420: Four Modern Christian Poets: Eliot, Frost, Wilbur, and Berry

You will forgive the teacher’s self-indulgence. I make no pretension of method in the selection of poets or poems other than my own desire to present some favorite poetry in a setting where a rich reflection on their content and meaning may take place. Robert Frost’s poem “Directive” may not be the first poem most think of when Frost’s name is mentioned, but I assure you it is one of his best. It is a haunting reminder of the transience of life and yet an affirmation also, even a Christian affirmation, of the meaningfulness of human work, play, and community. Wendell Berry’s “Meditation on the Spring Rain” may reveal a perhaps unexpected sacramentality but is also playful and humorous. The language of  Richard Wilbur’s “Lying” may initially perplex, but closer attention shows that Wilbur is teaching us about the figural nature of all meaningful speech. And as for T. S. Eliot, well, his poem “The Wasteland” has achieved an emblematic status as a poem that takes us through the wreckage of Western Civilization in search of a renewal of the spirit. There will be other poems to discuss. But let this serve as an introduction.