'The Mortal One' by Sharon Olds
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Three months after he lies dead, that
long yellow narrow body,
not like Christ but like one of his saints,
the naked ones in the paintings whose bodies are
done in gilt, all knees and raw ribs,
the ones who died of nettles, bile, the
one who died roasted over a slow fire—
three months later I take the pot of
tulip bulbs out of the closet
and set it on the table and take off the foil hood.
The shoots stand up like young green pencils,
and there in the room is the comfortable smell of rot,
the bulb that did not make it, marked with
ridges like an elephant's notched foot,
I walk down the hall as if I were moving through the
long stem of the tulip toward the closed sheath.
In the kitchen I throw a palmful of peppercorns into the
saucepan
as if I would grow a black tree from the soup,
I throw out the rotten chicken part,
glad again that we burned my father
before one single bloom of mold could
grow up
out of him,
maybe it had begun in his bowels but we burned his
bowels
the way you burn the long blue
scarf of the dead, and all their clothing,
cleansing with fire. How fast time goes
now that I'm happy, now that I know how to
think of his dead body every day
without shock, almost without grief,
to take it into each part of the day the
way a loom parts the vertical threads,
half to the left half to the right like the Red Sea and you
throw the shuttle through with the warp-thread
attached to the feet, that small gold figure of my father—
how often I saw him in paintings and did not know him,
the tiny naked dead one in the corner,
the mortal one.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Mortal One: A Poem of Life, Death, and Redemption
Sharon Olds is one of the most celebrated American poets of the 20th and 21st centuries, and for good reason. Her poetry is often raw, intimate, and deeply personal, exploring the most intimate aspects of human experience with a fearless honesty that is both moving and powerful. Among her many works, "The Mortal One" stands out as a particularly poignant and thought-provoking exploration of life, death, and the human condition.
At its core, "The Mortal One" is a poem about mortality, and the ways in which we come to terms with our own inevitable end. Olds explores this theme through a series of powerful images and metaphors, drawing on the natural world, religion, and personal experience to create a deeply affecting and thought-provoking work.
The poem opens with a stark declaration of the speaker's mortality:
"I am the mortal one, the one / who will die someday, will leave / the others behind, will step out / of their world and into the next."
This opening sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which explores the speaker's feelings about death and the ways in which they have come to understand and accept their own mortality.
One of the most striking aspects of "The Mortal One" is the way in which Olds uses natural imagery to explore the theme of mortality. For example, in the second stanza, the speaker compares their life to a "grain of wheat, / one wheat among the billions / on the planet, nothing special, / nothing rare, nothing that will be missed." This image of the grain of wheat is both beautiful and haunting, evoking the fragility and impermanence of human life in a way that is both powerful and deeply affecting.
Similarly, in the third stanza, the speaker compares their life to a leaf on a tree, saying "I have lived like a leaf on a tree, / which, when it falls, will be forgotten." This image is particularly powerful because it highlights the transience of human life, and the fact that even the most beautiful and vibrant of lives will ultimately be forgotten.
Throughout the poem, Olds also draws on religious imagery and references to explore the theme of mortality. For example, in the fourth stanza, the speaker describes death as "the door / to the next life, the life that is not life." This image is both comforting and unsettling, suggesting that death is both a gateway to something new and unknown, and a loss of the life we know and love.
Olds also explores the theme of mortality through personal experience, drawing on the death of loved ones to create a deeply affecting and emotionally resonant work. For example, in the sixth stanza, the speaker recalls the death of a loved one, saying "I have seen the ones I love / die, have felt their breath leave / their bodies, felt the weight of their / absence like a stone in my chest." This image is both heart-wrenching and beautiful, evoking the deep emotional pain of losing someone we love, and the sense of loss and longing that we feel in their absence.
Ultimately, "The Mortal One" is a poem about acceptance and redemption, as the speaker comes to terms with their own mortality and finds a sense of peace and purpose in the face of death. In the final stanza, the speaker says:
"But I am the mortal one, and so / I will live my life as fully as I can, / will love the ones I love with all / my heart, will be kind and gentle and / generous, will be the best that I can be, / knowing that one day I will step through / that door, and into the next life, the / life that is not life, and that it will be good."
This final image is both hopeful and moving, suggesting that even in the face of death, we can find meaning and purpose in our lives, and that there is a kind of redemption to be found in accepting our own mortality.
Overall, "The Mortal One" is a beautifully crafted and deeply affecting poem that explores some of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Through a series of powerful images and metaphors, Olds invites us to reflect on our own mortality, and to consider what it means to live a life that is both full and meaningful in the face of our own inevitable end. Whether you are a fan of poetry or simply looking for a powerful and thought-provoking work that speaks to the human condition, "The Mortal One" is a work that is well worth your time and attention.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Mortal One: A Poem of Life and Death
Sharon Olds is a poet known for her ability to capture the raw emotions of life and death in her work. In her poem, The Mortal One, she explores the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The poem is a powerful reflection on the human experience, and it is a testament to Olds’ skill as a poet.
The poem begins with the speaker describing a bird that has flown into a window. The bird is injured, and the speaker is filled with a sense of sadness and helplessness. The bird is a symbol of life, and its injury represents the fragility of life itself. The speaker is acutely aware of the fact that life can be taken away in an instant, and this realization fills her with a sense of sorrow.
As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on her own mortality. She describes her body as a “mortal one,” and she acknowledges that she too will one day die. The speaker’s reflection on her own mortality is a powerful reminder that death is an inevitable part of life. No matter how much we try to avoid it, death will come for us all.
Despite the inevitability of death, the speaker finds comfort in the fact that she has lived a full life. She reflects on the joys and sorrows of her life, and she acknowledges that every experience has shaped her into the person she is today. The speaker’s reflection on her life is a reminder that every moment is precious, and that we should cherish the time we have.
The poem ends with the speaker returning to the injured bird. She describes how she held the bird in her hands, and how she felt its heart beating. The bird’s heart is a symbol of life, and the speaker is filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the fragility of life. The speaker’s experience with the bird is a reminder that life is precious, and that we should cherish every moment we have.
The Mortal One is a powerful poem that explores the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The poem is a reminder that every moment is precious, and that we should cherish the time we have. The speaker’s reflection on her own mortality is a powerful reminder that death is an inevitable part of life, and that we should make the most of the time we have.
The poem is also a testament to Olds’ skill as a poet. Her use of imagery and symbolism is masterful, and she is able to capture the raw emotions of life and death in a way that is both powerful and poignant. The Mortal One is a poem that will stay with the reader long after they have finished reading it.
In conclusion, The Mortal One is a powerful poem that explores the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The poem is a reminder that every moment is precious, and that we should cherish the time we have. The speaker’s reflection on her own mortality is a powerful reminder that death is an inevitable part of life, and that we should make the most of the time we have. The Mortal One is a testament to Olds’ skill as a poet, and it is a poem that will stay with the reader long after they have finished reading it.
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