mean nothing more than the air that comes out
of people’s mouths. They also put their hands to
work, believing that life is long, hoping to carve
out their place in history, securing recognition
and memory. The speaker wryly notes that
despite this effort, history will not document
their lives. They are then portrayed as a pageant,
their days a procession that inevitably moves
toward the grave.
Milosz also uses a Manichean approach to
compliment the elements of Gnosticism, specifi-
cally the Manichean doctrine of dualism. First,
the universe is viewed as being controlled by two
opposing forces, good and evil. This differs
slightly from the Gnostic tenet, which asserts
the evil nature of the body. Second, similar to
Gnosticism, Manicheans believe that humans
are comprised of matter (the body) and spirit.
The poet’s use of color to describe the attire
of the bride and groom conveys the basic dual-
ism of reality and the binary construct of good
and evil. The white satin of the bride’s dress
represents purity and goodness (and perhaps
naivety), whereas the black stiffness of herWHAT
DO I READ
NEXT? New and Collected Poems: 1931–2001, pub-
lished in 2003, features Milosz’s metaphysi-
cal and Manichean approach as well as his
interplay of theology, science, and politics.
The Captive Mind, a collection of essays
written by Milosz and published in 1990,
discusses the conflicts faced by citizens living
under totalitarian regimes. Milosz draws
upon his own experiences with Soviet com-
munism in Poland, including the hardships
he faced as a writer under Soviet rule. He
also discusses the downfalls of left- and
right-wing beliefs and includes a warning to
the West to learn from European history. As
a result, this work generated much interest
from its American audience.
Native Realm: A Search for Self Definition
(originally published in 1959 and translated
in 1968), is an autobiographical account of
Milosz’s travels and reflections during and
after World War II. The author’s reflections
focus on post-war Europe, the effects of war
on citizens, and how history redefines cul-
tural and personal identity.
Milosz’sA Treatise on Poetry, originally
published in 1956 then translated and pub-
lished in 2001, examines the devastation of
twentieth-century wars. Divided into four
poems, the first part begins at the end ofthe nineteenth century and in subsequent
poems discusses World War I and II as well
as the collapse of Soviet communism in
Europe. With this work, Milosz attempts
to use poetry to chronicle significant histor-
ical events.
The Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai,
published in 1996, presents work by Jerusa-
lem’s poet as part of the seriesLiterature of
the Middle East. Amichai takes a modern
metaphysical approach in his poems, which
focus on religious and political conflicts in
Jerusalem. Similar to Milosz, the poet also
studies the unpredictable nature of life and
investigates a reality that exists outside
objective experiences.
The Metaphysical Poets(1960), edited by
Helen Gardner, is aPenguin Classicpubli-
cation that presents selected works by sev-
enteenth century writers, including John
Donne, Andrew Marvel, and John Milton.
The young adult novelMan from the Other
Side, written by Uri Orlev, tells the story of
fourteen-year-old Marek who lives near the
Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
Marek and his grandparents risk their lives
to hide a Jewish man in the days leading up
to the Jewish uprising.In Music