Constantly risking absurdity by Lawrence Ferlinghetti — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience the poet like an acrobat climbs on rime to a high wire of his own making and balancing on eyebeams above a sea of faces paces his way to the other side of day performing entrechats and sleight-of-foot tricks and other high theatrics and all without mistaking any thing for what it may not be For he's the super realist who must perforce perceive taut truth before the taking of each stance or step in his supposed advance toward that still higher perch where Beauty stands and waits with gravity to start her death-defying leap And he a little charleychaplin man who may or may not catch her fair eternal form spreadeagled in the empty air of existence

Translation (English)

Always taking the risk of looking foolish and dying whenever he performs above the heads of his audience the poet, like an acrobat climbs on rhymes up to a high wire he creates himself and balances on the light from eyes above a sea of faces walks his way across to the other side of the day performing jumps and clever foot tricks and other dramatic acts all without confusing anything for what it might not be Because he's the super realist who must necessarily see clear truth before taking each stance or step in his supposed progress toward that even higher place where Beauty stands and waits with seriousness to begin her daring leap And he like a little Charlie Chaplin who might or might not catch her beautiful eternal form spread out in the empty air of existence

About the Poet

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (20th Century)

Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. He was best known for his poetry collection 'A Coney Island of the Mind'. Ferlinghetti was a prominent figure in the Beat movement and his work often explored themes of social justice and the human condition.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: 1958
Background: The poem reflects the challenges and risks inherent in the creative process, likening the poet's work to that of an acrobat performing daring feats. It explores the pursuit of truth and beauty, common themes in Ferlinghetti's work, and reflects the Beat Generation's emphasis on authenticity and artistic integrity.

Sources: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52319/constantly-risking-absurdity-15, https://poemanalysis.com/lawrence-ferlinghetti/constantly-risking-absurdity/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Ferlinghetti

Detailed Explanation

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem 'Constantly Risking Absurdity' uses the metaphor of an acrobat to describe the poet's role. The poet, like an acrobat, performs daring feats, balancing on the 'high wire' of creativity. This high wire is made of 'rime' or rhyme, suggesting the delicate and risky nature of poetic creation. The poet must navigate the expectations of the audience ('a sea of faces') while maintaining authenticity and truth. The poem emphasizes the poet's pursuit of 'Beauty' and 'truth,' which are depicted as elusive and challenging to capture. The reference to 'Charlie Chaplin' adds a layer of humor and vulnerability, highlighting the poet's struggle to grasp the 'eternal form' of beauty in the 'empty air of existence.' Ferlinghetti's work reflects the Beat Generation's focus on authenticity, artistic integrity, and the inherent risks of the creative process.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
absurdity	ridiculousness	the quality of being ridiculous or wildly unreasonable	ab-sur-di-tee
acrobat	performer	a person who performs gymnastic tricks	ak-ro-bat
rime	rhyme	a type of verse or poetry	raim
eyebeams	glances	the light or look from someone's eyes	eye-beams
entrechats	jumps	a ballet jump where the dancer crosses their legs in mid-air	on-truh-shah
sleight-of-foot	foot tricks	skillful foot movements	slite-of-foot
theatrics	drama	dramatic behavior	thee-at-riks
super realist	extreme realist	a person who sees reality very clearly	soo-per ree-uh-list
perforce	necessarily	by necessity; inevitably	per-fors
taut	tight	stretched or pulled tight; not slack	tawt
stance	position	the way in which someone stands	stans
perch	high place	a high or elevated position	purch
gravity	seriousness	importance or seriousness	grav-i-tee
spreadeagled	stretched out	with arms and legs stretched out	spred-ee-gld