alert to high thinking, one in the end submerges his consciousness in the oblivion of slumber. This is meant to be ironic.

The second stanza gives a phenomenological account of the nature of experience during this sleep. The world is "ousted" or done away with. With the world gone, one does not need to be afraid of anything as, along with the first stanza, one is safely asleep in the bosom of Sapiential Darkness. One becomes "brave" then, but again, ironically, because in truth there is nothing to really resist the fear of. It is thus a false and empty courage as one has simply turned a blind eye to "all realities harsh and vindictive" - one has taken his "Herculean sedative." One thinks himself brave and heroic, having scaled intellectual hills, but really one has simply been sedated and lulled into a false sense of security and confidence for all that.

The third stanza elaborates in greater detail the thinker's mindset. By "shutting out all external stimulation" one believes that one has purified his understanding of all falseness and illusion. But this is also to be seen as audacious, as "all external stimulation" may also be taken to mean not only that which is illusory, but also those things that should not be ignored, but which are actually relevant and have an impact on our true understanding. Thus one is in danger of throwing out the good with the bad. In other words, not all external stimulation is bad or meaningless. That one is "baptized into the atheist's initiation" is to mean that even when arriving at such a seemingly objective and disinterested view to reality, one has accepted it dogmatically and sold himself over, albeit unconsciously, to a religious point of view that can't really be doubted. One is in actuality following his "mind's thread of imagination" in a way that is speculative, and therefore not perfect. This speculation however has a degree of beauty and fascination; hence it is likened to "sable skies of constellation." One is "led" this way, as it were against his will and thus "objectively", yet he is beholden to this path by virtue of its very beauty. This too is ironic.

The fourth stanza delves into how the thinker becomes set or rigid in his ways. One is "bought" by clever strokes of reasonings which are just that: "clever" as opposed to demonstrably factual. One "firmly imbibes a dark grace hitherto unsought." This line is important for the reason of how the thinker's thoughts cause him to feel. He cannot help but be liberated or consoled by his philosophy. They cause a change in him which is practically religious as he believes he is squarely on the side of truth and that his thoughts have the ability to link him up with reality, knowledge, the Father, etc. Thus he cannot help feeling a gratitude and grace which he never expected, having assumed he was dealing at the outset merely with disinterested, objective realities. Isn't it odd that such should now have such a strong hold on his affections nevertheless? This ties into the religious nature of his views in the prior stanza. And yet there is a sense in which this, too, is illusory. The "dark grace" is likened to a "great earthy and bilious mountain draught" - in other words, a type of intoxication. Even worse than being asleep, one has actually herein fallen down to the level of being intoxicated by his so-called knowledge. One's affections have been given over entirely to what he believes, to the extent that what he physiologically feels takes precedent over any actual consideration that what he thinks is true. And the final line simply illustrates his attitude ever afterwards: he no longer has to "fight" for what is true through active discernment: the battle's already "all half-fought." Whatever conflict remains, he has nothing to do but stick to his presuppositions.

The fifth stanza describes lastly how one becomes settled into a form of identity-conviction. One values himself to the extent that he no longer wishes to "waste time" by fighting but instead retires into an inner, monastic space inside himself. This sancrosanct space is his refuge and place of communion with the Father. He will defend it at all costs and will let nothing intrude upon it. Thus one becomes "austere, holy and "still.""

The sixth stanza reflects on the actual paucity of the thinker's (or sleeper's) attainments. One has a "twilight knowledge" - that is, not the full version of reality as it actually is, but only a segment, seen in half-light, or misrepresentation. Thus one only "partakes" of the true, and is likened to a beast foraging. This foraging may be compared to one's own speculative endeavor. Since one does not have the full truth, one is also not, properly speaking, a complete human being. One is grasping at crumbs, instead of sitting down to take sup at a proper meal. One is nourished in the sense that what he gains from such foods preserves his state of mind. There is a sense in which the thinker cannot handle human food as it is too strong for him. Such is the nature of reality; it being too difficult to digest for its seriousness. Settling for animal food one's psyche is left free, but one does not have the full conclusion which is reserved for the mature human alone.

The seventh stanza reflects the speaker's assessment of the nature of ignorance. It is honorable when it is "properly used" - that is, when one avoids obsessing over those realities which are not helpful in the moment for one's own good. That said, this mindset can be abused to the extent that all of reality can become steadily ignored, as the rest of the poem illustrates. "Denial" again, when "put into focus" is a relative good that can stave off "all sorts of hocus pocus", that is, nonsense. Once more, however, one can take this posture and misapply it to realities which cannot be safely ignored; at least not indefinitely.

The eighth stanza continues on with the theme of focus. One cannot properly function in this world while obsessing over all realities. One needs to betimes ignore extraneous subjects and keep one's "mind on the ball" in a given situation. However, the true "states of affairs" which "indeed exist" must be attended to sooner or later. And therefore one cannot afford sleeping eternally and must finally awaken to attend to their "cares."

The ninth and final stanza sums up the poem and brings it to a climactic punch. "Actually" reality has nothing to do with sleep. "Truth is harsh and vast, of the nature of Madness" - it is, in other words, untamable by any sort of quiet speculation which only ends in sleep. It is "sharp" and must "gash you like a Cutlass." This last line is meant to emphasize how personal this all is, that Truth is not merely a matter of sleepy speculation, but in a sense jumps at you, and must be dealt with in a way that demands everything we have. It is a wake up call to be courageous in the true sense; not falsely brave and asleep to what reality holds. This is Reality whether you like it or not; one must deal with it.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein

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