Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X) : Vol. IX : Issue: 4 (October, 2018) wwwliteraryendewourorg 317 68 ART AND RELIGION IN THE POETRY OF ELIZABETH JENNINGS De: Dilber Mehta, Assistant Professor Deparment of ICT, VNSGU, Surat, Gujrat Abstract: Fl Movement Poetry: Her poetry deals with man separation, isolation and religion, This paper themes with a seteetion of poems from her Authologies abeth Jennings is a 20° Century woman poetess belonging to the 1950s, associated with important ideas related to life, death, love, art. and focus on Art and Religion as major KeyWords : Movement Poetry, Artand Religion An importantthemein Jennings’ poetry isthe theme of art, Theart poemsillustrate the poet's intent to look at this subject from diverse angles. In hor poem “Visit to an Artist” the connection between the visitor, the artistand hisart is described. Theereation of works ofart and thereason for their composition aredescribedin“WorksofArt, “In aPictureGallery” isa poem inwhichJenningspaintsa unusual Kindo? world of art, The concluding poem in this selection “Questions to other Artists” portrays the artists’ feelings in the Face of inspiration. Since the creation of artis Jennings foremost activity she has writtena number of poems about this theme. When Jennings was asked in the interview by Gerlinde Gramang “What does Art mean to you? She replied: I don't think art is therapy, I don't think art isa substitute for something. Lam very clumsy and [hate it, I would rather pulla doorwhen itsays push, This might bethe reason why I liketheorderof poetry, Poetry iscommunication, When [eelapoem isall right, will show it tosomebody, But, of course you can't havethat in your mind when you are writing, [think the things we sharearemore interesting thanthe things that separate us,” Therefore Art forisakind of'sharingbond with others. Her entrance into the World of Art is made in “Vision to an Artist” from the Collected Poems (1961) Thispoomeonsisisofthree stanzas: the firstonc hassix linesand thesecond and third has five lines cach. Some of thelinesare rhyming but not all of them, From the title of the poem we learn that the poem intendstodescribea visitto anartist, Thepoem isdevoted to David Jonesand wegetthe feelingthatitishe weare goingto visil Inthe first stanza the view we getwhile looking out of a window is described, Wherever we look wesee nothing but thesea. Theairandthe wateraredescribedas being perfectly “mingled”. Everything is, wellarranged and thereisnodisorder A lliswellarrangedand sowegettheimpressionthattheview which isdescribedisnot necessarily arealone but couldjustas wellbe paintedina picture. Theline“But nothing was confused and nothing slow:” makes it clear about the smooth flow of thoughts and motion. In the second stanza the relationship between thevisitor and the artist is described, The shyness which existed between them at the beginning has been “drawn into the pictures on the wall” and so there isa quite intimacy between them now, They do not feel the need to talk. The only thing they want is to look at the picturesandexperience theeffvettheyeause. The silencebetweenthe visitorand theartistisfeltasareliel, because it is not necessary anymore fo look for the right words. In the third stanza the visitor uses the silence to think about words the artist had said before, Artis brought into relation with religion by describing itasa sacrament. In this stanzashe createsan image ofart “A mountain under thecalmformot paint’ Much like the Presence under wine aind bread” (1101), The effect the paintings have is described as beingalmostholy. Itisofsuchgreatnessthatweshould fxceit withrespectAKEAND RELIGION IN TH: POPTRVOF ELIZABETH JENNINGS 318 The last line of the poem tries to show art Benween “its lamgesse and its own restraint”. Art is not unlimited, andso the poet tries to define its borderlines, Real art hasto be foundsomewherein themiddle between these two features. Through this equilibrium art can impart which is closely linked with the experience of Christsbodyandbload transtormedinto wine and bread. Thepoem second poem Worksof Art” (1964 )is fromthe Collected Poems and isa search for order, It consists of four stanzas with six lines cach, It is written in avery regular formavith every stanza rhyming ababab. In thispocm Jennings talks about thecreation of worksofart. Shetriestofindoutwhy weare interested in art, what weare looking for init,andthefeelingswhichare involvedwhen warksofartcomeintoexistenee In the first stanza the world ofartis related to escape and the fact that very often we try to find sheltcrin it, His order the poet is mainly attracted byand the feelingorsceurity which ean bewon through that. She referstothe worldofartas“that cool, wide worldwhereevenshadowsare/orderedandrelegated toashape™. The word “shadows” point to“hear”or”sun" that provided inspiration and thedrivetocreate Ttiscoolness.a sense of satisfaction that is foundafierthe creationof works of art. Itstandsfor therelease rom the heat of inspiration. In the second stanza of thispoem we are made aware of the fact that there is however, not only rational thinking involved inart but also inspiration and surprise. Whenever the artist has an idea he can never predict what the final version ofhiswork will be like. In addition the artist gets involved with his work of art evenwhen he [eels""uncommittedat the start”. He developsa relationshipto it, becauseit only throughhimthat itcanie intoexistence, In the third stanza the poet tries to find an explanation forthe existence of the worksofart, She quotes Yeats, who saw thereason in gaiety, By referring to Hamletand Lear who were particularly nots characters, Jennings makes use of irony: In thisstanza we also find reference to religion, It is stated that there wasno art in paradise, and that itonly came into heing afterwe had to face “our dangerous liberty” Thisisseenasthereasonwhyart is constantly looking forthislostorderand security, whieh existed inthe Gardenot Eden Ttishowevernotpossible forhuman beingsto achievepertectorderand security. Thisisthereason why thepoettalksofabitter sweetnessanda“tasteo! frustration thatisclosely linked with thecreationot. worksofart, Inthisstanzaweareremindedoftheideasstatedin the lirstone, Thisconstant search fororder keeps us going and givesus hope forthe momentot discovery, The last two lines of the poem sum up the theme of the poem. We will not find perfect order in art but we canachieve at least isa certain coolness, which,as mentioned before, stands for therelease afier the ereation of apicecorart. Inthe lastlineotthe poem Jennings makes use of complex image: “And shadows draw attention to the sun”. This could be interpreted as meaning that we cannot reach perfection represented by the sun, and so we have to concentrate on the shadows whichare linked inextricably with the sun, and sowe have to concentrate on shadows. Concentrating onshadowsmightleadtothe right pathto thesun “Ina Picture Gallery” (1975) isalso trom Collected Poemyand isabout Escape into the worldot Ant. Asin the previous poem the world of art is described asa different kind of world, This poem only consistsoftwostanzaswithsix lineseach and has, like theprevious poem, therhymeababab, Whereasthe poem Worksof Art” iswrittcninmore general mode, this poem includesanother person, Thisean beseen from the pronouns “we, us. you" ete. The poem also containsa question which seems to be addressed to another person as well. What creates the quality of the poem is the frequent use of rich imagery. which underlines the idea of the creation of a different world. Jennings talks about a “gallery of air” and “paintingsthrough /whichwe ean limb”(323) The feelingof unlimitedness whichisereatedby theuseot the word “air” helps us to cross the borders toa different world. By looking intensively «t paintings the entranceinto thenewworldisvery successfully deseribedwith theidea of actually climbing into picture. We can wander around between the different parts of the painting and discover a new world of understanding, We not only stay inthe world of painting; wealso entera worldofsound, Thisisadroitly indicated by the question “Do youhear’ A murmurof continued flight?” (323) On our journey we seem to Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X) : Vol. IX : Issue: 4 (October, 2018)ARV AND RELIGION IN THE: POPTRVOF ELIZABETH JENNINGS 318 inavereached a siate where different types ofart have reached universality; they cannot be distinguished any more fromeach other, Mysteriously, we seem to besurrounded by them, Elizabeth Jonningsexpresses this idea by saying “Paint, sound and word are everywhere.” The combination of paintingsand music is very wellexpressed with the beautifulimage:*Are paintings far orarewe near’ Thistesture of.thissound ofsight?” Thepoetdoes not seem to be sure herself which kindof world we have reached. Weare lefi with thisdetini \gofheinglostinspace. Itis, however, notanunpleasant feeling. Theuseofalliterstionin this image ereates an atmosphere of harmony. Sound even equals sight, We just seem to be far removed fromreality, Thismight evenremind us of the previous poem. in which Jennings talksaboutanescape into adiflerentworld Inthispoem weare left with an openend, The question which asked isnotanswered by the poet We are left in this world of art in which the poet is guided us, and have to lind the exit ourselves. His however, up to us how long we intend to stay, “Questions to Other Artists" 1977) is from the Anthology Consequently | Rejoice and itis about inspiration andart, This poem isdifferent from the proceeding ones Iidoes notdeseribe theworldof art in thesame way, The “I” of the poem asks.a composer and a painter what they feel when suddenly their inspiration disappears. The question is asked, what could be dane in sucha case? Not only isthispoem dilferentas farasthecontent isconcemed.itisalsothe formotthepoem which is far more inregularthan the previous ones, It consists of four stanzas with five orsix fairly short lineseach. The rhythms irregularaswellandthe lines seldom rhyme. The irregularity ofthepoemisused tounderline thestate of'dumbness that iscaused by the lossof inspiration, Inthispoem Jennings makesuse ofimageryandof simile, When she addresses the composershe talksabout “thedaneeof notes”; whenshe talks to thepainter shewantsto know “Doesa canvasstare likea llouting love?” or what he does“When the brushes start’ Shakingtoa pause”. With thisuse of imageryand simile the artist's fear is expressed in momentswhen inspiration ceases. There isalso the fear that ereativity and inspirationmight be lostiotally oneday, The"I of thepoem wantstoknow how otherartistscopewiththe feeling ot dumbness, Tn the last stanza of the poem the poet expresses the [eeling of gratefulness which is felt when inspiration is present, She wonders whether other artists know this feeling when inspiration comes back afiera long time. Jenningsendsthis poemwithasimileinwhich theinspirationof words iscompared with thefeelingof a hoston the tongue. The connectionoF artand religion isa theme frequently present inthe poetryofJennings. Theme of Reli The following selection of poms shows the importance religion has for her as a practicing Catholic. The first poem in thisselection “Fora Child Born Dead” isabout the ImmaculateConception of the Virgin Mary and the doubisshe [eels In “Harvestand Consecration”a vision of rebirth is offered. In To a Friend witha Religious Vocation” the poet not only aulmiresher friend's religious vocation but also tries todefineherown religiousconvictionsand theetlect they haveonherlifeasa poet. The final poemot this selection, “Crucitication” is about Christ's suifering on the cross and depicts salvation and hope for mankind, Jennings religious poems are not always successful as they are not able to create their own, lmosphereand thereforcofien seem colorless ~The Annunciation” (19S8)isapoem rom the Collected Poems and ittalksabout The Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary, The poet tries to describe Mary's emotional state afier the angel has told her that she will give birth to Tesus Christ. We find her ina state of eestasy alter the angel has lett her. She focuses very slowlyonhersurroundingsagain, Jenningsisinterested inthe conflict Mary had togo through in this situation, When the ange! left her she is portrayed in a confused state, Only familiar things in her Team seem to comfort herand sheno longerknows how to pray, Whena foreign body entersthe mother’s body there are already mental and physical changes and pains and secondly the angel words are challenging because it is the Go's childshe isgoing to give birthto, She realizes that she hastolive with thischild whichisapartotherat thesame timeGod's child, Theonly wayshesees forherto beabletocope: Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X) : Vol. IX : Issue: 4 (October, 2018)ARV AND RELIGION IN THE: POPTRVOF ELIZABETH JENNINGS 320 with this isto carry on normally with her life, Jennings writes that” Irom hereestasy she moves! And turns tohuman thingsat last”, Thehuman aspectof Mary to thepurely spiritualoneisalsoemphasized What is furtherreferred to is the relationship Mary esiablishes with the child in herbody, We are made aware that itis humanchild thatshe loves, Atthe same time, however. she [eelsthe greatness ofthe event. Shewill be ableto give birth tothe Sonof God, thesaviorof mankind. Thisis thereasonwhy great salvations gripherside™. The poem consists of four stanzas with six lineseach, partly rhyming, Jennings herself is @ practicing Christian, tries to describe this important truth of Catholic religion, In order to describe sucha great moment one would expect the poet to make frequent use of imagery to beable to graspthe full meaningandimportanceofit, Thisisnotachievedby her but instead simplewordsare usedto describe Mary's feelings. By doing this, she sacrifices the possibility of expressing the uniqueness af this event through images whichmightemphasize it, The poem remainsasimpleone withoutachievinga state ofmemorability, The poem “Harvest and Consecration” deals with the theme of rebirth and it also appears in the Collected Poems. in thispoem the corn harvest in autunmnis compared with the Massaind the breakingot bread, While thepoetdescribesthisseasonand thecollectionofthecarnsheavesshesuddenly thinksabout Mass. Thecom whichcan feedmany hungry peopleiscompared to “white bread”. referring to the hostot thealtar, which offersa meansto bereborn God isincluded bothinthebreadand in the host. Thepoemnot only uses the form “I”; there isalsoa "you" which seems torefer toa priest. The“ I” appearsto tell himall her thoughts about the parallels she finds between corn and the bread, The deseription is passionate. The poet even tries to describe the feelings of a priest during the consecration, She compares him with a midwife anda motherat the same time. For her, he seemsto perfectly unite pain and pleasure, The priest, however, does not agree with her. Inthe last stanza oF the poem he explains that it is impossible to unite passionand consecration, When the “I” of the poem has another look at the carnsheaves it becomes clear that is wrong merely to concentrate on simple. ILiseven necessary that simple things die in order to open oureyes forthe hiddenandmoreimportant things. Jennings ends this poemwitha very interesting line. “I sce’ The wine and bread protect our cestasy” (761) Too much passion is seen as dangerous, because it destroys humility, Therespeet forthe consecrationofwineand bread isaholypprocessand therefore weare expectedtoaeceptitwithhumility, “Toa friend witha Religious Vocation” (1960) offers Different Types of ReligiousConviction This poemis taken from Elizabeth Jennings latest poetry volumeand isa partoTherEaster Sequence consists of eight parts, Apart from the poem mentioned above there are the poems “Fhe Start of Holy Wook”, “Holy Week", The Eternal Cross” . “Holy Sunday”, “Easter”, “Easter Moming” and “The Ascension”. Fhe poemeonsisisol fivestanzaswith fine linescach.Asusual,itis written intraditional form and follows the thyme-scheme ababa, The poem is about the importance of Easter for mankind and the meaning of Christ'ssutfering on the cross, He leadsus toa betterlite. We areexpected tohavecantidence inthisworldand participateinimprovingiit The first line of the poem starts with a contrast: Always the same and always thenew.” She then describes the nails which are hammered “upon our maps”. The nails in this context are symbols of sulfering which we can find everywherein the world, However thereishope left, There ate alsomoments of doubt which make us think. Easter is one of those moments. Christ was put on the cross to bear the suffering of mankind, Jennings reminds us that people who “copy the Godof saving” and suffer forother nid forjustice combat theevil inthe world Hismainly thiselement of hope that isstressed when the poet talks to Faster, We are not lostand neitheris theworldwelive in, What Eastertellsus is to “Honour this world that'snot beyond repair.” The best way to dothisis“eompassion”.a word whichis very important for Jennings, To think of people who arearoundusand totryandunderstind them with their faultsiswhat really counts in life. With thispoem Jennings hasonceagain proved that sheisabletowrite beautiful skilful poems, which gaina great deal of which people Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X) : Vol. IX : Issue: 4 (October, 2018)ARV AND RELIGION IN THE: POPTRVOF ELIZABETH JENNINGS 321 their powerthrough the optimistic positive outlook they ofler. Only when we concentrate onthings which areworth improving. can wemakethisworlda littlebeticr References: 1. Jennings, Plizabeth, The Col ted Poems,Great Britain; Carcanet,2012 2. Interview: Gramang,Gerlinde. Interviewwith ElizabethJenningsonAugust 26,1993. Oxford 3. Gulestan, Dilber. Jennings’ Poetry= Approac Saurashtra University.2017 4. hupr’’shodhganga.inilibnet.ac.in/bitstream’10603/181619'8/08_chapter"0203,pdl . Influences, Themes, Forms, Development of her Poems hodhganga Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X) : Vol. IX : Issue: 4 (October, 2018) Diversity in Unity: Flizabeth Jennings- A British Poet” Chapter 3. Elizabeth Diss