Earth and Rain, the Plants

¶ … Earth and Rain, the Plants and Sun" and "Vision Shadows" by Simon Ortiz

Simon Ortiz: Earth and Rain, the Plants and Sun and Vision Shadows

Acoma Pueblo Indian poet, Simon Ortiz, is one of the most remarkable Native American writers. His poetry is inspired by the spirit of the Native American culture in general. Ortiz' writings thus take on a special flavor, particular to the Indian tradition. Thus, his works are filled with descriptions of the natural elements in all their variegated forms: the earth, the sun, the plants, the animals. Overall, Ortiz' poetry envisages a way of experiencing life which is very different from the common modern experience. Ortiz emphasizes the need to return to the primeval state in which man felt deeply connected with everything in the universe, as a part of the whole and not merely as a separated, uprooted individuality. Even the ordinary, domestic experiences should be reintegrated in the greater cosmic order so as to be closer to the truth.

His two poems, Earth and Rain, the Plants and Sun and Vision Shadows share a common theme: the modern man's loss of true vision or perceptive power and his disconnectedness with nature. Both poems are seemingly uttered by prophetic voices, which deplore the state of the contemporary world, a barren scene on which everything is divided and separated. The loss of man's connection with nature and all the surrounding elements is the main reason for the poet's discontent. In these poems, Ortiz spotlights the liberating power of nature, which has to be rediscovered by man. Both texts showcase the discomfiting picture of the modern world: the whole universe seems to have lost its balance and the harmony has been destroyed. Both poems thus invoke the old world, in which man communed with nature and was thus part of the wholeness. The poet alludes to a return to the origins thus, to the mythical past in which nature was all-important. In Earth and Rain, the Plants and Sun, Ortiz lays a particular emphasis on man's return to the primeval state, in which the blessings of nature and harmony would be recognized once more. The poem also invokes the Native American traditions, which are a connection with the old world. The central message of the poem is the emphasis on completion and reintegration of the parts into the greater whole. According to Ortiz, the whole of the nature is alive and it speaks with a prophetic voice to those who are able to read its arcane signs. The natural elements are all interconnected in one great unity. The poem thus advocates the regaining of the perceptive power and of true vision for man. Because the modern man has lost his vision, he can no longer pay attention to his surroundings so as to be aware of his role in the great whole that is the universe. The figurative language of the poem emphasizes this idea: the natural elements are the symbols of the great voice of nature that encompasses the narrower human circle and that constitutes man's only gateway to salvation and the recuperation of his spiritual powers. The great spirit of nature is thus the main 'character' in the poem. In the vein of the Native American tradition, Ortiz observes the importance and the power of the surrounding nature, which can restore man to his primitive state of purity and innocence. Thus, "the plants with bells" and "the stones with voices" remind of the ancient Indian traditions, according to which each natural element has a voice that speaks the mysteries of the great natural spirit.

The other poem, Vision Shadows, is structured around the same core theme as the first poem. Again, the poet emphasizes the loss of vision which accompanies man's advancement into modernity. With every step of civilization, man distances himself from the origins of things and from the truth. Civilization, in its negative aspects, is thus perceived as a destructive force which menaces the overall balance of the world. Like the previous poem, Vision Shadows deplores the state of nature in the modern world. The sky, the mountains, the wind and all the natural elements seem to lay dormant, in an utter dullness. The state described is certainly one from which all inspiration has fled. This poem seems to delineate the main theme even better than the other one. Thus, the images are constructed around the central symbol of the eagle, a bird which is has an enormous significance inside the Native American tradition. The eagle obviously symbolizes the ability of the spirit to soar above the commonality and dullness of ordinary life and thus to get a panoramic view of the whole.

Moreover, the title of the poem hints at the same central theme: the blurring or shadowing of vision and perceptive power in the contemporary world. The stillness of the wind and the hint at the eagle's impaired flight is symbolic of the modern world's plunge into absolute dullness: "Poisonous fumes cross our sacred paths. / the wind is still. / O Blue Sky, O Mountain, O Spirit, O / what has stopped? / Eagles tumble dumbly into shadows / that swallow them with dull thuds."(Baym, 1270) the modern man is unable to revive his spiritual sources and regain his original vision of the world. The visions have a special significance in the Native American tradition, as they represent the connection with the higher forms of existence.

Furthermore, the allusions to suffocation, loneliness and dryness bring to light other important characteristics of the modern world. The contemporary scene offers no place for breathing and no solace for the utter feeling of alienation which is now the only thing that animates the whole: "The sage can't breathe. / Jackrabbit is lonely and alone / with eagle gone. / it is painful, aiiee, without visions / to soothe dry whimpers / or repair the flight of eagle, our own brother."(Baym, 1270) the tragic vision of the poet transmits a bitter message about the modern, empty world in which all things have become abstracted and individuated from the great whole.