Coyle, Derek (2002) 'Out to an other side':the poetry of Paul Celan and

Seamus Heaney and the poetic challenge to post-modern discussions of

absence and presence in the context of theological and philosophical
conceptions of language and artistic production. PhD thesis.

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1765/

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Thesis:
"Out to an Other Side- The poetry of Paul
Celan and Seamus Heaney and the poetic,
discussions
to
of
post-modem
challenge
in
the
of
context
and
presence
absence
theological and philosophical conceptions
language
and artistic production
of

Derek CoYle
For the Ph. D Degree
University of Glasgow
Faculty of Divinity

July 2002

Abstract
Martin Heideggerin 'The Origin of the Work of Art' seeksto approachthe selfsubsistentnatureof art. The Greek Temple opensup a spacewithin which our Being
dwell
dwell.
is
It
human
to
the
site of
civilization and religion, and of our capacity
may
breaks
like
justice,
Art
truth
open a new
peace,
and representation.
within abstractions
for
in
is
fresh
light.
Language
this
things
the
primary model
a
place and presents
activity.
Paul Celan in his poetry offers a challengeto Heideggerianabstraction.Both

is
intimately
familiar
there
no
poetandphilosopherwere
with eachother'swork, yet
Celan's
Celan,
in
Heideggerian
the
poem
corpus.
or
even
a
reference,
entire
essayon
'The Straitening'conveysthe breakdownof meaningthathasoccurredafterthe
higher
holocaust.In form andcontentit challengesanyHeideggerian
the
notionof
by
achieved
greatpoetry.
univocity
We will explorerecentexamplesof how poetshaveexaminedthe ideaof
idea
in
belonging
We
distillation
thewritingsof
this
and
exclusion.
of
presenta
cultural
PaulCelan,particularlyhis presentationof the momentof 'Shibboleth'.We explorethe
biblical origin of the term 'Shibboleth'in a conflict betweenthe armyof Jephtahandthe
Seamus
its
Ephraimites.We look at a contemporary
theme,
poemwith shibboleth'as
Heaney's'Broagh.
A consistenttheme of Maurice Blanchot's critical reflection from The Work of
Fire in 1949up to and including YheSpaceofLiterature in 1955,is the mannerin
in
death
being
think
to
and write
creaturesunto
allows us to createart, and
which our

the abstractionthat is language.Life enduresdeathandmaintainsitself in it. For

BlanchotRainerMaria Rilke is oneof the mostsignificantmodempoetsin the way in
inadequate
he
has
Blanchot's
We
presentedandexploredthis theme. challenge
which
in
Rilke
TheSpaceofLiteature asan instanceof his own pre-conceived
readingof
philosophicalnihilism.
We presentJacquesDerrida'sessayOn theName,alongwith a readingof
SeamusHeaney'spoetryin the light of this essay,asan attemptto keepopena modem
We
horizon
invitation
Other.
to
the
the
transcendental
present
philosophical
of
ImmanuelLevinas'thoughtin TotalityandInfinity, aswell asDerrida'scritiqueof
Levinas in Writing and Difference, as an attempt to preservea post-modem,
intellectually credible, metaphysicalexpressionf6r thought.

Acknowledgments
Thefirst personI am deeplygratefulto for bringingthis thesisinto theworld,
Rev.
is
his
in
the
things
supervisor
midwifery
my
vast
experience all
academic,
with
Prof David Jasper.Thank you David for your insightful thoughts,for being a paragon
for
for
Many
thanks
guiding me
possessing
such a well read mind.
of patienceand

for
Centre
founder
Ph.
D
In
the
the
throughall stagesof
of
process. your capacityas
the Study of Literature, Theology and the Arts at the University of Glasgow,I thank
in
for
and
persistence
vision
your
running a creative,progressiveand satisfying
you
intellectual environment.My best wishes to your lovely wife Alison and all the

lamily.

Kiyoshi
Dr.
Centre
to
to
conveyalsomy appreciation other
personnel:
Tsuchiyafor the manyprovocativeandheatedseminarpapersthat keptusarguingfor
helm
George
Rev.
Prof
Newlands
for
the
taking
to
the
threeyears,
controlof
so ably
in
Centre
Ph.
D
NLTh.
the
my
through
and
studentswho passed
andto all the various
A particularthank
time there,alongwith all othervisiting lecturersandresearchers.
from
his
Klemm
University
for
Dr.
David
Iowa
the
term asa visiting
to
of
you
fail
Words
to expressmy gratitudeto you for your morethangenerous
researcher.
hospitalityin Iowa in my time there.

In particulara big expressionof gratitudeto fellow studentsoverthe years:

RaphaelSys,ThorstenLeisser,TrygveStabrun,Nick Thompson.To the staff in the
To
the
blarney:
Marie.
Margaret,
Jean,
Marion
staff
all
office who enduredmuch
and
of the GFF,truly oneof the highlightsof my stayin bonnieAlba, andwho also
happened
to keepme financiallyandgoodhumouredlyafloat in my lastyearthere.

Specialthanksandbucketsof creativityto that great,neglectedpoetof Dundee,my

goodfriendPeteFaulkner,his lovely wife Ruthandall their beautifulchildren,
Caitlin.
An
To
Suzanne
Scott
andall poetseverywhere. especialthankyou
especially
to old friendsin Ireland:Aoife Kerriganfor beingsuchan aceproof-readerandgreat
pal. A greatbig thanksto Paul Nestor, friend and confidante for many years:that was
for
it?
McCabe
Highlands
Deirdre
To
Helena
Donnelly
trip
to
the
and
a great
wasn't

that lastminutevisit. To CarolineGavinandBrian Higgins.To PadraigKennyand

Caroline: get that stageplay written boy! And last but by no meansleast,thank you to
that most wonderful of women Dorothy Kenny.

A big hug and kiss to all my wonderful fellow LGBT friends at the University

I
I
kept
for
long
Glasgow
whom
who,whatcan say?
me sane so
andsowell, with
of
boogiedandoccasionallycried,sharedso muchwith, to friendshiplifelonganddeep:
Dan andSharon,thanksfor that unforgettablethirtieth birthdayparty,now whatamI
to do at forty?,especiallythat GreekApollo amongstApollosMenelasSiafakas,to
Brian Matthews,David Hay,David Grant,GrahamRamsey,KennyDuffus,Sean
Nye, Laura Howell and Maggie Currie, Ruth and Jo, Bob Softley, Pam and Jo,
Andrew Kane, and lain Bull. Salutations:to Craig I and 11,to Nick, to Kiel, Paul
Brown, Ian, RossFeilen, StephenKeltie, Sarah,Ray and John,Lindsey and Abe. For
the many great late Thursdaynights at Karen Dunbar's karaokenight in SadieFrost's

trashiest
Queen
Street
Station
into
Glasgow's
hours
Bennett's,
the
under
and
wee
at
club. And the manySaturdaynightsbegunin Delmonica'sandwell andtruly
I
Reid.
in
Donald
Thanks
The
Polo
Lounge.
to
concluded that mosttastefulof venues
in
Workshop
Poetry
Stuart
Hammond
the
the
acknowledge creativeverveof
andall at
the LGBT Centre on Dixon Street.

Thanksto all the baristasof the coffeeshopsof the WestEnd.Especiallythe

favourites,
Great
the
in
Western
Costas
Road,
the
one
with
on
one
of
my
and
staff
I
in
bike
Byres
Road,
the
cannotrememberright
name
window,
on
and
whose
motor
it
Ah,
I
Tinderbox.
now,
remember
now!

A specialthanksto Prof Brian Cosgroveat the Departmentof English,

NationalUniversityof Ireland,Maynoothfor his closeandthoroughreadingof this

thesis.

And finally a big thank you to all my family, to Dad and Mum, to Anthony,
Alan, Roisin and Liam. I bet you're glad this is over, finally!

for my
Father

and

Mother

Contents
ThesisTitle

Acknowledgments
Dedication

Contents

Introduction:
Unemployed and Homeless: Theology in a Post-Modern Space,p. 1- 18

ChapterOne:
On the Path to Post-Modernity: Clearances and Presences,a Poetic Challenge to
Martin Heidggerls 'The Origin of the Work of Art', p. 19 - 70

ChapterTwo
Remembering the Word after the Shoah in the poemsof Paul Celan: A
Challenge to Heidegger, p. 71 - 116

ChapterThree
Through the Eye of the Shoah: The Shibboleth in Paul Celan and Seamus
Heaney, p. 117 - 172

ChapterFour
'Out to an other side' -.Poetry as a Way to the Transcendental Other, p. 173 - 207

ChapterFive
Un-Solid Foundations: The Aporetic, Philosophical Faith and the Plight of

Metaphysicstoday,p. 208- 271

Conclusion
The State of Play: SomeUseful Tips from Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul
Ricoeur, with illustrations from SeamusHeaney and Michael Longley, p. 272 297

Bibliography

Introduction:
Unemployed and Homeless, Theology in a
Post-Modem Space

Rhere doesthoughtfind itself today?

Is it too big a questionto ask:wherein termsof intellectualenterprisedoes

humanity standtoday?How do we understandourselves,the world we live in, the
human
destiny,
the purposeof existence?What answersto thesequestions
shapeof

in
how
the
current
sociological
arethesequestions
given
and
political
are
matrix;
in
in
the
universities,
schoolsaroundthe world, on televisionandradio?
answered
To beginto
Doestheologyor religionplay a role todayin addressing
thesequestions?
academic
addresssomeof thesequestionswe will commencewith contemporary
JeanCritchley,
finally
Simon
David
Harvey
theologian
geographer
and
philosopher
Luc Marion.

In a recentpublicationSimonCritchleystatesthe problemof post-modernity

its
bluntly:
in
'the
least
task
ofphilosophical
quite
modernity,at
peakexperiencesHegel,Nietzsche,Heidegger- is a thinking throughof the deathof Godin termsof
the problemof finitude". This hasradicalimplications,for not only arewe
death
but
God
Judaeo-Christian
the
the
tradition,
considering
of
alsothe
of
disappearance
of manyof the idealsthat havegivento humanitya purpose,goaland
for
ideal
in
life.
We
death
the
or rule
meaning
arewitnessing
of all altruisticprinciple,
SimonCritchley: VeryLittle-Almost
2000, p. 2

Nothing. Death, Philosophy, Literature: Routledge:London:

2
humanity
human
has
have
death
that
the
affairs;
given
governing
we
seen
of all
directionandwhichhasexistedasa font of humanaspirationfor millennia.Critchley
familiar
'those
with the landscape
of philosophicalmodernitywill recognize
writes:
this situationasa descriptionof the problemof nihilism'2. Whatis nihilism?It is the
breakdownwe have described;where all of our systemsof meaningcollapse,where
beyond
(meaning
transcendent
seen
as a
our world to
all which once was
aboveand

direct
is
denigrated
should
ourselves)
andnullified.
source
we
of
value
which

In terms of philosophy Critchley tracks down the wellsprings of this

into
it
He
first
in
Enlightenment,
thought.
the
spreading
sees emerging
expressionof
finding
its
in
form
current
a distinctive post-modemnihilism.
modernity, eventually
For Critchley it is broachedfirst in the writings of Immanuel Kant? We re-call Kant's
Kant
denied
human
beings
of
metaphysics.
critique
cognitive accessto the speculative

like
the
God
the
metaphysics,
removed
classical
realities
and
of
soul,
objects
and
Kant's
knowing
things-in-themselves
the
goal
the
self.
and groundof
possibilityof
limitation
through
to
certainty
of the achievements
a
was achieveepistemological
actuallypossibleor attainableby humancognition.FriedrichNietzschetook this
he
that:
further
in
his
The
Power,
Will
wrote
to
assembled
where
miscellany
position
The aim is lacking;"why' finds no answer'.
'the highestvaluesdevaluethemselves.

For Martin Heideggerwhenwe beginto contemplateandthink aboutthe

brought
into
the thoughtof Beingasthatunthoughtground
of
nihilism
we
essence
are
the
long
We
speak
thinking.
we
as
of all metaphysical
cannotovercomenihilism as
2 Critchley: 2000, p. 3
3 David Harvey writes: 'the moral

77'e
is
Enlighterunent
thought':
crisis of our time a crisis of

Condition of Postmodernity. - An Enquiry into the Or; gins of Cult ural Change: Blackwell: OxfOrd
2000, p. 41
4 Critchley: 2000, 7
p.

3
language
for
hope
Heidegger,
to
samemetaphysical
we canonly
of nihilism, and,
by
Adorno
language.
Theodor
this
transformation
of
overcome problem a radical
is
in
despair
face
be
'the
of
only philosophywhich can responsiblypractised
writes:
from the
the attemptto contemplateall thingsastheywould presentthemselves
5
is
fashion
intellectual
For
Adomo
to
the
task
perspectives
redemption'.
of
standpoint
that reveal the world as it will appearin the messianiclight, as needyand deformed

like,
look
in
transformation,
towards
that
changewould
andpointing
what
and needof
if realisableor realised.We mustachievethis goalwithoutviolence.We cansay,at
the very least, that this perspectivehas the merit of keeping open the horizon of future

action.

For Martin Heidegger,especiallythe youngHeidegger,deathis somethingto

be achievedandit is the fundamentalpossibilitythat permitsusto graspthetotality of
For
is
Being.
it
that
the
the
closure
makessenseof
existence;
openpossibilityof
MauriceBlanchotdeathis somethingthat we areunableto lay hold of The eventof
in
late
for
is
death
We
Blanchot's
too
thought
greater
always
us.
will examine
our
detail in ChapterFourof this thesis.For him deathis radicallyresistantto the orderof
Seamus
We
the
this
poems
representation. will question closelyafter a readingof
death
Heaneyhaswritten aboutthe deathof his parents.In a senserepresentations
of
Heaney
like
Poets
arealwaysmisrepresentations
or representations
of an absence.
by
death
like
trope
to
the
trope
which an
who wish speakof
usea
prosopopeia,
imaginaryperson,or an absentone,is presentedasspeakingor acting.We will

5 Critchley: 2000,

p. 18

4
examinewhathappensin this act of the creativeimagination.Is it 'the failureof
it iS? 6

presence'Simon Critchley argues

How do we charactedsepost-modernity?

We have usedthe tenn post-modernityin this introduction. What do we

by
in
Condition
David
his
bestseller
Harvey
The
term?
this
of
understand
academic
Postmodernity.An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Changeprovidesus with a

lucid analysisof the phenomenon

WhatcbamcteTises
Tefeffedto aspost-modemity7.
the post-modem?For Harvey a mark of the post-modemis the acceptanceas

inevitableof ephemerality,fragmentation,discontinuity,andthe chaotic;thepostis.

Within
is
dislocation
if
this
there
that
within
cultural
modemsubjectswims
all
as
different
For
forms
interpenetrate.
post-modemart
realitiescoexist,collide, and
is
in
Feet
Salman
Rushdie's
Her
Ground
there
The
Beneath
a
recentnovel
example,
constantshiftingof narrativeworlds,summedup in the abidingmetaphorof the novel
of the constantseismicactivity belowthe earth'ssurface;we movefrom the quiet
low-key, pre-colonial preoccupationsof a family in Bombay, to the modem urban city
just
band
London,
England,
in
football
to
one product
of
a rock
performing a
stadium,

of contempormybohemiancultwe in the

US. 8

Anotherexamplewill serveto illustrate;it is CiaranCarson'sShamrockTea,a

book aboutwhich we mayask:is it a novel,or a text, a surrealistmemoir,or a
fantasy?The centralconceitof the work featuresTheArnooni Portrait by JanVan
6 Critchley: 2000, p. 26
7 David Harvey: The Conifition Postmodernity. An Enquiry into the Origins Cultural Change:
of
of
BlackweU:Oxford: 2000, ChapterThree
8 SalmanRushdie:The Ground BeneathHer Feet. BCA: London: 1999

5
like
invited
into
Eyck.Thecoreprotagonists
the
this
to
rather
are
painting
enter
Lion,
in
in
The
C.
S.
Lewis's
Lewis
Carroll's
Alice
Wonderland,
in
those
characters
or

the Witchandthe Wardrobeastheyenterinto their respectivefantasyrealms.The

invention
device
is
labelled
Shamrock
Tea,
the
of the
an
magicalconcoction
second
imagination of Carson.When consumedthis magical substanceallows the participant
to enter into any time or dimension,to seereality with a divine perspective,and so we

into
(yes,
Wittgenstein
the philosopher)converses
with
a
narrative
where
a
enter
boy
be
Carson
of
a
young
called
who might a version of the author,
contemporaries
and where OscarWilde, GerardManley Hopkins, and Arthur ConanDoyle mingle

folk
locations,
the
with
many
centuries
and
presences,
of
as
authorial
with
real or
distinctionbetweenthe two erasedasa logical irrelevancewithin the framework
by
established the work.

In ShamrockTeawhatoftenprovidesthe only narrativelogic is a particular

Saintbeinga patronof an art practicedwell by a protagonist.Their Saint'sday
happensto fall on the daythat OscarWilde wastriedandthis associationprovides
the only link andlogic connectingthe next eventthat is aboutto occurwithin the
bookwith that which hasproceededit. Thereareno weaklinks in this chainandthis
is an integralpart of its point:the mystical,almostmedievalnotionof the
in
does
interconnectedness
Carson
from
God's
pull
of all reality asseen
perspective.
tricks like wormholesandspace-timecontinuums,
post-Modem,post-Enlightenment,
drawnasmuchfrom the world of Sci-FiandStar Trekasfrom StephenHawking.
Carsonmimicsor simulatesmanyvoices,from mockseriousness
to profound
reflectionson obtusetopics,to the lilted perambulations
of a peasantIrish religious
brotherservingShamrockTeato GerardManleyHopkinsin the groundsof a

6
fictitious Loyola House in the rolling hills of the Mourne Mountains.9 As shouldbe
evident from this examplea characteristicof post-modernity,as we have seen,is its

foregroundingof the situationwheredifferentrealitiesco-exist,collide and

interpenetrate.

The post-modemcity consistsof an emporium of styles.We havea maniacal

filled
scrapbook
with colourfulentries.An examplefrom closeto hand,in orderto
illustrate, is the Clydesdalebank plaza in Edinburgh. Here we havea typical clash of
modernity and post-modemity; on the one hand we havethe brash,glass-fronted

abstractdesignsof modemityand,on the other,thesesit sideby sidewith the neoits

classical,grandstylesof post-modernitywhich simulatea pastworld and attendant
glories.The communicationof knowledgeis a significantfactorhere.For through
films, television,booksandradio,historyandthe experienceof the pastis turnedinto
a seeminglyvastarchivethat is instantlyretrievableandcapableof beingconsumed
for
button.
Harvey
'the
the
endlesslyat
pushof a
writes:
post-modempenchant
jumbling togetherall mannerof references
to paststylesis oneof its mostpervasive
10
it
is
being
images'.
Reality,
characteristics.
seems,
shapedto mimic media

Harveyidentifiesmasstelevisionownership,satellite,radioandother
electronicmediaasa key factorinfluencingthe contemporary
mindsetor sensibility.
The world"sdifferenttimesandspaceshavebeencollapsedontothe depthlesssurface
of the televisionscreen.The world canwatchastheyhappenandobservewherethey
happeneverythingfrom the OlympicGames,the World Cup,to a deadlytragedyand
the rise andfall of political dictatorships,from the comfortof their armchairs,while
9 CiaranCarson:Shanwock Tea: GrantaBooks: London: 2001
10David Harvey: 2000, 85
p.

7
films madein spectacular
locationsandmasstourismhavemadeavailableto many
of differentcultures,historiesandlocations.
vicariousor simulatedexperiences

We seesomethingof the effectsof suchstimulusin the poetryof Matthew

Sweeney,a poet whose original imaginative and real location was County Donegal on

Ireland'snorthwestcoastline,but who haslived in Londoncity's cosmopolitanmilieu

for manyyearsnow. In the world of the poemall timesandplacescanco-existin a
forms
imagining,
instance
line
form,
Post-modem
art
of
simultaneous
and word.
fonns,
just
be
in
imagination
human
the
and
the
achievementsof
specific
might well

in
have
been
technologically
achievable recent
only
yet, oneswhoserealisation
but whosepotentialhavealwaysbeenlatent.In Sweeney'spoem'In the Ice',
decades
itself a versionof thirteenthcenturyItalian poetDante'sInferno,XXXH, 16- 1392
don't
in
idiomatic
'Fuck
Hiberno-English:
off and
oneof the protagonistsswears
11
dialect
is
finther'.
One
Tuscan
the
would
certaina vital advocateof
annoyme
appreciatesuchvernaculargenius.'The Tunnel' presentstheyoungerpoet's
imaginaryjourneydowna tunnelrunningunderneaththe islandof Irelandin his
homemade dinghy, having entered via a manhole near his family home in Donegal,
(accents
if
in
Atlantis,
Mars
Florida
of
the
to
strange
or
view
emerging eventually as
Cork fishermen/ who stood and watched me emerge'. 12There is a disruption in the
its
it
locations
between
locale
world;
these
within
concrete
of the poem; moves easily
is
Seamus
Heaney,
to
the
that
characteristically
as opposed
early poems of
work
strongly rooted in its sense of place, Sweeny's recent work as an aura of the virtual
13
it.
about

11Matthew Sweeney:A Smell of Fish: JonathanCape:London: 2000, p. 45 47

12Matthew Sweeney:2000, p. 5
13SeepoemsEke 'Digging' and 'Follower' in SeamusHeaney'sDeath of aN aturalist: Faber& Faber:
London: 1966

8
Sweeneyfrequentlydeployssuchimaginativestrategiesto evokein his reader
a senseof thebrillianceof our beingin the world, the spontaneityof the senses
as
the presenceof the world to themin a momentof radicalencounter.
theycomprehend
This is oftencoupledwith a confrontationthat forcesus to facethe radical
contingencyof our being,oftenin momentsof dangerthatborderon exhilaration.
'The Volcano' could be a news reel or a snippet from a disastermovie in its

fleeing
the
of
recounting
of a couplewith their bestsari,Armani suit andmonkey
from the areaof natural disaster.David Harvey might read this poem with a
like
'a typical middle-classcouple with their eclectic but cool
commentary
identifying
their buying power and classstatus,a collage of random
commodities

fashionitemsdeconstructive
of overarchingnarrativesof meaning,inter-relatedness
by
Sweeney's
house
in
how
the
their
the
will,
or connection;and
endingabout
chairs
lava,be eventuallyturned'into sculptures/that onedaywe'd comebackandsee'is
typical of this group'sattractionto provocativespectaclelackingin ethicaland
14
depth.
or
emotionalsubstance

Another contemporarypoet, originally hailing from New York's Irish

community,but living in Londonfor manyyears,MichaelDonaghy'swork exhibits

similar post-modemfacetsandexploitscomparabletactics.In 'CruisingByzantium'
thereis the deliberateechoof William Butler Yeats's'The CircusAnimals'
Desertion'(andwe re-callalsohis 'Sailing to Byzantium'and'Byzantium')in the
line 'and not such lives as theseare emblem of 15.We witness post-modemquotation

andparasitism,althoughDonaghy'spoemadoptsa somewhatsexiertakeon things

thanthe Sligobardmight everhaveconceivedevenin a CrazyJanemoment(andthis
14Sweeney:2000, 10
p.
15Michael Donaghy:DancesLearned Last Night. Poem 197S-199S: Picador:London: 2000, p. 68
-

9
is altogetherin keepingwith a post-modempenchantforjouissanceor pleasure).
by middle-classcommodities:'cash,cashmerecoatnor cat', Donaghy's
Surrounded
dilemma
is
in
for
love.
does
The
search
a
post-modem
still
explore
narrator
poem
how
in
his
lover
Byzantium
its
holiday
the
the
and
of
photosof
with
with presentation
the electronicmemoryor preservationof the eventis/wasasimportantasthe event
itself, fore-grounded
within the choiceof idiom in thepoem:'You havebecomethe
fetishthatyou wear.

The problem of reference,associationand meaningis explored explicitly in

'City of God'. Augustine's influential work City ofGod is there of course,and
Augustinian despairat the fallennessof the world of men. The poem tells the story of
his
local
his
knew
from
back
the
and
the
the seminarianwhom
church
poet
pews of
how
for
the
learn
in
thing
to
exams,
one
associating
with
another
order
method of
interior of a church can be read as a manual of theology. The poet imaginesthe
damnation.
by
transformed
this
student'sconcern with salvation and
neighbourhood
By implication, the poem argues,the Christian mindset of previous centuriesintrudes
into presentconsciousnessand can bear an oppressiveweight.

HerewasBruno StreetwhereBernadette
collapsed,bleedingthroughher skirt
anddied,he hadheard,in a stateof mortalsin;
here,the site of the bakeryfire wherePeterstood
screamingon the red-hotfire escape,
his barefeetblisteringbeforehejumped;
here
beneath
the el
the
and
storefrontvoodoochurch

10

wherethe Cubanbruja boughtblackcandles,

16
its window strangewith plastersaintsandseashells.

Fromthe sublimeconcernsof theologyandredemption,thenextpoemin his volume

'Liverpool' concernsitself with tattooson thebody.17And sothe poeticlandscape
of
Donaghy's work resemblesthe pasticheor kitsch of a contemporarycityscapewhere

find
forms
beside
bizarre
of
a
classical
church
all
onemight
a
marketpedalling
apparentlyirredeemableclutter.

There is a particular aptnessto Michael Donaghy's choice of title for his

18In the poems "My Flu'
Conjure.
collection
and 'Haunts' memoriesof childhood,

by
incidentswith his fatherrecentlydeceased,
ftom
memory the Poet.
arere-called
Whathappened
andwhat didn't? Thepoetrefersto film asa meansof preservingthe
pastauthenticallyandquestionsthat proposition.If he hada camerarecordingwould
thattell or hold the truth of the experience,how it wasto be there?Would it really
containthe experienceof what it waslike to be sick in bedwith the flu andcomforted
by his father way back in 1962. 'Haunts' in its title alone suggeststhe territory of

into
Hamlet
literary
life,
an
ghostliness,
presence,
revenantsand
quotationand
reading
in
be
his
father
his
father
his
to
afraid the
encounterwith
own ghostly
and telling
not
darkasa child, in a deliberatereversalof roles.What is the properperspectivefrom
of
which to approachthe world or reality?Sucharethe characteristicpre-occupations
the post-modemartwork.

16Donaghy:DancesLearned Last Night.- Poems1975 1995, 69 70

p. 17Donaghy:DancesLearned Last Night.- Poems1975 1995, 71
p.
18Michael Donaghy: Conjure: Picador: London: 2000

11

TheologicalIconsand idols

Whatis thetheologianto makeof all this?How canwe beginto critiqueit?

haveto shout'NoV,
Doesit havea positiveside,anddo we necessarily
bound
is
bad
that
that
thing,
on
a
path
are
assuming suchchange a
we
conservatively
for moral and cultural ruination in the end?What is the proper task of the theologian,

if any,in this presentage?PhilosopherandtheologianJean-LucMarion hasspokenof

the 'I' of our time as 'a modem of the ageof distress'19.To help us formulate a way
his
intelligently
turn
to
slim
we
of approachingpost-modemphenomenacritically and

but thoughtfulandprovocativebook God WithoutBeing.

In the first chapterof God WithoutBeingMarion developsa distinction

betweenthe idol andthe icon.Both icon andidol indicatea mannerof beingfor
beirigs.With regardto aestheticproductionthey indicateworksof art that areso
However,through
workedthat theyno longerrestricttheir visibility to themselves.
immanent
indissolubly
towards
to
themselves
they
remainingabsolutely
signal
is
idol
The
distinguishes
What
term.
them
eventually?
another,still undetermined
it
fact
by
fact
it
'see
the
that
the
seeing
of
characterised
we can
sovisibly that very
20
know
it,
And so: 'in this stop,the gazeceasesto overshootand
sufficesto
.
transpierceitself, henceit ceasesto transpiercevisible things,in orderto pausein the
itself
be
lets
happens
is
What
idol
them'21
that
the
the
gaze
splendourof oneof
with
.
filled, andinsteadof outflankingthe visible,of not seeingit andrenderingit invisible,
the gazediscoversitself ascontainedandheldbackby the visible.The idol becomes
19Jean-LucMarion: God Without Being.- Hors-Texte: Univ. ChicagoPress:Chicago: 1995,P. 15,
of
Trans.by ThomasA. Carlson
20Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p.9
21Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. II

12
like a miffor, a miffor reflectingthe gaze'simage,in fact,the gaze'saim andthe
because
beyond,
its
And
'with
idol,
invisible
the
the
so
aim.
no
miffor admits
scopeof
the gazecannotraisethe sightof its aim'22
.

What doesMarion do with the foregoing reflection? fie utilises it to critique

the methodologyof philosophical thought. He developshis notion of the conceptual

idol. He arguesthat in conceptsthoughtcanfteeze,or stopat a particularplaceas

much as the imagination can within the medium of poetry or in artistic, visual
itself
Philosophy
representation.
producesidols: 'when philosophical thought
it
functions
"God",
then
this
exactly as an
concept
expressesa conceptof what
names

idol. It givesitself to be seen,but thusall thebetterconcealsitself asthemiffor

itself,
finds
invisible
invisibly,
has
its
forward
fixed,
the
that
thought,
point
so
where,
by
fixed
thought
the
concept,disqualifiedandabandoned,
with an aim suspended
freezes,andthe idolatrousconceptof "God" appears,where,morethanGod,thought
judgesitself23.Marion is thenin a positionto speakof Nietzscheasa breakerof
idols,conceptually,andnot necessarilyan irreligiousthinker.His assaulton Godwas
idol,
he
God
the
the
worthyof
of
philosopherswhom exposedasan empty
upon
worshipno longer.He maywell havedonetherebysomegoodserviceto religious
thought.

WhathasMarion to sayof the icon?He writes:'the icon doesnot resultfrom

be
but
icon
is
to
What
the
to
the
a vision
provokesone'24
achieves
allow
visible
.
saturatedlittle by little with the invisible,andtherebysummonssight.He speaksof.
'the invisiblebestowingthe visible, in orderthusto deducethe visible from itself and
22Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 13
23Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 16
24Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 17

13
25.
itself
to appearthere A featurewill alwaysbe its renderingthis visiblethis
to allow
invisibleassuch- the unenvisageable.
As suchthevisible will alwaysreferto
somethingotherthanitself; withouthoweverrenderingor reproducingit in the
'the
He
gazecanneverrestor settleif it looksat an icon; it always
visible. writes:
mustrebounduponthevisible, in orderto go backin it up the infinite streamof the
invisible. In this sense,the icon makesvisible only by giving rise to an infinite

he
t26
And
so
canspeakof 'an abyssthat the eyesof menneverfinish probing'27
gaze .

Enough then of fine theological conceptualisation;can we find any examples,

in the concrete,asit were,of whatMarion is hintingat?Oneis drawnto a bookby

SeamusHeaneyprovocativelytitled SeeingThings(1991).Thereinwe find the
following poem:

Field of Vision

I rememberthe womanwho satfor years

In a wheelchair,lookingstraightahead
Out the windowat sycamoretreesunleafing
And leafingat the far endof the lane.

Straightout pastthe TV in the comer,

The stunted,agitatedhawthornbush,
The samesmallcalveswith their backsto wind andrain,
The sameacreof ragwort,the samemountain.

25Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 17
26Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 18
27Jean-LucMarion: 1995,p. 21

14
Shewassteadfastasthebig windowitself
Her brow wasclearasthe chromebits of the chair.
Sheneverlamentedonceandshenever
Carrieda spareounceof emotionalweight.

Faceto face with her was an education

Of the sortyou got acrossa well-bracedgateOneof thoselean,clean,iron, roadsideones

Between two whitewashedpillars, where you could see

Deeperinto the countrythanyou expected

And discoveredthat the field behindthe hedge
Grewmoredistinctlystrangeasyou kept standing
Focusedanddrawnin by whatbarredthe way.28

by
Thereis a noteof the permanentnatureof thevision contemplated
seen
and
the womanfrom within the stasisof her life. Sheis fixed like the gatewaydescribed,
is
herself
It is with her thatHeaneyhasto contendasa poet,
and a gatewayof sorts
items
her
has
been
is
hint
She
the
the
there
this
of
steadfastness.
with
andendured;
,
indicativeof her existenceprovidedby the poem.Shebypasses
themediumof the
is
She
(dare
in
ignoring
by
TV
her
the comer.
modem
onesaypost-modem)world
almostat onewith her environment.Whatdifferentiatesher is her momentof vision
insight.
Sosheis both at onewith her surroundingsanddifferentat the sametime.
or
In natureandher Heaneycanencounterthe visionary.Thepoem'sconclusion

29SeamusHeaney:Seeing Things: Faber& Faber:London: 1991, 22

p.

15

know
framework;
the
suggests necessityof perspective,of a
otherwise,we wouldnot
it
have
looking
to
time
the
at, would not makesense,andat
we
whatwe are
same
its
the
allow
visionary own claim, its own momentof difference,thattakesus 'deeper
into the countythanyou expected'andto allow accessto the 'more distinctly
strange'.The merit of Heaney'spoem is how it groundsthe visionary within the
world of the tangible, the accessible,the everydayand the real. In tenns of the

frameworkelaboratedby Jean-LucMarion Heaney'spoemdoesnot presentthevision

as such and really just leavesopen the possibility of illumination from unexpectedand
strangeplaces;so rather than being an instanceof the religious vision, and risking the

possibilityof presentingus with a momentof artisticidolisation,it leavesopenrather,

icon.
for
that
the
the
allows
movementof
or createsan aporia,
visionary,or religious

In this thesiswe will examinepoetryasa modeof accessing

the distinctly
idols
force
to
as
retaining
a
capacity
strange,
whentheysettle
openour conceptual
downin eitherof the discursivemodesof philosophyandtheologicalthought.Oneof
our major concernswill be with the poetryof SeamusHeaney.Why the poetryof
SeamusHeaneyand not that of his major contemporarieswriting in the English

language:DerekWalcott,LesMurray,or JohnAshbery?Any of the abovepoets

been
in
have
could
used the presentstudy.A concernfor the religiousasa possibility
in
impossibility
for
is
found
human
being
the
today
all of their
critically reflective
or
in
Caribbean
In
Derek
find
Walcott
following
the
work.
poet
we
reflection a poem
aboutthe prematuredeathof his daughter:

16
As for you, little star,
my lost daughter,you are

bentin the shapeforever

of a curledseedsailingthe earth,
in the shapeof onequestion,a comma
that knows before us whether death
29

is anotherbirth.

Walcott's most recent ambitious long poem Depolo's Hound is a poetic analysisof

the drift into whatwe haveidentifiedasculturalnihilism, throughan examinationof

Impressionistpaintingandthe major currentsof Europeancivilisationin the late
30
the
Enlightemnentperiod AustralianLesMurray hasbeenpreoccupied
with
.
John
Yorker
belief
New
his
throughout
questionof religionand
writing career.31
Ashberysoundsin 'The Godsof Fairness'asif he hasreadJean-LucMarion's God
WithoutBeingwith its argumentfor charityasthe greatestmomentbetweenGodand
humanitywhenhe writes:

The failure to seeGodis not a problem

Godhasa problemwith. Sure,he couldseeus
if he hada hankeringto do so,but that's
is
his
The
the
not
point.
point
concern
for us andfor biscuits.For the loaf

29Derek Walcott: CollectedPoems1948 1984: Faber:London: 1992,p. 450

" Derek Walcott: 771epolo's
Hound. Faber:London: 2000
31Up to and including one of his best recentcollections:Subhuman RedneckPoems:Carcanet:
Manchester:1996,and poemslike 'The Say-but-the-wordCenturionAttempts a SumnlarY',P. 14

17

32
of breadthat turnsin the night sky overStockholM.

living poetscouldhavebeena focusfor this

So,anyoneof thesecontemporary,
his
being
from
for
because,
Seamus
Heaney
the
We
most
of
one
apart
opted
study.
disappearance
declared
Walcott's
today,
that
we note
unlike
significantpoetswriting
issue,
his
in
late
faith
this
and
adolescence,
and
yet,
persistent
examination
of
of

has
Heaney
faith
Les
Murray,
traditional
the
of
religious
unlike openlyacceptedand
soughtout and occupieda more ambivalent position, not overtly religious, and yet not
in
it
dismissive
his
Most
though
of
either.
pressingly
work pursues,
sceptical or
4,
fascinating
Spirit
like
Seeing
Things,
The
Levet33
Ligh?
Electric
path
a
and
volumes
keeping
to
the
open
poetry
of
contest
and
necessity
of exposingcontemporary

horizonsof vision within art, thoughtandculturethat challenge,provokeandunearth

in
ilk.
11is
from
this
respectare
orthodoxies
accepted
of
any
achievements
easily
us
intriguingandwill be examinedcloselylater.We will readHeaney'swork within the
fellow
his
Irish
the
work of
contextof contemporary poetryandculture,utilising
Another
his
John
Montague.
major
significant
most
predecessor,
poets,especially
Paul
is
feature
in
Romanian/German
this
thesis
the
poet
significantly
poet who will

Celanwhommanyhavewritten of asthe mostsignificantpostwar Europeanpoet.

We will placeour thoughtswithin the frameworkof post-modemphilosophy,

35.
Art
Heidegger's
Origin
Work
first
Martin
'The
the
e
of
essay
with
of
starting
its
in
in
defines
first,
One.
do
Chapter
This
the agenda,asking
this
way,
essay
will

32JohnAshbery:YourNameHere: Carcanet:
Manchester:
2000
33Seamus
Heaney:TheSpirit Level:Faber& Faber:London:1996
34Seamus
Heaney:ElectricLight: Faber& Faber:London:2001
35MartinHeidegger:
Basic Wtifings:Routledge:London:1999,p. 139- 212,(ed.) DavidKrell

18
by
the
thought,particularlythatof Maurice
questions
pursued
subsequent
manyof
Blanchot. We will examinein ChapterTwo the poetry of Paul Celan as it stagesa

totalitarianphilosophicaldominationandwe will readhis

revolt againstHeideggerian
instance
of poetry'scapacityto resistthought,idolisationand
work asan exemplary
force
to
open alternative horizons for contemplationand
as an effective way
engagementwith reality. In ChapterThree we will examineCel& s work as a way of

retainingthe strangeandthe Other,of creatinga languageresistantto all attemptsto

domesticateandhomogenise
it, a strategythat maywell be vital in an eraof postmodemutilitarianismandcommercialexploitation.In ChapterFourwe will engage
Maurice
Blanchotandsuggestavenuesof challengeto his
the
of
nihilism
with
Chapter
Five we will examineparticularoutstandingissues,andwill
In
position.
confrontunresolvedquestionsaboutthe placeof art within andwithoutcivilisation
implications
barbarism,
the
that this might havefor theology,aswell as
and
and
exploringthe possibilitiesof a t3rpeof post-modemfaith; both excavationswill occur
throughengagingwith the writingsof JacquesDerrida.

19

Chapter One:
On the Path to Post-Modemity: Clearances and
Presences, a Poetic Chaflenge for Martin
Heidegger's 'The Ofigin of the Work of Art'

In a humblegestureDerekWalcott(unusualfor this poetwith his typically

Bounty'
in
'The
tropes)
to
ventures ask an elegiac poem
grandpronouncementsand

(for his deceased

motherAlix) whetherhis poeticre-creationof the seaandits echoof
beyondpain anddeath,against
Ovid speakstruly of continuity,humanendurance
//
decay.
He
hope
'I
then
this
the
of presences".
writes:
settles
matter
mortality and

BelfastpoetDerekMahonbegins'A DisusedShedin Co. Wexford' with the

2.
he
And
"Even
there
thought
suggests
now
are
placeswherea
might grow
statement:
Peruvianmines,Indiancompoundsanddisusedshedsin Co. Wexford.All areplaces
is
begin.
What
fresh
the
start
a
a
reflection,
or
reconsideration
might
a
poem,
where
is
imagined
The
this
the
question
within
real?
considerationof
natureof theseworlds
Does
in
literature.
art
a central starting point much contemporaryreflection on art and

in someway or is it touchedby it? Is the world of the

touchthe transcendental
God,who
imaginationan illusory pursuitof the diminishedandevasivetranscendent
in
first
instance?
have
Such
the
many
very
pre-occupied
a
mirage
reflections
wasonly
book
fact
by
titles.
theorists
at
of
art,
a
revealed
only
a cursoryglance
contemporary
Is thereanythingin what wesay?" in
GeorgeSteinerpublishedRealPresences:
19893FrenchthinkerJean-LucNancypublisheda seriesof reflectionsTheBirth to
.

1Derek Walcott: The Bounty: Faber:London: 1997,p. 11

2 Derek Mahon: CollectedPoena: Gallery: Meath: 1999,p.89
3 GeorgeSteiner:Red Presences:Faber:London: 1991

20

4.
And Frenchdeconstructionist(so-called)JacquesDerrida set the
in
1993
Presence
his
transcendental
the
to
the
challenge
pigeons
on
with
critical
early
cat amongst
QfGrammatoloe.
1960s
his
in
the
opus
of
magnum
signified

We wish to proposean

begin
indeed;
the
debate,
muchto
this
with
will
we
an
origin
point
starting
earlier
discussedessayof GermanphilosopherMartin Heidegger'On the Origin of the Work
of AA-)6.

However, before moving on to look at Heideggerclosely we will have a brief

look at what Derrida hasto say in OfGrammatology. JacquesDerrida writes about the
intimate
connectionwith
traditional associationof signified and signifier, of writing's
immediacy
in
the
of
traditionally
the
that
word,
captured
written
understood,
sense,
is
indeed,
'the
He
the
the
sign essentially
ageof
the spokenword and
of
world.
writes:
theological

In the Middle Ages it was understoodthat a sign signified 'an eternal

However
in
logos's.
thought
the
and spoken
proximity of a present
verity, eternally
the consciousnessrevealedin Nietzche's writing signifies a break with this
he
in
his
he
be
'originary'
in
that
to
operations
understanding, that understood writing
haswritten what he haswritten and it is not in any senseoriginally subordinateto the

4Jean-Luc
) Brian
Nancy:TheBirth to Presence:StanfordUniv.Press:California:1993,(Trans.
HolmesandOthers.
5Jacques
) Gayatri
Derrida:QjrGrantmatology:
JohnsHopkinsUniv.Press:Baltimore:1998,(Trans.
ChakravortySpivak
6In 1935,theyearin whichMartinHeideggergavehislecturecourse,'Introductionto Metaphysics',
Origin
the
hepresented
lecture
in
Freiburg
Society
'Concerning
Art
Sciences
the
of
to
the
a
of
entitled
Work of Art'. Whenaskedby thestudentsof theUniversityin Zurichto givea talk therehegavethe
lecture
lecture
in
That
January
he
1936.
A
andgave
this
time
thereafter
again.
was
same
expanded
short
it asthreelecturesin 1936in Frankfurt.Thesethreelectureswerepublished
in Holzwegein 1950under
thetitle, 'The Originof theWork of Art', with theadditionof anAfterword,writtenin partafter 1936.
In 1956HeideggerwroteanAddendum
that soughtto clarifysomeaspectsof theessay.TheversionI
by DavidKrell in hisanthologyof Heidegger's
work
will work from is thefinaleditionpublished
by
Basic
the
Writings:
to
Routledge:
London:
1999,
140
203.
Although
the
entitled
referred
p.
version
critic FranWiseDastur,whomI quotein my chapter,is thefirst draft,Dasturrefersto it astheFreiburg
version(FV) andit waspublishedfirst in 1987.
7 Of Grammatology:1998,p. 14
8QjrGrantmatology:
1998,p. 15

21

logosandto truth.After this realisationwe enterinto the realmof play,with Derrida

'could
'one
call playthe absenceof the transcendental
signifiedas
writing,
is
destruction
limitlessness
that
to
the
say
as
of onto-theologyandthe
of play,
in
is
For
Derrida,
this
where we are now terms of theology
metaphysicsof presence'9.
language,
in
their
of
writing
many ways,
and
comprehension,
and
and philosophy
then, the philosophical disciplines of epistemologyand hermeneuticsremain

between
by
this
to
the
radical
understanding
connection
with relation
challenged
thought and language,writing and presence,and the origin of all meaning.We
in
Origin
key
Heidegger's
The
Work
Martin
moment the
ofthe
qfArt as a
consider

intellectual
development
trend
this
of
of
argumentandunderstanding.

Martin Heideggerbeginshis essayYheOrigin ofthe WorkofArt with the

by
'Origin
here
from
that:
that
means
which and which
seeminglyobviousposition
it
is
it
is"O.
is
is
Heidegger
'the
the origin of
that
and
as
what
states
artist
something

is
"art
is
in
the
And
The
the
the
the work.
origin of
artist'.
a moreprimarysense:
work
in
When
to
language
both
the
relation
and
work"'.
one
uses
of
origin
artist
origin of
is
intends
hinting
is
that
that
to
one
speakabout something
art one already

fundamental.We might expectHeideggerto ventureinto developingideasconcerning

therelatedissuesof truth andessence,
andit no surpriseto seehim do so.

9 Of Grammatology: 1998,p. 5o
") Basic Writings: 1999:p. 143

22

"at

about Things and the Nature of their Work?

In fact
fleideggerstatesearlyon that all workshavea 'thingly' character'2.
theywouldbe preciouslittle without it. Yet we alwaysclaim somethingmorefor the
do
let
it
in
its
We
(sic!
)
For
thingliness
not
reside
example,we
art.
alone.
of
work
is
that
there
assume
somethingthat separatesthe vacuum cleanerand the
commonly

familiar hairdryerfrom a sculptureby Rodin.Thereis somethingdifferentaboutthe

in
shoesof a peasantas wom the fields of Flanders,on the hills of Tuscanyor on a

bogin Connemara,
comparedto thosepaintedby VincentVan Gogh.We oftenassert
that it is this somethingelsethat constitutesthe artisticnatureof the work. The
is
it
fabrics
is
like,
says
object,
crafted
made
of
say
yet we
andsuch
artwork a
best
is.
itself
The
than
the
thing
more
wayto speakof
what mere
somethingotherand
this aspectof the work might well be to describethe work asintrinsicallyallegorical,
brings
destined
itself
The
to
than
manifest
something
wholly other
always
work
togethersomethingdifferentwith whatis madeandthusis, in the originalGreek
sense,symballeina work of the symbolic.

immediate
his
in
'the
is
Hleidegger
that
this
to
states
objective
approach
essay
in
full
We
first
the
thingly
the
work of art'13.
element the
actualityof
must
and
view
is
it
it
in
for
is
do
its
The
that
the
thingly
element
is
symbolic madeto
artwork
work.
the foundation,means,mediumby which the other,properelementis put to work.
We needto be clearaboutthe natureof the thing beforewe proceedto elaboratingthe
is,
know
is
We
before
know
the
thing
must
natureof art.
what a
what artwork
we can
is
dwells
is
located
in,
it
that
to,
thing.
the
something
only after we
adheres
as
within,
11P. 143
12Baie Wlilings: 1999,P. 146

23

havegraspedthis point thatwe canbeginto determinewith confidenceandclarity

in
is
the
the endsomethingelseandnot a thing at all.
whether work

For Heideggereverythingthat is, is a thing.Fromthe spoonin the drawer,to

the fiddle on the wall, the tree in the field to the cow in the byre; all of theseare things
in themselves,in short, everything that we can say is about, are things. At the same

time we do not normallyconsiderpeopleto be things,or God,eventhoughwe

is,
In
thing.
a
common parlancewe speakof things as a basic
s/he
presume

unit, a commondenominator,suchasa clod of turf or a

component,or self-contained
block of wood.A thing heremeansthat which is nothingmorethana merething and
thatwhich is only a thing.

Heideggerdescribesthe block of granite,its bulky shape,its oddcolourandits

its
Thus
texture.
thingliness.However,we arerarelycontentto
approach
we
rough
leaveit at that. We oftenspeakof the thing asthat aroundwhich the propertieshave
begin
Greeks
And
thus
to
the
the
things,
spoke
we
speak
of
core
assembled.
what
of
hypokeimenon,
is
lay
the
that
to
the
thing,
the
core
of as
at
groundof
what already
has
described
there.And the characteristics
la
that
are
as symbebekota,
which
as
,
turnedup alreadywith the givencoreandoccursalongwith it.

The centralityof language,translation,metaphorandpoetryto all thoughtis

highlightedby Heidegger?
s concernoverthe translationof thesetennsfrom Greekto
Latin thought.He expresses
the concernthat we havetranslatedthe wordsWithout
havingexperienced
the primaryeventthat forgedthe Greekconceptsin the first

13p. 146

24

instance.Thewordhypokeimenon
becomessubiectum;hypostasisbecomes
becomes
For
Heideggerthis translationmarksthe
symbebekos
accidens.
substantia;
Western
in
Something
thought.
of
rootlessness
quirky creeps dueto the syntactical
it
in
We
is
Latin.
the
the
combine subjectof
sentencewith what statedof
structuresof
the predicate,through words, and assumeblindly that this is a given of actuality.
Heideggerasks:'Who would have the temerity to assailthesesimple fundamental

relationsbetweenthing andstatement,betweensentencestructureandthing14
is
Heidegger
What
later
become
the
asks
what
will
structureT
an abidingquestion:
first,
language
thing,
the
through which we structure
emerges
what
reality,
or
primary

it?

Heideggerproposesthatthe truth might be far morecomplicatedthanwe have

it
be.
He
to
conceived
proposesthat the sentenceandthing-structure
previously
derive,in their typical form andin their possiblemutualrelationship,from a far more
Heidegger
First
questionsthe assumptionthatthe thing-conceptthat
originalsource.
be
bearer
its
is
the
things,
the
thing
truth
the
can
primarily as
of characteristics
of
sees
it
lies
before
be
that
to
true,
to
all
at
a momentprior all questionsandexists
assumed
Heidegger
thought.
arguesthat an act of ancientviolenceof thoughtandon
radical
thoughthasoccurredhere.Whenwe seekfor the irrational,asan otherto the rational,
discover,
by-product
the
the
we
unthoughtrational,a curious
as abortiveoffipring of
hold
lay
it,
is
lays
Heidegger
does
to
that
the
on
claim
cuffentthing-concept
and
not a
it.
is
it
is
in
its
being,
does
the
to
thing
as
own
what essential
not assault
andthus

1413aSie Wrilings:

1999,P. 149

25

How canwe avoidsuchan act of verbalor intellectualassault?To jump

Heidegger
of
at this point we suggesttrying to createan opening
slightly ahead

throughlanguageitself Throughlanguagewe cancreatea freefield within which the

thingmaydisplayits thingly characterdirectly.Our aim at this stage,asHeidegger
dwell
before
it,
is
Heidegger
to
the
thing.
the
says
of
ummediated
presencing
perceives
wc cannot pcrccivc the abstractsoundof noisc, but can only perccivc the concrctc

diesel
drive
the
throb
the
of a
andaggression
pottery,
of
a
engine
of
over
smashing
petrol one, the soundof a guitar as opposedto the notes and tonesof an abstract
listen
bring
If
We
the
to
to
abstractly.
cannot
we are rely on our senses
music.

thinglinessof thingsto us it seemsto disappearfurtherout of view. We muststriveto

in
its
its
to
thing
the
remain
own
steaffastness
self-containment.
and
allow

Heideggerproposesanothertraditionaloptionaboutwhich he hassome
is
He
form
the
things
the
already
considers
matter
of
within which
reservations.
This
is
formed
it.
The
thing
matter.
coexists
within
alwayspresent,coextensiveand
intellectual
by
drawn
has
to
the
the
upon
equalapplication natureand utensils
view
in
The
form
humanity.
been
have
conceptsof
usedextensively
andmatter
capacityof
lazily
being
beyond
for
long
domain
to
the
the
of aestheticsand
manya
point of
year,
being
be
is
The
to
true,
thought.
this
thatvarious
to
a
clichd
of
of
result
assumed
is
is
it
Form,
assumed,
oppositionsareconjoinedwithout anyreal thought.
subsequent
be
irrational;
is
to
to
the
to
the
the rational understood
rationalandmatter
related
logical andthe irrationalillogical; andthenthe final sin andaberrationof original
thought,the subject-objectrelationis coupledwith the conceptualpair of form-matter.
Heideggeris keento tracedownthe origin of the conceptualframeworkof form and

26

it
does
emergefrom the thingly characterof the thing or in the workly
matter

characterof the artwork?

We areawareof the form of a block of granite.It is a materialin a definiteif

unshapelyform, chiseledout from the mountainsideby man, woman, machineor
dynamite before it is altered or worked to servea definite function. We are awarealso

by
forms
taken
the
a cup,boots,or an umbrella.The form determinesthe
of
distribution of the matter in thesecasesand is determinedagain by the function which
theseobjects havebeencreatedto serve.Usefulnessis a key factor in considering

theseobjectsand,in fact, groundstheir matterandform.However,a beingthat is

is
for
destined
the
always
nearly
product
a particular
of
a
useful
processof making

determinations
beings,
So
then,
as
of
end.
matterandform assumetheir properplace
So,
the
equipment.
of
rubric
matterandform do not relatein anyessentialway
under
to the thingnessof the merething.

Heideggeradmitsthat the pieceof equipment,like the pair of shoes,doeshave

have
like
it
does
the
the
However,
character
self-contained
merest
not
a
of objects.
like
innately,
having
its
this
taken
of
possessing
of
character
shapeof own accord, the
lying
foot
like
boulder
the
the
The
the
though,
at
of
mountainside.
granite
shoes
.7-Heidegger,aremadeobjects,the productof humanactivity.
artworkthat preoccupies
Yet, by its self-sufficientpresencingthe work of art is somewhatcloserto the mere
And yet we still say
thing that hasgivenbirth to its own forni andis self-contained.
that the work of art is separatefrom thesemerethings.Is it becauseof the middle
fact
between
that
the
thing
the
equipmentoccupies
we
ground
mere
and artwork,a
determineby meansof the matter-formformulation,that temptsus into takingthis

27

fonnulationasthepathwayinto our discussionof the uniquepropertiesof thework of

impetus
further
biblical
The
to this
to
the
thing?
tradition
mere
gives
a
art, asopposed
tendencyby its supportfor the view that Godhasmadeeverything,andin somesense
form hasbeenpre-ordainedwithin matter.We aretemptedto seeGodasthe primary
from
borrowed
According
Heidegger
this
to
view
and original, originary craftsman.
Scholasticphilosophy still remains in operation in Kantian transcendentalismand can

hinderour approachto the thing-beingof the thing.Thesethreeviewsthat approach

the thing as a bearerof traits, a unity of manifold sensationsand as formed matter
its
it
in
do
thingliness
to
the
the
thing
of
and not allow us approach
actually conceal

be
is
lesson
its
in
its
to
The
that
thing-being
and own self
mostsalient
nakedstate,
from
the aboveeffort, the examinationof misleadingmodesof thoughtand
gathered
is
is
describe
this
failure
a
to
the
or approachthe thinglinessof things, that obviously
imagined.
'The
have
difficult
As
Heidegger
than
task
we
might
writes:
more
have
We
thought
thing
evades
mademistakes,and
most
stubbornly"'.
unpretentious
Heideggerdecidesto takeup the mostmisleadingandwidely evidenterror,the issue
has
being
in
form
for
the
this
misadventure
andequipmental
search why
of matterand
becomeso prominent, for this might lie quite close to the true nature of things.,

Heideggerpresentsus thenwith the infamousexampleof the peasant'ssboes,

itself
for
that
our considerationon the groundsof
a pieceof equipment recommends
16
Heidegger
Gogh's
Van
commonness.
speaks
severalpaintingsof
and
of
simplicity
best
He
to
that
things
the
is
equipmentalnatureof
peasant'sshoes. proceeds argue
locatedwhenwe observethembeingused.Thebestplaceto observethe peasant
15Basic Writings: 1999,P. 157
16A latter day examplemight be Nike runners,but they are somewhatmore expensiveand fashionable,
for
be
in
had
how
Heidegger
Depending
to
than
used,
they
anything
mind.
on
are
symbolsof status,
dancingor for working in, or for just hangingout and looking good in, form.will alter the matter.

28

doing
for
that
shoes,
woman's
which theyreceivedtheir form, is to seethemworking
in the field wheretheydisappearinto their functionandarehardlyconsideredin
themselves
at all. It is only whensuchobjectsfail in their properfunctionthat we give
themanydeliberationat all. Van Gogh'spaintingoffersus no cluesthat tell us
job
theseshoesdo.
exactly what

Heideggerproceedsfrom the entranceinto the shoesfor one'sfoot to a

labours
the
toilsome
on
meditation
and conditions of the peasantwoman.Heidegger,

is
key
into
the shoesevidenceof their earthlycharacterand
this
point,
reads
a
and
the world of the peasantwoman,ashe imaginesit, a world within which
thusaccesses
the shoesare protectedand where they most truly rest within themselves.Heidegger

drawsattention,afterthe fact,to his own lyricism,suggesting

that it is only within the
imaginings
free.
The
that
the
peasant
picture
we
can
of
read
such
world
unfetteredand
herself,
in
only wearsthe shoes.Onceher shoesarereliable,oncetheystill
woman,
function,theywill not be a sourcefor reflectionor contemplationto her.This
is
her
her
her
the
to
stability
and
guarantees
reliability
relation
earthand world that
is
in
is
from
by
it.
World and earth come together
that
that,
secure
or
grounded
grows

in the equipmentandguaranteeher modeof being.

However,asHeideggernoteswithout a noteof sentimentality,usefulness

deteriorate,
Shoes
becomeunreliableandareusedup andthrownaway.
out.
wears
The shoerecedesinto the backgroundasmerestuff. And this dwindlingaway
highlightsthe essentialcharacter,the originalessenceof equipmentalbeing.The form
imposedon this matter,we havethe impression,is just a merefabricationthat
breaks
down
fades
its
in
Yet
Heidegger
that
genuinely
and
eventually
away.
persists

29

being,
distinction
from
distant
The
eqwpment
equipmental
stems
of matter
a
source.
from
deeper
form
a
arises
and
origin.

Thereliability of which we havespokenspeaksnothingof thethingly

characterof things, as well as failing to move us any closer to apprehendingthe
workly characterof the work, particularly the work of art. Heideggersaysthat our

processes
of inqwry hithertohavenot beenwastedfor we realizethat it wasVan
Gogh's painting of the peasant'sshoesthat permitted us to seethem. They did not
jump up and do a jig of their own accord to draw our attention to them, nor did they
sing a songor call out to us and therebyallow us to seeor hear them, and thus
contemplatethem in themselves.As Heideggerwrites of Van Gogh's painting: 'In the

nearness
of thework we weresuddenlysomewhere
elsethanwe usuallytendto

17

It is the work of art he arguesthatallowsus to know whatthe shoesarein truth.

Heideggerstatesthat it is not his readinginto the work that allowsthe shoesto
emergein all their thingliness;insteadit is trueto saythat 'the equipmentalityof
equipmentfirst expresslycomesto the fore throughthework andonly in thework"g.

How doesHeideggerdescribethis process?Whathappensthere?He argues

that Van Gogh'spaintingoffersa disclosureof the truth of thepair of shoes.In the
here
Van Gogh'spaintingof the peasant'sshoes,thebeingof the shoes
work of art,
into
emerges the unconcealment
of its Being.The ancientGreekscalledsuch
beings
unconcealment
of
aletheia.Heideggerspeaksof it asa disclosureof a
particularbeing,disclosingwhatandhow it is. If thereis suchan occurrencewithin a
work thena happeningof truth occurs.And it appearsalsothat it is a work of art.
17Basic Writings: 1999,p. 161
18P. 161

30

Heideggerwrites:'in the work of art the truth of beingshassetitself to work.

'To set' meanshere'to bring to stand'.Someparticularbeing,a pair of peasantshoes,
in
into
light
its
in
beings
Being.
The
Being
to
the
the
stand
comes
work
of
of
comes
its
is
And
for
Heidegger,
the
the
the steadiness
shining"'.
of
so essence
of art,
instancewhenthetruth of beingssetsitself to work. This hasthe air of a new
departureabout it, Heideggernotes,in that traditionally aestheticsconcerneditself

logic
itself
distance
is
keen
beauty,
he
However
to
truth.
concerned
while
with
with
himself from any facile mimetic theory. Traditionally agreementwith what is has
beenseento be the essenceof truth. Heideggeris after a more elusive idea. He says
the work of art doesnot seeka purely external resemblanceto things but wishesto

in
What
is
What
terms
their
temple?
things
the
truth
of
general
essence.
a
of
capture
If
to
the
the
and
critics
check
we
artist's
viewers
against?
representation
we
are
The
Rhine,
is
how,
Holderlin's
that
to
the
poem
so
what
pre-given
and
poet,
consider
the poetmayre-giveit againin the poem?Cantruth appearin a work thathasbeen
instance,
historical
in
have
traditionallyconceivedof truth as
when
a
we
created
history?
outside
and
somethingatemporal

A PoeticInterlude.,ThePoemasksits Question

ThePeninsula
Whenyou havenothingmoreto say,just drive
For a dayall roundthe peninsula.
The sky is tall asovera runway,
The land withoutmarkssoyou will not arrive
I' Bmic Milings: 1999,p. 162

31

But passthrough,thoughalwaysskirtinglandfall,
At dusk,horizonsdrink downseaandhill,
Theploughedfield swallowsthewhitewashed
gable
And you're in the darkagain.Now recall

The glazedforeshoreand silhouettedlog,

Thatrock wherebreakersshreddedinto rags,

The leggy birds stilted on their own legs,
Islandsriding themselvesout into the fog

And drivebackhome,still with nothingto say

Exceptthat now you will uncodeall landscapes
By this: thingsfoundedcleanon their own shapes,
Waterandgroundin their extreMity.

20

SeamusHeaney

SeamusHeaneyprovides us in this poem 'The Peninsula' with an illustration

by
Heidegger.
Martin
does
form,
How
the
the
posed
an
abstract
poetic
problem
of
four quatrainsof this poem,cometo containsomethingastangibleasa peninsula?
Whathappenshereandhow canwe speakof it in intelligible, conceptualterms?

In this poemSeamusHeaneystresses
the oppositionof speechandwriting.
The poemis a meditationuponthe necessary
spaceof the artworkandrecountsa
journeyinto the darknight of silencewherethe poetis blind to the remarkable

32

is
here
be
faculty
Writing
to
to
the
seen
a
natural
complement
of speechand
present.
Other.
Initially
the
appendage
or
as
speech's
as
an
unnecessary
repressed
not
is presented
landscape
asa text that hasbeenerasedof all traceof speechandwriting.
beginning.A newspaceis therebycreated
Thiskenosishasthe statusof a necessary
in
influx
fresh
images
the
occurs
annunciation
of
andnewwords.
wherebya new
Reality undergoesa necessarydisplacementprior to being re-called, re-membered,re-

by
in
imagination.
the
the
poem
artistic
mind or
constituted

The islands and the birds of the poem becomeemblemsof the poet who is

doubledbackon himself He offersthe readera meditationon the writer's

imaginationby meansof the writer's imagination.(Whatelsecouldhe use?). After
theeventof the poemthingsmaybe graspedin whatAquinasandJoycewould
identify astheir quidditas,their unique'thingness,,definedradiantlyandclearly.
While thingshadpreviouslybeenunfocusedandlackingin clarity, now theypresent
in sucha mannerthat the landscapehasbeenuncodedandcanbe
themselves
translatedinto writing.

Heaney's useof the self-reflexive image provides imagesof the self-conscious

dramatize
They
is
the
that
paradox
of
creation,
a
creation
partly controlledand
poet.
The
for
poem
aims
a poeticre-creation,a re-birthandrenewal.
partly uncontrollable.
It is deeplyrootedin the materialworld andthe materialityof languageitself. Heaney
travelsthroughlinguisticindifferences,that of the unmarkedlandscapeandhis own
distinct
hoping
his
to
through
uncode
shapes
own artisticmeans.
silence,

20SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround.- Poems1966 1996: Faber:London: p. 21

-

33

Helen Vendler notes anotherquality of this poem. Shewrites of 'peninsular

wherewaterandgroundmeetin their outennostreach,without

remoteness,
distraction'21Sheobserveshow Heaneyessentiallyre-writesthis poemmanyyears
.
after,with 'Postscript',the final poemof his collectionTheSpirit Level(Faber:
London:1996).Shewrites:'Heaneyheregratefullypayshomageto the sheerpower
itself
how
it
in
in
how
much
sees
of perception
a
glimpse,
many objects
a
glance
-

it
how
breathtaking
the conjunctionof world andsenses
at
once,
absorbs
shades
and
breaking
here
be,
door
heart'22
is
It
the
the
the
that
open
shut
of
observing
can
worth
.
self is 'a hurry through which... things pass', nothing more. The self itself is
hardly
hope
'found
in
his
thus
to
things'
the
can
and
way
younger self
unfounded

hoped
to
possibly

do.

The Workand the Nature of its Truth

'The origin of the artworkis art' writesHeidegger".This seemson the surface
be
least
to
a paradox,or an oxymoronof thought.Is Heideggerjustbeingperverse?
at
Not really,insofarasHeideggerwantsto arguefor the thesisthat the work of art
its
being:
'Nothing canbe discoveredaboutthe
to
unique
a
self-subsistence
possesses
has
the
thingly aspectof the work so long asthe pureself-subsistence
not
of
work
distinctlydisplayeditself

24.

Heideggerrealizesthat thereis thena problemaboutour accessto the artwork.

Canwe everaccessit in its true self if it is caughtup in its own uniqueself-subsisting
logic
his
The
him
to the conclusionthat to approach
position
of
would
push
world?
21Helen Vendler:SeamusHeaney: Harper Collins: London: 1998, 25
p.
22Vendler: 1998,p. 25
23BaSiCWjitingS: 1999,P. 165

34

thework of art we would haveto createthe unlikely,unsustainable

andartificial
its
it
itself,
to
than
standingpurelyon
situationwhere related absolutelynothingother
in
direction.
In
itself
The
for
truly
to
this
the
artist
alone.
attempts
push
artwork
own
is
between
the artistwho createdthe
there
no
relationship
still
pertaining
art
great
Vitself,
in
the
the
work
splendid
work
exists,
subsists
and
consists
of
and
and
work
isolation. The artist is similar to an opening in the fabric of reality that allows the
by
her
him
through
to
passing
emerge
or
and then they must erasethemselves
artwork

has
becoming.
This
the
the
the
of
process
art
endof
shouldoccuronce work of
at
fully emergedand is capableof standingon its own.

Heideggernotesthe difficulty of approachingthe artworkon its own,in the

by
its
In
is
the
the
gallery painting surrounded other
world of own self-subsistence.
is
by
In
the
the
artwork
gallery
surrounded
certainagendas,
and
grounded
artworks.
If
Gogh
Van
today,
to
the
premises.
we
and
attempt
approach
painting
presumptions
the signaturein the comeris ladenwith manyconnotationsthatexist asa prejudgementandwhich presumean approachto theworld containedwithin thepainting.
The Cathedralin the town or city squareis a focusfor the tourist.Theworld of the
decayed
has
they
themselves,
tradition
to
are
and
ruins
of
of
given
a
realm
over
work
instance
has
fled.
distinction
decay.
The
key
their
A
of
self-subsistence
emerges
and
for Heideggerhere.Thosewho work in the world of art conservationandpreservation
do
deal
the
the
the
the
of
of
object-being
works
and
with
not
world
approach
only
its
in
As
Robert
Bernasconi
if
'Even
the
work.
writes:
a work remains
work-beingof
happens
location,
the
the
of
as
usually
with
architectural
once
world
works,
original
be
done
it.
has
As
to
can
nothing
restore
perished,
a resultof the withdrawaland
work

24 P.

165

35

decayof its world,the worksareno longerworks1.25

And again:'no amountof textual
.
its
Sophocles'
to
text
own
no extensivecritical apparatus,
canrestore
emendation,
it
let
be
We mightwell experienceandenjoythe
a work oncemore'26
world andso
.
Cathedral
Vatican,
Castle
Cologne
the
the
the
at
and
perchedatopthe
splendourof
RoyalMile in Edinburgh;thesemaywell attestto the previousartisticaspirations,
by-gone
their
of
and
power
respective
pomp
eras,and are expressionsof such,
wealth,

but noneof thembecauseof the very demiseof their time areworksin the sensethat
Heideggeris attemptingto elucidate.

Heideggeris urged on by a key question:can we really conceiveof a work of

it
Is
the
the
that
all
work of art
of
relations
at
all?
of
outside
not
of
essence
exists
art
thatit existin relationship?Heideggerwill sayof courseit does,but we must
determinewhatthenatureof thatrelationshipis. Heideggerplaysa trumpcardwith
the assertion:'the work belongs,aswork, uniquelywithin the realmthat is openedup
by itself For the work-beingof the work occursessentiallyandonly in suchopening
Upt27.

We havean interestingexampleof this processat work in JohnMontague's

It
historical
'natural'
'Windharp'28.
provides
us
with
a
synthesis
and
of
poem
is
The
becoming
the
that
specific.
of
culturally
wind
of
are
movement
elements
What
harp,
its
Ireland
the
man-made
symbol
a
of
and nationalculture.
nature,against

25Robert Bernasconi:'The Greatnessof the Work of Art', from Heidegger Toward the Turn: (ed.)
JamesRiser: SUNY Press:New York: 1999,p. 103
26Bernasconi:1999,p. 103
27BaSiCWlitingS: 1999,p. 167
28JohnMontague:Seleded Poena: Penguin:London: p. 108. JohnMontague is the major Northern
Irish poet of the generationprecedingSeamusHeaney.Born in 1929he is stiUwriting.

36

is producedare'the soundsof Ireland'.The soundemergesfrom 'low bushesand

fern'
'wrinkling
bog
'heatherbells
and
and
pools'.Light andsoundcome
grass',
togetherto producea vision of a handcombingandstrokingthe landscape
until

the valley gleams

like the pile upon
a mountain pony's coat.

We witnessMontague createa spacethat is utterly a pure creation and exists only in

theworld of art.

for usto approachthe truth questionin

Heideggerwritesthat it is necessary
does
He
to
the
that
of
art,
once
again.
work
selects
not come
a
work
of
art
relation
from the realmof representational
art. This is why he optsfor the exampleof the
GreekTemple.TheTempleexistsin a valley andhousesthe god.The presenceof the
delimitation
is
holY
However,
this
the
and
of
an
extension
precinct
a
place.
as
god
templeandthe precinctit constructsandcontainsdoesnot fadeawayinto the
indefinite,andherewe reacha centralcorein Heidegger'sessay.He writes:'it is the
temple-workthat first fits togetherandat the sametime gathersarounditself the unity
in
birth
death,
disasterandblessing,victory
those
and
relations
which
paths
and
of
decline
being.
disgrace,
for
human
destiny
the
and
endurance
acquire
shapeof
and
The all-governingexpanseof this openrelationalcontextis the world of this historical
in
from
does
Only
for
first
itself
this
the
the
to
and
expanse
nation
people.
return
fulfillment of its vocation'29.We recall here the involvement of Heideggerwith Nazi

29Basic Writings: 1999,P. 167

37

his
in
the
to
the
andareattentive
nineteen-thirties
political overtonesof
socialism
drafts,
in
here.
Robert
In
Bernasconi
earlier
notes, theHolzwegeedition
statements
hints
is
but
destroys.
It
Heidegger
that
great
art
not
only
an
also
origin
especially,

destroysthe public in orderto form a people.As RobertBernasconiwrites:'in

00
1930s
have
We
in
been
Germany the
note,
nothingcould
charged
morepolitically
.
in the passagequoted from Heideggerabove,a residueof such sentiment.

TheTempleis seton solid groundfrom which it drawssupportandstands

firm againstthe storm raging above it. It is the presenceof the temple that makes
itself
illustrate
lend
the violent
the
to
the
to
of
ground
capacity
support
and
manifest

The
light
is
by
illustrated
the temple,the
the
the
storm.
gleaming
raging
of
natureof
its
into
fruit
flower
defined,
the
tree,
their
the
sea,
surging
and
enter
of
are
nature
distinctiveshapes,andcomeinto what theyare,by the presenceof the Temple.The
becoming,
Greeks,Heideggerwrites,calledthis processof emergence
of things
and
in
in
by
happens
All
true
the
their
to
this
essence,
reside
and
physis. of
coming
in
his
dwelling,
bases
the
temple,
that
the
earth.
on
which
and
which
of
man
presence
in mind here,the geologist'spreHeideggerdoesnot havea materialsubstance
but
presence,
a
physical
with
rather a more abstract,maybemetaphysical
occupation

idea,of the earthasthat which is broughtbackby the temple'sarisingandwhich

In
that
as
arises
such.
all raisedthingsthe earthoccursessentially
everytMng
shelters
asthe shelteringagent.

30Bemasconi:1999,p. 106

38

Marc Froment-Meuriceillustrates a key issuehere aboutHeidegger's

formulation.He writes:'the temple,asits Greeknameindicates,is the cut, the

because
it
is
is
that
sacred
withdrawnfrom theprofane.At the sametime,
enclosure
theparadoxof this delimitationis that it exposesnothingbut purefagade,a purein
front of, before.Thebehind,the inside,remainsempty.Thereis nothingbut the
but
behind
it
be
that
nothing
would
phenomenal,
remain
and
of
would
purely
which
, 31

the appearance
or representation .

The Temple first gives to things their look and to humanity our outlook on
is
fled.
This
has
is
the
the
always
open
view
once
not
god
work a work and
ourselves.

Thestatueof the godis not thereto makeit easierto visualizethe godbut ratherto
in
is
Here
is
in
It
the
that
the
the
the
theatre.
and
god
present,
god
sense.
same
make
thebattleof old andnew godsis continuallybeingwaged,but theyarealwaysthere,
duel
bitter
fighting
The
to
the
theatricalor poeticwork transformsthe
a
end.
really,
battle
In
into
living
drawn
is
that
transfonnation
the
the
people.
every
speechof
word
in
deciding
is
in
involved
holy
is
is
what
or
out
as
andunholy,what nobleand
and
is
dignified
is
is
lowly,
is
finally
the master
and
what
what
cowardly,
and
who
what
is
andwho the slave.

AgainJohnMontague'spoem'Like DolmensRoundMy Childhood,TheOld

People'providesus with an exampleof this processat Work32For, it is only against
.
its
hint
lives
Montague
definition.
that
transient
pennanence
of
our
receiveany
art and

31Marc Froment-Meurice:7lat Is To Say.- Heidegger's Poetics: (Trans.) JanPlug: StanfordUniv.

Press:Cafifornia: 1998,p. 158
3'Montague:2001, p. 10
-II

39

definesthe spaceswithin which his old peoplelived. JamieMacCrystallived in an old

by
bitch
'a
Owens
the
Maggie
surrounded
shivering
pups',
mongrel
and
cottage,
Nialls alonga mountainlane,andMary Moore in 'a crumblinggatehouse'.Within the
Templeof Montague'sart their lives arefinally defined,receivetheir ultimate
by
lost
burial
Dolmen,
the
the
mounds
ritual
and
associated
with
meaning,suggested
of a forgotten people.

For yearstheytrespassed
on my dreams,
Until once, in a standingcircle of stones,

I felt their shadowspass

Into that darkpermanence
of ancientforms.

Whathappenswhenthe work of art is 'set up'? For Heidegger,at this point, it

the work of art from what is holy, for to dedicatemeansto
is difficult to separate
is
holy
is
holy
When
the
the
then
the
onesetsup
work
and god
openedas
consecmte.
his
himself
brings
forth
The
invokedinto the openness
through
what
of
presence. god
is dignifiedandwhat is fabulous,andwhatHeideggercalls 'the world' is reflected
from this splendour.So the world emergesfrom the radianceof the god and achieves

itself
it,
Heidegger
that
the
as
the
work
and
argues
opens
up
with
and
world
clarity.
form
Is
is
that
the
gives
guidance.
with
work alwaysassociated
essential
an
such
key
A
is
Heidegger
it
by
the
question
of
praise?
answers
and
saying
consecration
be
its
it
is
In
the
to
the
of
work
such.
work-being
of
work-being orientated,
essence
directedtowardsthis openingup, openinga world andkeepingit abidinglyin force.

40

Heideggerwritesthatthe reasonfor beingof the work is to world worlds.It is

to standin directrelationto being.-Theworld of which he writesis not anobjectin the
bed.
does
like
It
car
or
a
screwdriver,
not standbeforeus for contemplationand
world
beings
human
long
We
to
this
subject
non-objective
are
aswe are
world as
viewing.
travellingalongthe pathsopenedup by birth anddeath,blessingandcurse,aslong as
thesepathstransportus into Being. The work of art emergesfrom a spacewhere

human
being
decisions
of
our
aremade,wherewe takeup thesequestions,
essential
for
they
them,
go
where
unrecognized
a while andneedto be takenup again,
abandon
from
is
it
this
and
within
spacethat the world worlds. The opening of the world
and

definesour relationshipto stones;for theyarein our broaderworld, fall underour

It
defines
The
the
to
things
their
of
opening
world
all
and
relationship us.
perspective.
is herethattheremoteness
or nearness
of thingsto us is defined,aswell astheir scope
it.
lingering
limits,
in
hastening
these
objects
andwhether
are
out of
our world or
and
The spaceis openedby which the godmaygraceour existenceby the world of the
in
doom
inverse
found
be
the
the
of
even
god
way
and
remaining
absent
can
an
work,
of thework worldingworlds.

The work, asa work, makesthe spacefor this spaciousness.

The work
it in its structure.As
liberatesthe freespaceof the openregionandestablishes
Heideggerwrites,'the work aswork setsup a world. The work holdsopenthe open
s33
Is
Seamus
Heaney
has
in
'The
his
this
the
world
what
of
achieved
poem
region
.
Peninsula'?

33 13aSiC

Wtifings: 1999,p.

41

Heideggernoteshow a setting-upand a setting-forth of the work are

be
A
to
of
equipment
aims
usefulandserviceable,
andsothe stone
piece
necessary.
is
into
its
hammer
The
disappears
in
and
used
used
up.
stone
usefulness.
used a
However,in Heidegger'sconceptionof thingsthe Templeis quitedifferent.Whenthe
but rathercausesit to come
Templesetsup a world it doesnot causeit to disappear,
forth for the first time and causesthe material to come up, forth and into the open

This
forth
in
the
the
world.
comes
as
work's
work
rests
uponthe material
of
region
The earthis that on which the work rests,which comesforth
from whichit emerges.
in the work and which sheltersit. When the work setsup a world, it succeedsin
in
here
Heidegger
'this
forth
be
forth
the
the
thought
earth.
writes:
setting
must
setting

The
itself
into
the
the
the openregionof a
word.
work
moves
of
earth
strict sense
34
it
The
lets
keeps
be
there.
v.
the earth an earth
work
world and

Heideggernotesthe essentiallymysteriousnatureof the earth.We canweigh

it,
it,
but
it remainsotherto us in its manifestdifference.
the earth,measure analyze
Theearthonly really opensto us whenwe recognizethat it is essentially
do
dividing
line
He
How
the
that
separates
all thingsalso.
undisclosable. meditateson
figure
'earth'
in
Heidegger's
is
the
this
Earth
of
essay?
a pseudonym
we understand

for the 'without name'.It corresponds

neitherto the materialnor the sensible,nor
by
Earth
to
the
resists
all
appropriation
and
sayor
elementary,
meaning.
wants
even
is
It
be
the
that
the
the
through
unsayable
will
unsayable.
nonetheless
said
means
Meurice
'the
it
Froment
Marc
As
Heidegger
writes:
unsayable,
as
puts
work.
is
Origin
itself
is
Nothing,
leap
into
the
before
the
or
as
comes
what
clearly, it
including
What
founds
"of'
the
the origin andmakes
everywork.
work
everAing,

3413aSieWrijingS: 1999, P. 172

42

35
into
before
leap
here
is
Heidegger
the
this
what
comes
prepares
everything,
original
.
him,
'the
he
Jacques
for
Derrida,
thinkers
after
of
primarily
speaks
other
when
way
borderingstream'that 'delimits everythingpresentin its presencing'36Tlere is an
.
difference
of non-understanding,
separation,
alienation,otherness
essential
highlightedhere.Sothe separationandself-seclusion
of the earthis highlighted
through the work of art. Have we arrived at a core limit for thought?In fact, is the

limit itself the properplacefor thought?Is it that from which it beginsto think, what
identity
its
identity
identity,
first
the
thought
the
thought
and
of
of
and
of all, of
gives
Being and thought?We witness a central conflict at the heart of Being, a conflict

in
between
the
to
art
one
reigning
earthandworld.
similar

ForHeideggerthe earthis not uniform, a givenof limited form andcapacity.

'Hearguesthatthe earthunfoldsitself in an infinite mannerandby inexhaustible
does
The
the
unlike
mason,
sculptor,
not usestoneup, nor the painter,
means.
both
be
but
'to
forth'.
the
The
allow
rather
material
also
shine
samemay
pigments,
he
does
She
but
become
for
the
to
the
and
or
not
use
words
poet.
up
allows word
said
Heidegger
is
'self-opening
truly
that
the
the
a
word.
argues
and
only
world
remain
broad
decisions
in
destiny
the
the
of
the
paths
simple
of
and
of a
essential
openness
He writesthenthat the earth 'is the spontaneous
forthcomingof
historicalpeople'37
.
that which is continuallyself-secludingandto that extentshelteringandconcealing"38
An essentialdifferenceis articulatedalthoughhe goesto a bit of troubleto highlight
is
The
inter-relatedness.
world alwaysandcanonly be groundedon the earthand
their
in
the earthalwaysemerges the world,juts throughit. Theydo not float awayinto
35Froment-Meurice: 1998, p. 154
36Basic WlilingS: 1999, p. 172
37Basic Writings: 1999, P. 174
38P. 174

43

their separatespheresunconcerned
with oneanother,for the world, althoughresting
dominate
it.
it
is
As
The
bear
to
the
strives
closed.
an opening cannot
what
on earth,
is
bear
sheltered
and
unconcealed
cannot
as
something
what
not andalways
earth
tendstowardsthe world, drawingit into itself andstrivingto keepit there.We arein
therealmof a classictensionor dependentpolarity.

Therearekey questionswe canaskof Heideggerhere.Marc Froment-Meurice

'What
Heidegger
is
does
determine
the ontological
the
one:
pressing
most
not
asks
"is"
himself
We cannot understandthis as a pure and
that
the
this
statue
god
of
status

is
The
identification.
in
he
"is"
the senseof an
the
god
not
stone,
and
yet
statue
simple
itself.
Just
Being
himself,
the
as
god
manifests
with
makesa remarkable
analogy
(visibility,
has
into
that
presence
eidos)
of
entered
presence,sotoo the statue
modality
bringsthe truth of appearinginto presence.In its brilliance,whatappearseffacesall
differencebetweenthe presentandpresence,
what appearsandappearing.Thework
into
"is"
bringing
the
of
presence
open
presence,differencethat hasbeeneffaced
as
becausereturnedinto the work. But the effacementof differencetakesplacein the
Being,
analogy
with
a metaphoricity,a transferaboutwhich Heidegger
an
of
name
doesnot speak.The work hasthe divine quality of bringing the god into presence,
39

becausepresenceitself is quasi-divine, or better, becauseAletheia is a goddesss'

Aletheia procuresvisibility, being the sourceof all and every image, but is not itself

lies
Therein
image.
the
wholeaporia.
an

FrangoiseDasturwrites:'if the metaphysicalessenceof art consistsin the

(re)
in
of
art
as
presentation
something
of
suprasensible
a sensiblematter
conception

39Marc Froment-Meurice:1998,p. 157 - 158

44

it
45),
form
(FV
following
to
the etymology of the Dar-stellen,
means,
submitted a

that,accordinglyto themetaphysicalconceptionof art, art "places"(stellen)

is
(dar),
just
there
such
and
as
a
presentation
wantto
or an exhibition-I
something
by
Kant
Latin
Darstellung.
In
here
to
this,
translates
the
that
contrast
=hibitio
recall
Heideggerproposesto think of art asapositio, a thesis,in the senseof an institution
(stiflung) of the 'Ibere. Heidegger's definition of art is das Ins-Werke-setzender

Wahrheit,the seffing-into-work-of
truth, andwe shouldnot forgetthattheverbsetzen
is strongerthantheverbstellen(which cannotbe markedin theEnglishtranslation).
The emphasison the institutional and positional value of art brings forth a total

be
"normal
first
to
the
seems
of
what
situation"
of
natureandthenart which
reversal
finds in natureits location.It is the work of art that primarily givesto naturalbeings
their visibility, sonow naturecomesafter art. This is not only the casewith
but
is
The
the
sculpture
also
with
and
poetry.
statue
not a picture
of
god
architecture,
is
himself,
him,
but
is
his
into
the
that
to
god
after
say,
presenceandnot
coming
made
thereproductionof an absentor remotebeing.Tragedyis not the telling of a storyand
doesnot speakaboutthebattleof the gods,but in it thebattleis beingfought.The
initiates
being
(re)presentation
than
rather
presence
art
a
or exhibitionof
work of
somethingabsent'40
.

At this point Heideggerreachesout for oneof his typical tems: strife. This is
his term for the oppositionthat existsbetweenworld andearth.For Heideggerthis
bear
discord,
disharmony,anddestruction.In a
does
charges
term
not
negative
of
happens
is
instance
into
'the
the
that:
of
strife
what
Opponents
each
raise
other
classic

40Francoise
Dastur:'Heidegger'sFreiburgVersionof theOriginof theWork of Art': in Heidegger
Towardthe Turn (ed.) JamesRisser:SUNYPress:New York: 1999,p. 126- 127

45

hereis not somecontingent

of their essentialnatures"I. Whatis asserted
self-assertion
is
defended
fought
factor
for
in
fetishized
but
that
or
a
external
way, rather,a
fconcealed
the
of
originalityof theprovenance
surrenderor recognition
of one'sown
42

Being'

In the instanceof strife eachopponentcarriesthe otherbeyonditself There

.

is a continualcycleof opening,grounding,sustaininganddefiningthatHeidegger
between
the earthandtheworld. The centralrole of thework
existing
conceivesof as
into
being
bring
is
to
the
world
andinto relationto the earthandto instigatethe
of art
between
Francoise
Dastur writes: 'it is now possibleto
them.
strife
of
moment
in
from
truth
the
that
this
essence
of
understood
a
manner
conceive
can only result
43 And again: 'the work of art as such can happen
confliCt, .
only on the ground of the
is
be
identified
to
not
which
with the essenceof art alone'44.
primal conflict

Heideggerbeginsto approachhis notionof the truth by an argumentbasedon

the ideaof being.In the pastwe havespokenof the essentialessence
of thingsastheir
truth. We canonly be in truth whenwe arewhatwe arein truth,that is, whenan
is
itself,
itself
in
is
it
is.
is
So
truth,
true
to
to
the
truth
what
entity
of an entity
determinedby wayof its trueBeing.Howeverhe shiftsthe angleof the questionby
is
truth,
the
of
essence
ratherthanthe truth of essence?With incredible
what
asking
Heidegger
in
that
lies
the
in
idea
truth
asserts
essence
the
of
confidence
of aletheia,
of beings.He arguesthat Greekthoughthasbeensentin thewrong
the unconcealment
directionin its pursuitof whatis the truth: 'unconcealmentis, for thought,themost
in
Greek
from
thing
existence,
although
earlytimesit determinesthe
concealed

41Bmic Wtitings: 1999, p. 174

42p. 174

43Dastur: 1999,p. 133

44Dastur: 1999,p. 133

46

of everythingpresent'45
presencing
.

its
lies
in
We havefor a long time Presumed
that the essence
truth
of
know
itself
how
If
to
then
matter
cannot
are
we
matter.
reveal
conformitywith
itself
has
logic
it?
Matter
language
or
properlyapproached
canonly show
whetherour
if it can stepout of the closet of its own concealment.From Descarteson we have

in,
idea
definition
lie
the
to
to
truth
truth
of
or
understand
an
mean,
of
understood
'the
is
familiar
Heidegger
As
to us truth
notes:
essence
of
which
correctness.
in
falls
stands
and
representation
with truth as unconcealmentof
correctness
46

beings'

Heideggernoteshow it is no surprisethat we havemadesomeobviouserrors

in our approachto the truth.For too long havewe restedeasilyandlazily on With
logic
he
Heideggerian
there
that
typical
asserts
presuppositions.
unquestioned
but
is
We
be
to
the
truth
this
yet
simple
reason
why
so.
areclose
must an obviousand
from
it
Again,
is
distance
Heidegger:
'it
the
also.
who
presuppose
not
we
standsome
into
beings;
beings
(Being)
the
rather, unconcealment
of
of
putsus
unconcealment
in
being
installed
that
of
our
representation
within
we alwaysremain
sucha condition
This
in
to
concealment'47
already
conforming
upon
must
something
and attendance
.
'with
in
the
all our correctrepresentations
unconcealed:
we would getnowhere,
occur
is
that
there
already manifestsomethingto which we
we couldnot evenpresuppose
beings
to,
had
the
us
unconcealment
ourselves,
unless
of
already
exposed
canconform

45BaSiCWritings: 1999,p. 176

46P. 177

47BoiC Writings:1999,p.177

47

in
it
from
being
for
in
that
which
clearedrealm which every
stands us and
placedus
WithdMWSv48.

A key questionremainsasto how all this happens.How do we approachthis

Heideggerstepsforwardwith a
truth that occursasa typeof unconcealment?
in
he
believes
be.
is
his
This
things
to
credo: what
a significant passage
statementof

in
He
the essay. notes a ratherobviouswaythat therearemanydifferentrealitiesthat
in
being
Our
things
persons,
possess
one shapeor another.
exist, many objects,
beings,
human
gifts and sacrifices, animals and plants, equipment
universeconsistsof
in
larger
framework
The
the
always
stands
particular
of things, the
and works.

larger
have
being
Being.
We
the
the mystic-likesentence:
stands
within
concrete
'ThroughBeingtherepassesa veiled fatality that is ordainedbetweenthe godlyand
49.
inadequacy
is
The
intellect
of our
the countergodly
andsenses all too apparent.
Thereis muchin realitythat we seedimly andcanonly inadequatelygrasp.We are
being,
is
inalterable:
this
own
the
of
our
point
unquestionable
origin
and
not
,And yet - beyondbeings,not awayfrom thembut beforethem,thereis still
happens.
In
beings
the
that
midst
of
else
asa wholean openplaceoccurs.
something
There is a clearing. Thought of in referenceto beings, this clearing is more in being

is
beings.
This
opencentre thereforenot surroundedby beings;rather,the
thanare
is,
does
that
the nothing,which we scarcely
all
encircles
as
centre
itself
clearing
know'50.

FrangoiseDasturwrites:'settingup asan essentialfeatureof the work of art is

differentfrom the bareplacingof art worksin a museumor exhibition.It hasthe 48p. 177
49p. 178

48

in
dedication
that
and
praise
so
of
settingup the work theholy is openedup as
sense
holy.And the openingof the dimensionof holinessis at the sametime the settingup
is
The
but it is essentiallyin
thereforenot setup (aqg'estellt),
art
of
work
of a world.
itself a settingup (Das Werkist in sich seinemWesennachaufstellend)in the sense
, 51

thatit opensa world (FV 28) .

Heideggernotesthatbeingscanonly be asbeings,if theysimultaneously

is
in
it
have
We
this
to
stand
without
and
what
cleared
clearing.
share and
standwithin
it
in
be
deprived
know
have
to
to
of
order
what it is. We haveto be shadowedby
we
know
in
it
is
is;
it
As
in
to
Heidegger
to
this
order
what
not
we assume read
way.
what

in
Being
its
later
be
known
this
thesis
through
the
canonly
possibilityof
we will see
is
how
Maurice
Blanchot
this
readsHeideggerin his work TheSpaceof
non-being;
Literature. As Heideggerwrites: 'Only this clearing grantsand guaranteesto us

humansa passage
to thosebeingsthat we ourselvesarenot, andaccessto the being
It is this clearingthat allowsbeingsto be unconcealed
to
that we ourselvesare'52
.
degrees.
We
in the contextof this clearing
canonly speakof the unconcealed
varying
being.
In
in
the
being
involved
moment
of
encounter
with
an
another
within
we are
instanceof clearingthat is alsoa concealment.
It is a strangecounter-dynamic
that is
continuouslymoving.

As Marc Froment-Meurice
writes:'How coulda temple(or a painting)speak
if speechis refusedto stone?If the templespeaks,it is not for havinga mouth(even
Besides,
is
tongue.
that
one)
and
a
not what speakingis: the voiceof
an oracular
Beingis voiceless.If the templespeaks,it is in the samesensethat languagespeaks.It
51Basic Wtilings: 1999,p. 178
31Dastur: 1999:p. 127

49

itself
lets
be
(re)said.
if
is
To
to
speak
says,shows,or rather
show,and thetemple
it
is
it
is
because
intennediaries
It
this
showing
without
as
such words. shows
shows,
beforeall speech,in the Openof this essentiallyvoicelessmilieu that is the disclosure
language
before
Being,
asa meansof expressionandcommunicationof a sense
of
53

(throughwords)' We notethe distinctiveness

Heidegger'schoiceof a Templeas
of
.
his
illustration
argument.
of
an

We arenotjust talking aboutthe limits of knowledge,aboutrunninginto the

furthest frontier of what can be known. We are encounteringthe edgeof what is
block
beings,
beings
Beings
beings,
in
this
other
simulate
other
and
space,
cleared.

be
be
We
Errors
to
than
they
therefore.
other
what
can
sometimes
are.
occur
appear
deceived.This suggests
that the openclearanceis not a permanentopeningwith
frontiers.
defined
is
It
is
that
or
edges
not a given,a stateor stage
an existent
rigidly
but ratherexistsasa happening.Heidegger'sthoughtis ratherfluid andpoeticat this
implication
is
The
that
thereby
and
non-systematic.
non-dogmatic
point,
is
the
truth
or
moment
of
not an attributeof matteror oneof
unconcealment
proposi ions.

Thingsarealwaysshadowedby their opposite.What seemsordinaryis in fact

The
by
in
Heidegger
truth,
essence
of
understood
asarticulated what
extraordinary.
is dominatedby the ideaof a denial.He doesnot see
haspreceded,asunconcealment,
for
'this
the
this denialassomethingdefectivein our approachto the essence
truth,
of
belongsto the essenceoftruth as
denial,in theform ofa doubleconcealment,

52

BgasicWtilings: 1999,p.178
53MarcFroment-Meurice:
1998,p. 153

so

(Italics
is
Heidegger's).
There
are
alwaysan elementof un-truthto
unconcealment'".
truth.As he writes:'the proposition"the essenceof truth is un-truth"is not, however,
intendedto statethattruth is at bottomfalsehood.Nor doesit meanthattruth is never
55
is
dialectically,
its
but,
itself
also opposite
viewed

When Heideggertalks about concealingdenial he wishesto indicate, or

fact
denote
in
hint
the
that
the essence
opposition
of truth subsists
at,
preserve,
betweenclearing and concealing.We are dealing with the opposition of the original
its
Truth
in
itself
in
is
the
and
of
earlier.
essence
spoken
which that
strife
primal
strife

beings
is
from
which
won
within
stand
and
centre
which theysetthemselves
open
This openregionalwaysandonly occurswithin the midstof
backinto themselves.
beings.To the openregiontherebelongsa world andthe earth.However,we arenot
to makesomeeasyconnectionbetweenthe world asthe openregionthat corresponds
to
to the clearingandthenthe earthasits opposite,the closedregionthat corresponds
he
is
'the
Rather,
writes,
world the clearingof the pathsof the essential
concealment.
decision
directions
inescapably
decision
Every
all
with
which
complies'm.
guiding
4W-fully
fully
has
been
not
comprehended,
something
on
what
mastered,on
not
restson
is
The
is
intrinsically
that
concealed
and
confusing.
earth
and
not
something
inescapablyclosedbut risesup asthat which is self-closing.And so thebelligerence
is
inescapable.
They
in
'only
and
emerges
as
world
and
exist
and
conflict
earth
of
7

into
do
the strife of clearing and concealing'5
they
enter
such
.

54Basic
55Basic
56Basic
57Basic

WlitingS:
Writings:
WlitingS:
WifingS:

1999, p. 179
1999, p. 180
1999, p. 180
1999, p. 180

51

As soonasonesetsup the work of art, a world andeartharesetforth andthe

beings
in
instigation
the
the
the
asa
of
of
strife
which
unconcealment
work existsas
is
instance
is
Truth
Temple
When
the
the
truth,
won.
of
unconcealment.
or
whole,
is
is
happens.
it
Heidegger
truth
a momentof
not concernedaboutan
standswhere
beings
brought
into
Rather
representation.
are
unconcealment
correct
adequateor
in
held
instance
We
thereby
truth
therein.
this
through
of
processand are
witness an

Van Gogh'spaintingof the peasantshoes.That is not to saythathe hasportrayedthe

is
highlighted.
The
Rather
being
the
their
equipmental
nature
of
correctly.
shoes
beingsof things as a whole are thereby highlighted and the world and earth in their

illustrated
in
When
the shoes
and
exist
are
a
moment
unconcealment.
of
counter-play
is
for
in
to
their
truth
then
this
the
of
essence
relation
overall
close
valuable
exists
beingsat large.And thereforewe touchon the beautifulbecause:'beautyis oneway
in which truth essentiallyoccurs as unconcealment58.(Italics are Heidegger's).

Heideggerfeelshe hasnot approached

the thingly characterof the work
is
have
ignored
issue
We
is
the
that
the
that,
a work, and
work exactly
adequately.
therebysomethingthat hasbeencreated.As a createdobjectit sharesin the medium
has
been
has
then
thingly
it
the
in
which
and
created;
as
such
element
out of which
difference
in
being
into
Is
from
there
the
a
work.
creation
made
andcreated,
entered
innermost
Can
the
we approach
essenceof the work andtherebygauge
andmaking?
belongs
degree
to
to the work andaffectsits work-being?Does
which createdness
the
it lie within the essence
of truth to movetowardsthe work of art, to exist within that
is
it
if
is
it
is
What
What
truth
that
to
the
can
only exist
set work within
work?
work?
truth that it canhappenasart andwhy arethereart objectsat all?

58Basic Writings: 1999,P. IS I

52

In this sectionwe haveseenHeideggerstrugglewith the conceptof art as

hand,
the
andon the otheran art asmeresupplementon theother.Art as
origin on one
is
As RobertBernasconiwrites:
supplement art asa routineculturalphenomenon.
'what hasto be decided,accordingto Heidegger,is whetherart is to remain
happens
it
is
as
when
secondary,
something
conceivedin termsof expressionand
in
further
termsof suchconceptsasembellishment,
elucidated
entertainment,
is
to be an instigator of our history'59.And
or
whether
edification,
and
art
recreation

has
here
history
direction
to
the
connections
overt
our
of the Gennanpeoplesunder
Nazi socialism. It is impossible to avoid this conclusion. When Heideggerpursuesthe
in
the vicinity of art as origin, the 'we' that he has
or
not
we
are
of
whether
question

in mind is the Germanpeople.He is keento clarify whetherthe Germanpeoplearea

German
Are
the
peoplepurelya passiveaudiencewaitingto be
public or a people.
intellectual
by
this
or anyotherartisticjester,or aretheya peoplewith a
entertained
historicaldestinyanddirection?Suchis the issuehe is pursuingwhenhe seeksfor
in
and
who
we
are
about
who
we
are
not
clarity
when the vicinity of the origin.As
Bcmasconiwrites: so long asart wasrestrictedto beinga fonn of expression,
the
for
be
inspired
by
example
might
a Germancathedral,but a peoplewould
public
be
founded'60.
to
nevercome

"at

about Truth andArt?

Between
That deep,darkpool. To comeuponit,
after driving acrossthe Gapin midsummer,
59Bemasconi: 1999, p. 106
60Bemasconi: 1999, p. 107

53

the hedgesfreightedwith fuchsia,hawthom,

blood-redandwhite undershiningveils of rain.

A wind flurry finecombingthe growinggrain

asa full-udderedcow precedesus alongthe lane,
a curious calf poking its lubberly headover stone

while the countryroadwindsbetwixt andbetween.

Sudden,at the summit of the Knockmealdowns,

a chill black lake, a glacial corrie or tam,

somelargeabsence,hacked,torn
from the far sideof the dreamingcliff.

A broodingsilence,a hoardedfont of nothing,

lightless,still, opaque severelyalone.
...
Exceptwhena shiver,a skirl of wind
makesthe waterstremble,mild asthat field of grain.

But on the shornflank of the mountain,

flowering,
flaring bankof rhododendron,
a
exaltedassomepaganweddingprocession.
darkness,silentragingcolour:
Fathomless

A contrastto makeyour secretself tremor,

like a child cradledin this quarry'smurmur,

54

delightedbut lost betweenthe dark,theblossoming,

heather
On oneside,a moorland'sbareness,
rufous

lobelia
Shelteringa long-nebbed
bog
asphodelor
curlew,
and,on the other,thatterracedorchestraof colour,
avenuesof lavish amethystblossom.

Chill of winter. full warmthof summer,

61
head
in
heavy
colliding
on stillness,anda
aroma.

John Montague

We noteJohnMontague'sinitial statement'we comeuponit'. Sothe scenario

it
He
happens
in
the
premises
naturally,
such.
poem
occurs
as
within
nature
presented
its
betwixt
instant
journeying
by
to
the
and
poem,
the momentcentral
of revelation, a
between'.We re-callthe title of the poem'Between'.The poemelaboratesa contrast.
Theglacialcorriestandsasa momentof emptinessin starkcontrastandoppositionto
is
insists
Yet
belong
the
the
that
they
to
poem
plenitude.
other,
one
of
each
a scene
inverseof the other.It would appearthat eachneedsits oppositein orderto be:
'Fathomlessdarkness,silentragingcolour'. The poem'simplicit argumentis that
in
in
into
the
the
the
the
of
moment
caesura,
where
exists
one
or
rolls
other,
poetry
for in this
instanceof union.Montaguelinks this differenceto the country'sseasons,
'chill
full
We
the
trace
there
of
still
of
is
a
winter;
warmth
of summer'. will
scene
further
Montague's
the
Heidegger's
the
argument
with
aid
on
of
reflections
explore

61Montague:2001, p. 210 - 211

55

for
in
the
the
or
rift,
necessity
primal
opposition the creationof thework
centralityof

of art.

Heideggerbeginsthis third andfinal part of his essaywith a meditationon the

between
The
the
the craftsmanandthe
of
of
work
art.
similarity
workly character
fact
both
in
that
they
the
work their respectivematerials.Heidegger
artist exists

difficult
down
is
features
'it
to
track
the
as
essential
of the creationof works
writes:
it
is
between
distinguish
to
thetwo
the
of
equipment
as
easy
making
verbally
and
forth62
Heidegger
introduces
bringing
key
the
the
term
techne,
of
a
word
modes
.

Greeksusedto referbothto craft andart.

WhenHeideggerusesthe term technehe hasin mind a modeof knowing

kind
be
It
than
to
of
practical
performance.
a
appears
a typeof vision,the
rather
is
links
He
Greek
that
this
the
of
present.
what
of
aletheia
with
concept
apprehension
is
it
in
knowing,
he developedearlier.For aletheiainvolvesthe essence
that
of
forth
bringing
beings.
is
Techne
the
the
truth
the
of
revealingof
of
concernedwith
beingsin that it bringsforth what is presentassuchout of concealmentinto the
is
its
Thus
by
here
Heidegger
the
a
of appearance.
word lechneasused
unconcealment
derivative
the
term
than
techniquemight suggest.
modem
sophisticated
more

The artistandcraftsmanarepeoplewho utilize technebecausetheyarepeople

involvedin the settingforth of worksandequipmentthat permitbothto comeforward
in
be
and present an outwardandexternalmanner.If we cannotapproachthe creation
in
from
found
better
be
the
then,
the
point of view of craft
work
a
approachmight
of

62j3aSiCWyifingS: 1999, p. 183

56

theworkly characterof the work. It is within what is createdthat we find evidenceof

its creation.Whenwe speakof creationwe arereferringto thatprocessby which
has
been
brought
is
in
becoming
forth.
It
thing
that
the
as
a
emerges
work's
something
into
being
happens.
Again Heideggerapproaches
truth
that
comes
an
and
a work
is
it
in
in
truth
that
to
what
question:
should
choose
a
reside
work, something
essential
thathasbeencreated?

Heideggerspeaksof truth asalsobeingun-truthto the degreethat it always

holds somethingin reserve.It retains within itself the reservoir of the not-yet-

is
in
is
be
There
the
to
un-covered
what
sense
a typeof
of
still
revealed.
revealed,
doublerefusalhere.As Heideggerwrites:'truth essentiallyoccursassuchin the
double
in
is
Truth
the
clearing
and
of
concealing.
which,
strife
opposition
primal
in
is
the
some
particular
way,
open
region
always
won within which everyffiingstands
itself
from
itself
itself
that
everything
which
withholds
asa
shows
and
andwithdraws
being.Wheneverandhoweverthis strife breaksout andhappens,the opponents,
because
it.
move
and
concealing,
apart
of Thusthe openregionof the place
clearing
is
is,
The
it
is,
be
this
that
of
truth,
won.
openness
open region,
can what
of strife
if
long
it
its
itself
this
openness,
only
and
as
as
establishes
open
namely,
within

Hence
be
being
in
in
there
this
always
must
some
region.
openregion whichthe
its
its
In
takes
thustakingpossession
stand
and
attains
constancy.
of the
openness
holds
it
it'63
openness
open
region,
and
sustains
open
.

As Heideggernotesthis might be the uniquerole Beingplaysin things.If the

beings
belongs
its
in
Being
itself,
by
Being,
to
of
then
of
anyway
way
unconcealment

63BMiC Milings: 1999,p. 185- 186

57

free
lets
happen,
introduces
the
this spaceasa
space
of
openness
ownessence,
and
in
being
its
in
the
which
each
sort
emerges
ownway.It is at this point and
placeof
is
is
It
beings
in
that
truth
established.
only
when
open
place
up this regionor space
thata placefor truth emerges.It doesnot existout therefloatingfreebut alwaysexists
Truth
happen
context.
can
only
a
particular
within
within a sitewherean openness
happens,where an openregion hasbeenestablished.As Heideggerwrites: 'becauseit

is in the essence
of truth to establishitself within beings,in orderthusfirst to become
truth,the impulsetowardthework lies in the essence
of truth, asoneof truth's
64

distinctive possibilities, by which it can itself occur asbeing in the midst of beings'
.

Heideggerat this point beginsto unitethe elementsor termshe hasworked

in
his
he
Thus
essay.
writes:'truth essentiallyoccursonly asthe
out progressively
between
in
Truth
the oppositionof world andearthv65
clearing
and
concealing
strife
.
be
in
to
to
the work asthevery strife of world andearth.The
established
exist,
aims
it
is
by
does
just
find a placethereto dwell. This beingwill
started
and
not
strife
bear
itself
is
It
therefore
the
traits
throughthe
the
within
essential
of
always
strife.
is
in
Once
find
the
Heidegger
that
of
unity
and
world
earth
a
won.
strife
againwe
lyrical frameof mind: 'as a world opensitself, it submitsto the decisionof a historical
humanitythe questionof victory anddefeat,blessingandcurse,masteryandslavery.
The dawningworld bringsout what is asyet undecidedandmeasureless,
andthus
disclosesthe hiddennecessityof measureanddecisiveness'66
.

Heideggerattemptsto outlinefurther,andclarify what he meansby strife.He

his
As
terms
to
the world movestowardsopeningthe earth
and
earth
world.
reverts
64Basic Wtilings: 1999,p. 187
61Basic Wtitings: 1999,p. 187

58

it.
it
The
into
to
with
earth
seeks retaineverythingwithin according
comes opposition
to its own laws.Theworld movesin oppositionto this. World seeksfor beingsto
The
their
this
the
the
and
open
region
all
own
of
against
of
earth.
resistance
reach
is
has
in
Heidegger
mind not the rift of completeseparation,of complete
strife
from
it
Rather
to
each
other,
and
of
earth
and
world.
marksout thecommon
alienation
between
lies
them as opponents.This rift carries them towards a point of
that
ground

in
due
that
they
to
this
ground
share
common.
unity,

Heideggerusesfor the first time another concept,what he refers to as the

figUre.Thefigure is the namefor the strife that hasbeenbroughtinto the rift andset
backinto earthandis thusfixed in place.The work is a createdthing.Thereforewe
is
being
Exed
in
in
happens
Thefigure
This
the
truth's
thefigure.
place.
canspeakof
(maybe
in
is
from
itself
It
this point
the
matrix)
whose
shape rift composes
structure
that truth shinesforth. Whenwe speakof the work it is assomethingthat providesan
by
Heidegger
is
identified
the
this
and
and
placing
naming
of
nodalpoint
enframing
into
his
Marc
Froment-Meurice
As
'the
tennfigure.
writes:
properwill enter
with
for
figure
if
it
Figure,
the
the
the statusof the
only
under
of
and
even
calls
presence
in
"for
the
the
statue
of
god,
example", this figure will never be able to efface
proper,

its improperorigin, its properstatusasfigure.To enterinto presencewill alwaysbe to

into
into
(re)presentation.
figure
be
To
the
take
to
space
of
on
a
enter
enter
will
(dis)figuration'67
.

is part
Whatdistinguishesthe work of art for Heideggeris that its creAtedness
it
its
from
This
the pieceof equipment.Of courseHeidegger
existence.
separates
of
66Basic Writings: 1999,p. 187 188
67Marc Froment-Meurice:1998,p. 157

59

have
been
things
that
created,the pair of shoesasmuchasthe paintingof
all
admits
thoseshoesby VincentVan Gogh.HoweverHeideggerarguesthatthe fact of its
beingcreatedstandsout from the work of art in a highly particularway.Whatis
highlightedis not the originalityor geniusof the artist.For Heideggerwhatis
is
has
happened
being
that
that
are
we
aware
a
genuine
unconcealment
significant
of
here.We must ask the questionof Heideggerhere: What are the critical criteria by

is
determine
What
before
is
is,
this?
to
that
vital
which we
recognize somethingexists,
in
have
just
been.
develop
(Maurice
Blanchot
this
that
strain
aseasilymaynot
will
us
Heidegger'sthought as we shall seein ChapterFour). The self-subsistenceof the

be
located
in
is
fact
just
is.
it
We canapproachthis
to
this
that
remarkable
of
art
work
few
facts
where
relatively
aboutthe artistwho producedthe work are
moreclearly
known.We areconfrontedtherebywith just the plain fact of its existence.We know
Sappho
little
or Hesiodbut we arefamiliar with the poemsthat give
of
relatively
lesser
The
be
Homer
to
to
these
a
propernames. samecanalso saidof
and,
currency
degree,Shakespeare.

Heideggeris keento drive his point home,to the point almostof repetition,
bit
devotes
quitea of spaceandthoughtto the uniquenatureof the existenceof
and
the work of art. All thingsare,from the hammerto the nail, andfrom the stockingto
it
fact
in
is
it
draws
that
However
the
the
the
to
the shoe.
work of art singular
attention
is asa work. Thework is createdandalwaysholdsbeforeit for inescapable
illustrated
is
it
has
been
When
itself
that
the
created.
work opens
observation
up what
is the uniquefact of its existenceat all. Whenthis is highlightedin the openregionit
highlightsthe strangeness
of the work of art aswell asits solitude.

60

What is seenas the unique workly characterof the work, for Heidegger,is

boundup with its createdness.

inescapably
Whenwe examinedit closelywe
is
that
perceived createdness revealedasthe strife that is fixed in placein thefigure
by meansof the rift. Thework cannotescapeits createdness.
It is the work's
into
is
thrust
the openregionof the 'that'. Howeverthe work is never
that
createdness
in
exhausted the createdness.

For Heideggerthereis an elementof alienationin the work of art. The

being
its
forces
familiarity
to
the
cuts
us
of
off
of our
and
strangeness
us contemplate
into
does
by
It
this
us
pushing
a
position
alienation.
of
estrangement
or
surroundings

in andthroughthe figure andits distancefrom human

throughits self-subsistence
bcings.It just is. The extraordinarystandsbeforeus while the intimatelyfamiliar is
from
As
Heidegger
displacement
'To
this
to
us.
remove
writes:
submit
placedat a
ties to world andearthandhenceforthto restrain
meansto transformour accustomed
knowing
doing
looking,
in orderto staywithin the truth that
and
prizing,
and
all usual
-)68

is happeningin the work

This is intimately tied up with Heidegger's notion of Origin. The art of the

Origin for Heideggeris Greek.Thebeginningin the senseof the originaljump that

jumps out in front of everythingthat is goingto come,that precedeseverythingand
thusalreadycontainsit, this beginningtakesplacewhenbeingsin their totality andas
first
into
be
For
time
Heidegger
for
to
the
the
this
carried
out
open.
suchwant
occurs
in the Occidentwithin the Greekworld. It washerethat what wassubsequently

68Basic Writings: 1999,p. 191

61

knownasBeingwasput to work. Evenwith freshdepartures

like the Cartesiancogito
by
first
determined
the
are
still
we
movement.And the originalwork doesnot wantto
but
from
the
source to returnto it. And asHeideggerconceivesit, to returnto
emerge
the sourceis not to returnto something,especiallynot a pastmodel.For it is
to confrontthe withoutcontinuallyto confrontthe absenceof modelsandprecedents,
origin and without-senseat the origin of presenceitself It is to face the original lack

founding
foundation,
lack
is
this
that
the secretof thepurelyspringing-forth.
a
of

However the work of art has to be preservedin its place as a work and thus

is
What
into
beingwithoutthosewho
created
preservers.
cannot
requires
come
it.
in
The
Thework
truth
to
setting
of
work the work requirespreservers.
preserve
cannotbe a work withoutthem.This alsohappenswhile the work is waiting for them
to arriveon the sceneof its unveilingof truth.

We mustbe willing to sharein knowledge.Throughthis willingnessandthe

being,
knowledgeit strivesafterwe enterinto the unconcealment
Being.
Human
of
knows
found
in
Heidegger
towards
Being.
the
reaches
openness
althoughcaptive,
thoughthatwe cannotmovefrom someinsideto someoutsideandresidethere
completelyandabidewithin the outsideandopenness
asif it wereour trueandproper
that we canstandout while standing
element.Thetruth of our existencesuggests
having
beings
based
Knowledge
is
the
that
the
that
clearing
of
opens
up.
within
on
of truth within the work mustbe alwaysresolved.
seenof the unconcealment
Heideggerwritesthat we canonly approachthe truth of the beingof thework of art
throughthe work itself andnot sometheory,or historicalscholarship,for 'the work is

62

happens
in
itselr69.
is
That
truth
that
through
the
the work's own
the
work
preserved
peculiaractuality.

Heideggerresolveshis questionaboutthe thingly characterof the work under

the symbolof the earth.Thethingly characterof the work of art is its earthlyquality
jutting throughthe work. Howeverthis canonlYbe revealedwhenit intersectswith a
bears
is
The
the
that
that
earth
as
senseof
which self-secluding,andas
which
world.
be
between
by
The
the
to
revealed
strife
oppositionof earth world.
patiently,canonly
them is fixed in place in the figure of the work and is mademanifest by it.

Heideggerasksan astutequestionof his own schema.How doesthe rift

brought
it:
it
he
As
if
is
'How
be
drawn
the
asks
not
out
can
rift
emergeoriginally?
into the openregionby the creativeprojectionasa rift, which is to say,broughtout
70
beforehandasstrife of measureandunmeasure? Hejustifies his positionon the
Is
itself
desigm
does
How
Heideggerjustify
this?
that
possesses
a rift
grounds nature
Linkedto this is a capacityfor bringingforth.
hejust lookingfor an easyescape?
Naturehasa tendencytowardsthe productionof art. Again we haveto askof
Heideggerhow canwe validatethis?Paradoxicallythough'this art hiddenin nature
becomesmanifestonly throughthe work, becauseit lies originally in the work"71.We
The
further
by
Temple.
illustrate
Heidegger's
image
this
to
the
point
returning
of
can
image
but
it
it
the
We
Templerepresents
think
the
nothing,
presents scene. must
of as
is
For
This
To
draw
the
the
trait.
sheor
not
easy.
aid
us
nothing.
we
on
of
analogyof
he who drawsa line retracesthe tearing,the re-trait,or retreatof, the withdrawal,of
theEarththat doesnot wantto be exposed.Art hidesitself asnaturedoes,in that it
69Basic Wtitings: 1999,p. 193
70Basic Wridngs: 1999,p. 195

63

itself
into
And
the
retreating,
or withdrawal
nature,cannotbe extracted
encrypts
in
is
in
being
Every
the
the
re-traced
art,
and
as
of
art
origin.
work only an
except
in
its
the
towards
trace
that
origin withdrawing,a
makesa sign
extract,an excerptof
whiteness.

There is an essentialplace for those who preservethe work. We cannot

dismissthe preservers
asrankinglowerthanthe creatoror creators.Theybelongto
in an essentialway.The work insistson them.The essence
the work's createdness
of
the work is to crave for preservation.The work allows those who essentiallybelong
togetherat work, the creator and the preserver,originate, eachin his own essence.

Whatis peculiarto art that it canfunctionasa placeof suchorigin Heideggerasks?

Art is a becomingandhappeningof truth. The art objectsetstruth to work.

This processinvolvesbringingthe work-beingof the objectinto movementand
happening.Doesthis truth initially emergefrom nothing?We movein two directions
it
it
Yes,
from
does
Heidegger.
in
that
emerges
not rely on
nothing
asalwayswith
It
It
beings.
is
the
emerges
also
challenges
ephemeralcharacterof
what givenalready.
from the nothingness
that precedesthemandwhich will swallowthemup.Is this John
72
font
Montague's'hoarded
of nothing2? At the sametime beingsaremovingtowards
their annihilationasbeingsandit is the aporiathat allowsthis movingforwardthat
is
When
truth
to
one
emerge.
an objectthrown in the world thenthe possibility
allows
As
in
fabric
is
being
truth
through
the
the
of
emergence
openings
of
of
plausible.
FrangoiseDasturhaswritten: 'becausetruth hasto establishitself (sichenrichten)
before
first
become
is
in
itself
in
(truth
does
that
to
truth
order
which
within
not exist
71Basic Writings: 1999,p. 195
72Montague:2001, p. 2 10

64

is
hand),the impulsetowardthe work lies in the essence
truth
that
of
so
art a
distinguishedpossibilityby which truth canhappen'73
.

Truth occursin the momentof composition.Thetruth that concernsHeidegger

hereis the clearingandconcealingof thebeingof things.The essence
of art for
Heideggeris poetic. The poetic centreof all art is capableof breaking open into an

is
is
in
this
new
space
and
a
placewhereineverything presented a new
openplace,
light, or is deprivedof its everydaymundanereality andfamiliarity. We arealertedto
the unbeing of the world through the work of art. It doesthis by its capacityto

beings.
highlightor setinto the work the unconcealment
This unconcealment
of
familiar.
That
is
towards
that
we are
and
challenges
us
everything
moves
ordinaryand
is
here
Heidegger
talking
some
causal
or
about
physical
at painsto
alteration
not
happens
itself,
from
The
the
the
out of the
change
within
clear.
make
world of
work
has
do
in
Being
beings,
to
truth,
the
therefore
of
and
with
and
unconcealment
work
of
itself Poetryclearsthe ground.It doesthis throughthe openregion.Simultaneous
beings
happen.
Through
that
the
to
this
are
openregionallowspoetry
process
with
allowedto shineandring out.

Hcidcggcrseeksto continuean ancienttraditionthat privilegespoetryasthe

by
justified
form
is
He
the
that
expressivearts. argues sucha position
of
mostprimary
that
the mediumutilized by poeticexpression.Languagehasuniquecharacteristics
areprimaryto anydiscussionof the distinctiveness
of artisticProduction.We view
that languagetoo narrowlyif we only conceiveof it on the basisof a meansof
into
'language
Heidegger
brings
beings
beings
the
writes:
communication.
alone
as

73Dastur: 1999,p. 134

65
74

first
for
Stones,
do not possess
languageand
time'
the
plants
and
animals
open
a
.
thuscannotenterinto the openness
of beings,andcannotexperiencenon-beingand
the empty.

Languagenamesbeings.Therebyit bringsbeingsto the word andinto

is
from
It
beings
Being
this
that
to
their
out
process
of
naming
appearance.
nominates

When
in
Being.
their
we
utter
and
say
we
project
a
clearing
which an
of
is
it
is
into
beings
Heidegger
that
the
of
made
what
come
open
as.
announcement
is
Such
this
saying
as
projective
poetry.
a saying a speakingof the world and
names

the earth,the sayingof the arenaof their strife andis the placeof the nearness
and
In
this sayingthe conceptsof a historicalpeople'sessence
the
are
gods.
of
remoteness
into
for
The
brought
both
that
the world
people.
sayableandunsayableare
performed
simultaneously.

Languageitself is the originalpoesybecauseit is the happeningin which

beingsfirst disclosethemselves
the
to humanityasbeings.Languagealwayspreserves
original senseandessenceof poetry.Architectureandpaintingalreadyoccurafter
languagein the open region of saying and naming. 'They are an ever speci poetizing

05
beings
has
happened
in
language
the
clearing
of
which
already
within
unnoticed
-

in
is
Heideggerwritesthat 'the essence
The
of art poetry.
essence
of poetry,
The foundingthat Heideggerhasin mind herehasa
turn, is the foundingof truthv76
.
tripartite function.It is foundingunderstoodasbestowing,asgroundingandas
beginning.This founding,however,only becomesactualin preserving.And it
74Basic Writings: 1999,p. 198
75Basic Writings: 1999,p. 199

66

illustratesa uniqueactualityalso.Everywork of art refuteswhathascomebefore.

Foundingis alwaysan overflowin this sense,a bestowal.

Art hasa directionalso.It doesnot aim to speakinto the indeterminate

void. It
It seeksout a specific,historicalpeopleto
pointsout to, movestowards,its preservers.
into
Heidegger
'trulY
is
As
that
the
writes:
address.
poetic projection
openingup of

historical
for
being
is
human
is
This
the
as
alreadycast.
earthand, a historical
which
its
people, earth, the self-secludingground on which it reststogetherwith everything
that it alreadyis, though still hidden from itself But this is also its world, which
human
For
in
Being.
being
the
to
the
of
relation
of
of
unconcealment
prevails virtue

this reason,everythingwith which manis endowedmust,in the projection,be drawn

up from the closedgroundandexpresslysetuponthis ground.In this waythe ground
77

is first groundedasthebeatringground'

Heideggerarguesthatthis bestowingandgroundinghavean unmediated

identify
by
that
speakingof themasa beginning.This unmediated
character we
fact
includes
the
thatthe beginningpreparesitself for the longesttime and
character
A real beginningis alwaysahead,a leapbeyond,in which
wholly inconspicuously.
is
that
still to comehasbeenleaptover,evenwhenit, or they,are/isstill
everything
veiled.Thebeginningcontainsthe endlatentlywithin itself This genuinebeginning
it
Therefore
the
containsalwaysthe undisclosedabundance
contains
of
awesome.
strife with the familiar andordinary.

76Basic Wtifings: 1999,p. 109

77Basic Mitings: 1999, 200
p.

67

Wheneverart happens- that is, whena beginningoccurs-a thrust,a new

impetus occurs in history. History will begin for the first time or will start over again.
Heideggeris not speakingof history here in the narrow senseof a sequenceof events

historyin the senseof the writing of a peopleand

that occurin time.He understands
their destiny; history as the transportingof a people into their appointedtask and entry
into their own particular endowmentas a people.Heideggerwrites: 'art is history in
the essentialsensethat it groundshistory"'.

And so we find Heideggerreturn to his starting point or source.The idea of art

is
is
leap
Art
Art
the
truth
place
and as such,
where
originates.
a
origin.
of
as a point
Art,
is
is
be
This
founder
to
means.
a
of
an
origin
point
origin.
what
and preserver,
as
leap.
into
being
in
founding
from
its
brings
source
a
out of
essential
something
poetry,

And soHeideggerwritesparadoxically,but clearly:'The origin of the work of art is

that is, the origin of both the creatorsandthepreservers,
which to sayof a people's
09

historicalexistence- is art

Heidgger draws his meditation to a close with the powerful question: 'Are we
in our existencehistorically at the origin? Do we know, which meansdo we give heed

to, the essence

of the origin?Or, in our relationto art, do we still merelymakeappeal
to a cultivated acquaintancewith the past?'80

Martin Heideggerfinally concludesTheOrigin ofthe WorkofArt with a quote

from Holderlin:

78Basic Wtitings: 1999,p. 202

79Basic Wiidngs: 1999,p. 202

68

Reluctantly

thatwhich dwellsnearits origin abandons

the site.
'The Joumey', verses 18 - 1981

As should be clear from our analysisHeidegger'sessayconstitutesa break with

the metaphysicaltradition of understandingart. In that tradition art hasbeen
from
fabricated
have
We
the
thought of the work of
thing.
start
as
a
right
understood
it
have
We
than
something
of
more
conceived
a mere product.
art as somethingelse,
have
bringing
We
together
the
under
rubrics
of
allegory and symbol.
worked with
as a
the dualism of a material content and then a spiritual meaningaddedon, or seenas an

defined
is
dimensions
logic
Art
this
to
the
the
as
material
of
artwork. under
addition
the (re)presentationof the suprasensibleinto the sensible.We have a metaphysical

logic of additionat work here.In termsof language,the phoneticalmaterialto which

is addedmeaning,animalbodyto whichis addedsoul,andthusthe leadingidea
behindthe metaphysicalconceptionof thingsis that the spiritualelementcanbe
As
from
distinct
in
break
Heidegger
tradition.
this
the
material.
marksa
represented
FrangoiseDastur writes, for Heidegger:'the work of art doesnot (re)presentanything:
it is neither representationof somethingelse nor presentationof somethingabsent.It

but, on the contrary,it hasa relationship

hasin fact no relationshipat all to presence,
to the becomingor happeningof truth, to the cominginto presenceof everything.
That is why Heideggerputsthe stresson the initiality of art: the work is a
institution
(Anfang),
(Stiftung),a creation(schaffen))82
an
commencement
-

soBasic Wridngs: 1999,p. 203

81Basic Wfilings: 1999,p. 203
82Dastur: 1999,p, 138

69

Thetemplewouldno longerbe a templeif it resembledanything.It resembles

in
in
The
to
the
the
manner
nothing.
similar
way
which
mountain
resembles
a
nothing

be
instituted
installed.
It
The
to
as
an
or
apriori.
appears
appears
mountain
installmentof thetempleis similarto thatof themountain;on the earth,or afterit? It
is
it
is
different,
Materially
from
the
the
earth
and
made
no
of
stuff
of
earth.
emerges
is
have
here
This
its
We
it
Temple.
the
the
source
of
radical
othemess.
as
except exists
installation of the There. And as Marc Froment-Meuricewrites: 'which precisely is
in
but
takes
there,
giving
place
which
always
available,
arrives,
suddenly,
not
not
first
is
Dasein,
Aletheia,
Heidegger's
There,
The
then
major, and
named
place.
83-)
Open?
beyond
discovery.
What
be
discovered
the
to
only,
remains
even
perhaps

Marc Froment-Meuricearguesfor anotherimplication of Heidegger'sthinking

is
'sense
implications
Heidegger's
He
that
thought
that
the
or
one of
argues
of
on art.

but
be
itself
in
to
alwaysself-affected
never
whole,
presence,
present
meaningwould
is
it
imply
But
"without
that
the
sense".
would also
without alsonot whole,put
with a
is
differently,that thereis no purenon-sense,
that
the
or
without-sense not non-sense,
is
is
the
that
the
to
to
that
thus
always
not
reduced
a
negation
nihilism
or
a
without
and
its
This
the
to
that
to
the
same
means
at
reduce
other
mercy.
also
sense
uses
weapon

time the work is not the final instanceandremainswhat cannotbe passedover,not

becausetherewould be nothingelse,but preciselybecauseby its very breakingit
testifiesfor the otherto whomit refers,without,however,this referencemaking

sen

e84
.

83Marc Froment-Meurice:1998,p. 176

84Marc Froment-Meurice:1998,p. 171

70

Chapter Two:
Remembering the Word after the Shoah in the
Paul
Celan:
A Challenge to Heidegger
poems of
GeorgeSteinerhas written that one of the implications of the Shoah
death
in
Jews
Nazi death-campshas beenthe
the
of
millions
of
of
experience

deathof humanityasrational,'forward-dreaming'speech-organisms.
Whenwe
contemplatehow the death campswere organized,and attempt to approacha
hypothesisfor their motivation, and when we discoverthe deathly efficiency with

left
they
wererun, we are
with profoundquestionsaboutthe natureof
which
human logic as it hasbeenand is orderedin relation to social and psychological

is
Shoah
left
but
We
draw
the
that
a
with no otherconclusionto
circumstance. are
'cancer
legitimately
be
termed
of
travestyenacteduponmeaningfulness
a
andcan
had
Shoah
leaves
The
us with profoundquestionsaboutsomeof what
reason'.
beenhithertothe deepestphilosophicalandtheologicalpositionsachievedin
Westernthought. For theology after the Shoahwe are forced with brutal honesty
to speakof the exit of God from the boundsof human experience.

If thereis to be a recoveryof languageandreasonit mustbeginwithin

if we areto
Geman, the languageof deathitself If languageis to be re-humanized,
begin
its
humanity,
God
to
to
to
must
we
restore capacity address and speak andabout
in the placein which all of thesepotentialitieswerechallengedandeventually
Steiner
has
'reparation
written:
andrestorationcancomeonly from within
eradicated.

71

1
itself
death-idiom
the

TheChallengeto Theology

GeorgeSteineraddressesthe questionof the uniquenesssof the Shoah.There has

beena long history of anti-Semitism in Westernhistory that hasbeenwell documented.

history
hasseenthe deathof millions of
However,asidefrom anti-Jewishness
recent
Russiansin the gulags. We have had many massacreson the continent of Africa by various
have
Minorities
been
dictatorships.
assaultedand attemptsat their annihilation
political
human
junctures
history.
of
made at various

And so Steinerconcludes:'ifthere arequalitativedifferencesbetweenthe

both
history
Shoahandthe innumerableexamplesof mass-murder
which punctuate
beforeandsince,theymustlie very deep:in that symbolicandmetaphysicaltheologicalrealmwhich I wantto point towards'2.

Steinerbegins with St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans9- 12 as a starting

he
framework
Christ
long
for
Messiah
to
the
the
wishes
suggest.
was
point
by
He
Davidic
liberator
Jewish
the
the
people.
was
andsaviourprefigured
awaited
in the PsalmsandIsaiah'svision of the SufferingServant.This MessiahtheJews
hadforetoldin their own Torah,prayersandprophecyandyet theywerethe ones
to handhim overto abominablesufferingthat resultedin his death.Understood
from this perspective,developedin later Christianity,Judaismeradicatedfrom
itself
divine
is
This
the
the mostplausibleof Steiner's
act
of
election.
within
' GeorgeSteiner: 'Me Long Life ofMelaphor. An Approach to the Shoah': Encounter: 1987,p. 56

72

scenarios.

Steiner's secondproposalis somewhatlessreasonable.By their refusal to

Nazareth
foretold
by
Messiah
Jews
Jesus
the
the
their
of
as
own
scriptures
recognize
have postponedthe day of humanities' salvation.By refusing Christ the Jewshave
humanity
history.
from
be
liberated
We
to
the
treadmill
of
our
will
not
condemned

historicalbondage,our enslavement
to the agonies,bloodshedandinjusticeof history
Jewish
Jesus's
the
the
truth
people
recognize
messianic
of
ministry and
until

incamation.

Another version of this scenarioruns: the messianicpurposesof Christ the Son

in
in
His
His
God
accomplished
either
not
earthly
or
sojourn
resurrection.
were
of
Theyareincomplete,a continuousprocesswhich will find fulfillment only when
Judaismentersfreelyinto theEcclesiaof the ChristianChurches.Theywill be
Until
Church
in
tabernacle.
and
areunited a common
whensynagogue
consummated
that dayChristianityitself is a fragmentary,often self-contradictory
andculpable
institution. We respectthe Jew as sacredbecausethe potentiality of the truly
God's
itself
the
to
the
only access
genuinerealisation of
ecumenicalcontainswithin

late
Christ.
Steiner
detects
in
in
the
through
this
strainof argument
promise and
in
Karl
Barth
Jurgen
Moltmann.
the
more
and
explicitly
of
writings
of
writings

Steinerhasonly beenstakingout the groundfor his coreargument.The attack

form
has
been
for
Jewish
in
God
in
the
their
the
of
people not
role crucifying
upon
JesusChrist.Theyhavenot beenloathedasdeicidesbut, moreradically,'as inventor

' Steiner: 1987:p. 57

73

for
is
it
God;
spokesman
andremembrancer
as
of an almighty,all-seeing,allof
demandingDeity. It is becauseJudaismhaskeptmanawake,asdo the Prophetsin the
junctures
in
done
key
Western
For
Steiner
Judaism
has
this
three
at
city".
sleeping

history;firstly, in its inventionor discoveryof monotheism,secondlyin the message

known
in
Christ
Jesus
Marxism
thirdly,
the
andmessianicas
and,
radical
religious
of
has
Judaism
In
three
moments
askedof ordinary women and men more
all
socialism.
than human natureordinarily wishes to give. And in fact, possibly more than
it
is
despise
have
We
thosewho
to
to
able give.
come
organically and psychically
have askedof us a self-transcendencegreaterthan our natural or common limits of
being. Steinerwrites: 'our bate and fear are the more intenseprecisely becausewe

know the absoluterightness,the ultimatedesirabilityof the demand.In failing to

hatreds
fail
it
is
deep-lying
And
that
ourselves.
self-hatreds
we
of
respondadequately,
spring'4.

framework
And it is only sucha deeppsychological,metaphysical-theological
hatred
depth
loathing
the
feels
that
to
Steiner
the
underlay
persuade
us
of
and
that
can
Nazi drive to eliminate the Jew from history through the death-camps.And:

levelsof
It is, therefore,no accidentthat the theological-metaphysical
languageof metaphor,of symbolismshouldbe the foundationandconstant
knowledge,
hasnot only takenusto the
to
the
onewriter who, my
resourceof
difficult
is
far
Shoah-experience,
but
the
this
more
centreof
and
unspeakable
definition
has
located
importantthe
the
that
of
senseof
experiencewithin
and
human
is
the
history,
That
Celan
Paul
among
and
of
speech.
also
of
man,
...
literature
in
German
indeed
in
European
the
tongue,
modem
greatestpoets
(being,perhaps,an evenmorenecessarypoetthanwasRilke); that Celan
is
beside
in
both
his
his
Holderlin
poetryand prose- almostan
alonecanstand
for
Celan's
The
poems
necessary
and
sufficient
extraneous
wonder.
condition
is the situationof all humansayingafterthe Shoah,a situationwhich Celan
lived andarticulatedin the absentfaceof God.In this onesupreme
3 Steiner: 1987,p. 59
Steiner: 1987,p. 59

74

fate
the
of the Jew, the night-chargedgeniusof the German
witness...
language,of the idiom of Auschwitz and Belsen,a profound intimacy with the
Hebraic and the Yiddish legacy,coalesced;and they coalescedaroundthe
central criteria of the theological and the metaphysicalordersof
5
questioning...

Celan's Winess through the Word

Paul Celan was born to a family of German-speakingJews in 1920in

Czernowitz, capital of the Bukovina region, which passedto Romaniajust before his
birth. After Soviet, then Germanoccupationin 1940and 1941,after forced labour,
his parents' deportationand subsequentdisappearance,and the Russians'return in
1944,Celan departedfor Bucharestfirst, then Vienna, before finally settling in Paris
in 1948.In Paris he wrote a body of poetry that questionedthe possibility of meaning,
by
interpersonal
language
to
soiled
communion open a
commemoration,personaland

the travestiesof

hiStorY6.

Theclassicexpressionof suchconcernsin Celan'sbodyof work is the poem

'Psalm'.A cursoryglanceat this poemindicatesits radicallytheologicaland
field
of refeffal.
metaphysical

No-onekneadsus againout of earthandloam,

No-onebespeaksour dust.
No-one.

Praiseunto thee, No-one.

For love of you will
I Steiner: 1987:p. 60.

75

bloom.
we
Toward/against
You.

A nothing
were we, are we, will
we remain, blooming:
No-one's rose.

With
the stylus soul-bright
the dust-threadsky-waste,
the crown reddened
by the purple word, which we sang
above,o above
thoM.
the

As John Felstiner writes: 'The psalm, benediction, doxology, and prayer which

like
in
breath-turnings,
this poemsounds areundercut
abysses
openedbeneaththose
in
Christian
West,
forms.
Throughout
for
Identical
the
"psalm"
words
arealike.
ritual
GermanandEnglish,theyneedno translating- whencethe snareof Celan'stitle. As
for
know
is
his
"Tenebrae",
"Psalm"
But
assume
we
we
what meant.
cannever,
with
this poet,purelyandsimplyline up with the hymnsof lamentandpraisethat have

Israel Chalfen'sPaul Celan: A Biography ofHis Youth: PerseaBooks: New York: 1991
I use Steiner'stranslation.From Steiner: 1987,p. 60.

76

,8

comforted generationunto generation .

Firstly, let us look at someof the influencesbehind Celan's poem in order to

its
field
Celan's
firmer
threefoldconjugationof time will
of
of
allusion.
grasp
attaina
doxology.
Christian
is
for
There
the
also though the echo of a more
some
evoke
liturgy
Hebrew
hymn,
'Adon
Olam'(Lord
the
the
contains
of the
phrase:
ancient

World): 'For He hasbeen,for He is now, for he shall,in radiance,For He is One,no

Other is'. The rose's soul-bright 'pistil', besidesbeing a flower's seed-bearingorgan,
Griffel also meansa stylus and thereby suggeststhat the rose blossomswith the
dust-thread
'waste
Genesis
'The
the
sky-waste'
replaces
earth
of
of
energy writing.
-

heaven
deep
intent
Celan's
this
the
poem.
a
wasted
and
suggests
of
andvoid' - with
The 'crown' or 'corolla' with its associationwith the 'purple' word conjuresthe

bleedingKing of the Jewsin his purplerobe,tying Christ'sagonybackinto Jewish

suffering.

It is
'Psalm' is indebtedto Heidegger'smeditationson nothingness.
indecipherablewithout the pagesof Principle ofReason, Satz vom Grund, prompted
by Leibniz's question: 'Why is there somethingrather than nothing?' Here Lei niz is

benton sayingthe abyssof beingor presence:

theAb-grundandthe Un-grund,the
Celan's
Silesius's
Angelus
the
non-ground.
and
poem
also
recalls
without-grounds
is
blooms
because
it
blooms'.
'The
a
why,
rose
without
phrase:

Thereis, also,a long traditionof kabbalisticspeculationandasceticpiety

behindCelan'schoiceof phrasefor his address:'No-one'. It re-callsa traditionof

' JohnFelstiner:Paul Celan: Poe4 Survivor, Jew: Yale Univ. Press:New Haven: 1995,p. 167 - 168

77

inconceivable,
to
the
unimaginable,unspeakable,anti-metaphorictenor of the
witness
biographer
Celan's
Celan
Israel.
Jewish
that
notes
of
was
reading
works
of
god
in
his
life.
had
bought
in
He
by
Gershom
Scholem
this
point
writings
mysticism at
1957and was studyinghim by 19609. There is an ancient echo in the fonnulaic
liturgical phrase'Praise unto thee,No-One'. It suggestpiety, resignationand rebellion
both
'blooms'
in
in
God
hour
the
towards
that
that
phrase
at
place,
signaled
- and a
blooms 'against' God. The word Entgegensignifies a towards and an opposition.

As Celan attemptsto articulate the nothingnessof the Jew in Auschwitz he

God's
to
the
of
man
prior
nothingness
creating him. This nothingnessechoes
suggests

it
And
individual
the
nothingness
which
constitutes
every
extinction.
with andre-calls
is the very specific nothingnessof the Jewish personand peoplebefore their killers in

history.
HoweverCelanloadsthis nothingness
death-camps
the
of recent
with the
ironically 'in bloom', a terrible flowering
issueof contradiction,of a nothingness
And asPhilippeLacouetowardsandagainstthe 'Nothingness'of God'sabsence.
for 'a
Labarthenotesthereis an irony in a poet'sconcernwith suchnothingness,
it
is
indeed,
but
But
to
to
nothing
say;
pure
wanting
say.
pure wanting-towants
poem
is
that
through
there
against
which
and
nothingness,
presence,
which
nothing,
say

what isi'10.

Thereis the powerfulphrasechosenby Celanin his secondline. Herehe

bespeaking
be
dust,
Shoah:
in
their
the
there
those
of
no
will
of
annihilated
suggests
besprichtunsemStaub'.This echoeswith the storyof God'sbreathinglife
6niemand
into the clay of Adam,to God'ssayingofbeing in the Hebrewscriptures:
9 SeeFelstiner:1995,p. 235
11PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe:Poehy as Experience: StanfordUniv. Press:California: 1999,p. 20.

78

'Besprechen'alsocarriesthe senseof 'to talk about'or 'to talk to' (asoneaddresses

And
becomes:
the
topic).
to
so
sense
no one- not, aboveall, GodHimselfoneself a
Auschwitz,
it
in
the
to
condition
of
speak
speak
will
about
adequatewitness or
will

The
God
from
is
his
in
face
Shoah
the
the
absence
of
of the
silence
commemoration.
lack
dead,
deaths
double
their
a
of
remembrance
a
makes
of
which
unremembered
annihilation.

And this leadsto the stunning reversalof perspectivein Celan's poem.For it is

in
flowering
themselves,
the
the
red
of their anonymous,unspeakable
victims
only
deaths,who can rescueGod from the void of His silence.Theirs is 'the purple word',

blood-soaked
androyal,theirsis the songoverthe thorn,the living mysteryof the
lacerating
Niemandsrose
the
above
murderousness
of 'the thorn'. Celanwritesa
in
is
The
Jew
Shoah
the
the
to
that
nonan
anti-Psalm.
also
speaks
and
against
psalm
listen.
God.
So
long
God,
God
Jew
the
the
of
must
as
addresses
speaking, unspeaking
it is understoodthat a
Thereversalin Celanis incredible.For, if in the Christ-passion
divine being,a Sonof Godandof Man, is held to havedied for man,so in theShoah,
the Jewish people,that 'Root of Abraham, root of Jesse,No- one's' ('Radix,

I
Matrix')l is seen,or understood,to havedied for God,to havetakenuponitself the
inconceivableguilt of God'sindifference,or absence,or impotence.And this is the
does
Celan's
'How
Paul
Philippe
Lacoue-Labarthe
poetry.
asks:
very smallmiracleof
it happenthat in poetry, out of poetry, all is not lost, that a possibility of articulating
if
in
if
in
incomprehensible
and
only
stuttering,
still
only
remains,
an
something

12
idiolect
idiom?
language,
'
incommunicable
an
or

Trans.by AndreaTarnowsId.
II Paul Celan:SelectedPoems:Penguin:London: 1990,p. 187, Trans. by Michael Hainburger

79

The PoetI'sChallenge To Philosophy

The GermanphilosopherMartin Heidegger,whose essayThe Origin ofthe

WorkofArt wasthe centralpreoccupation

of our first chapter,wasno strangerto the
for
Celan
had
Celan
Paul
Heidegger
Philippe
Paul
and,
years,
read
closely.
writings of
Lacoue-Labarthehas written: 'It would be an understatementto say Celan hasread
Heidegger.Celan's poetry goesbeyondeven an unreservedrecognition of Heidegger.
I think, one can assertthat it is, in its entirety, a dialogue with Heidegger'sthought.
And essentiallywith the part of this thought that was a dialogue with Holderlin's
13

poetry'

Paul Celan's copy of Being and Time containedextensivenotes;he was

familiar with Heidegger'sinterpretationsof Holderlin,Trakl andRilke. His poems

in
find
Heideggerian
His
Bremen
Meridian
traces.
and
speeches
shownumerous
Being
history's
toward
though
truest
the
path
only
acutepressure.
under
poetry
Heidegger,for his part,hadsenthis booksto Celanandhadwantedto meethim. 'I
14
he
his',
in
1967
Celan's major biographerin English John
know everything of
said
.
Felstiner has written of Celan's first meeting with Martin Heidegger:'if even some

journalist's insensitivereviewcoulddisturbCelan,it is clearthat an encounterwith

the manwho underHitter wasRectorat Freiburgin 1933- 34, who in 1935declared
Nazism's"inner truth andgreatness",
who in 1936still signedhis lettersHeil Hiller!,
hadhis classesgive the salute,andsporteda swastikapin, andwho paid partydues
has
be
fraught,
1945
this
to
with
man
an
encounter
especiallygiven
until
-

12Lacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 23
13Lacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 33
14Felstiner: 1995,p. 245

80

Heidegger'ssilenceaboutit all sincethe war'15.

Rudiger Safranksi,Heidegger'sbiographer,recordsthe fraught air that

first
details
be
He
Celan
this
the
to
meeting.
reluctanceof
photographed
surrounded
He
Heidegger.
writes of Celan: 'He was impressedby Heidegger'swork
alongside
himself
it.
felt
for
He
himself
blamed
the
time,
attracted
and, at
same
and personality.
it, 16.

He soughthis presence,
yet he forbadehimselfto seek

Despite this deeppersonalinterest of the two men in eachother's personality

is
Celan
is
in
Paul
There
Heidegger.
the
a
strange
no
absence
writings of
and writing
trace of Celan in the writings of Heideggerconcerningpoetry and poetics. We recall

that Celanwasemergingandbeingrecognizedasoneof the foremostpoetsof the

Germanlanguagein the periodthatHeideggerandCelanwerein correspondence.
Heidegger's silenceis more astonishinggiven Celan's consciousattempt to carry

forward,examineandexplorethe legacyof Holderlin,Trakl andRilke. As we have

devoted
Heidegger
tradition
of poetry
muchattentionto.
noted,a

We turn to Celan's well-known poem about his first meeting with Heidegger,

Todtnauberg.

Amica, eyebright,the
draft from the well with the
staffeddie aboveit,

Felstiner: 1995, p. 245

Rudiger Safranski: Martin Heidegger., Between Good and Evil: Harvard Univ. Press: Cambridge,

81

in the
hut,

the line
did
book
the
-whosename
before
mine?
register
the line inscribed
in thatbookabout
a hope,today,
of a thinkingman's
coming
word
in the heart,

woodlandsward,unlevelled,
orchidandorchid,single,

later,
stuff,
clear
coarse
in passing,

he who drivesus,the man,

in,
listens
who

the half-

Mass.: 1999,p. 423

82

troddenwretched
tracks through the high moors,

dampness,
17

much.

The poem re-calls Heidegger'srural retreat where he completedmost of his

It
The
thinking.
an
was
enabling
and
place
of
rural
simplicity
and
solitude.
writing
his
this
through
something
of
conveys
presentationof the essentialsof a plain
poet
homestead,the fountain and stars,the mountain floors, the visitor's book and the
intrusion
idyll
by
is
The
this
tranquility
the
of
of
agrarian-intellectual
menaced
moor.

historyat the outset.This intrusioninto the world of naturealsoaffectsthe very

language
andtherebythe modalitiesof manifestation.The star-die
of
articulation
brings
had
Celan
David.
In
Todtnauberg
to
the
takena
the
mind
star
of
upon water
drink from Heidegger'smuch-photographed
well with its star-shaped
woodencubeon
top, andsignedthe guestbook 'with a hopefor a comingword in the heart'.

The homesteadis a shack.Does it echo with the memory of army-barracks?

This survivorPaulCelaninscribeshis namein a book.It is not a bookof life, but

in
indirectly,
directly
are
all
probability,
names
contains,
of
many
or
who,
rather
like
horrendous
Jews
those
committed
who
crimesandmurderagainst
complicit with
Celanandhis family. Thetraditionalimageof life-sustainingandcleansingwater
from the fountainsis heretransformedinto somethingsuggestiveof weeping.We note
the disablingpervasiveness
of the moistin Celan'spoem.

"Selected Poena: 1990,P. 293

83

During the war in Czernowitz Paul Celan had astonishedfriends by using

botanical terms in severallanguages.Now, like Jew Klein in Celan's prosepiece

18
in
Mountains'
he namesthe naturalworld, andthe particular
'Conversation the
.
flowersnamedsignifyhealing- arnicafor bruises,andeyebrightis a balmhe reis
Arnica
herb
be
for
from
the
a
childhood.
medicinal
and
might
a
cure
called
in
is
There
the
terms
the
poem
closes.
which
poem
with
a
circularity
within
wounding

language
There
be
in
death
form
the
the
might
content.
well
an
echo
camps
and
of
of
leveled
'woodland
They
to
the
typically
the
suggest
chosen
swards'.
poem
are
not
a
of
Celan's
choice of an unusualterm might suggestthe naturally rolling
phenomenon.
leveled
Auschwitz
dead.
that
the
the
was
with
around
ash
of
ground

Theword 'coming' matteredto philosopherand-poetalike. In a 1936essay

lleideggerdescribedHolderlin's senseof a 'new time': 'It is the time of the fled gods
God'19.
Holderlin's
hope
Celan
heartfelt
the
coming
still
awaits
a
word,
of
and

implies.Againhis poemchallengesHeideggernotingthe 'half-/ trod log- / paths'of

their abortedwalk. Heidegger's'WoodlandPaths',showingpoetry'underway'
for
in
language
Celan.
in
Yet,
deft
Celan's
tenn
truth
convinced
toward
a
wordplay,
, log' echoeswith the term 'bludgeon'. Translating his own Night and Fog he had used

thatword for deathcampprisoners'bludgeonedawake'at 5 a.m. Along thepathsof

the GermanlanguageCelancouldonly go halfwaywith Heidegger.

With this poem,Celan'sbiographerJohnFelstinernotes,he madean unusual

20He hadhis Parisprinterdo a bibliophile editionandhe sentthe first copyto
step .
Heidegger.Theresponsewasa letteremptyof anythingbut conventionalthanks.How
Is SelectedPoentsandProse ofPaul Celan: Norton: New York: 2001, Trans.by JohnFelstiner,p. 397
19Felstiner: 1995,p. 246

84

When
Celan
the
philosopher
seventy-eight-year-old
respond?
readied
could
'Todtnauberg'for his nextbook,he madeonechange,takingout 'un - /delayed'.He
for
For
Philippe
LacoueLabarthe
the
this word was
coming
word.
still
waiting
was
"Todtnaubere'
is
language
in
'What
For:
then,
this:
the
speaks
about,
which
vital.
21.
AuschwitZ,
And again,the
Auschwitzwaspronounced,
andwhich pronounced
importance of having this word uttered lay in its being not about 'life, which is always

know,
in
but
Auschwitz,
possible,
as
remained
we
even
existence,
possible,which
22
That
is,
Language.
finally:
'the word that
And
to
relation
speech.
others
poetry,
.
has
its
in
West,
of
redemption,
pathos
the
neverbeenableto say.Theword it remains
for us to learnto speak,lestwe shouldsink ourselves.Thewordpardon'23
.

Heideggerhaswritten of his experienceof a unity with naturein his rural

isolating
it
but
'has
the
and
original
peculiar
power
of
not
us
of projectingour
retreat:
into
Celan
beings'.
For
the
the
vast
nearness
out
of
presence
all
existence
of
whole
howeverthereis an experienceof fragmentationandisolation.The orchidis
but
landscape
in
'orchid
the
ultimately
stands
alone,
andorchid,single'.
replicated
Speechis crudeandmeaningonly dawnson oneafter the momenthaspassed.And
hope
in
for
heart
is
fed
is
left
by
the
that
the
the
grows
not
unfulfilled,
one
'coming/word'that would or shouldspringfrom the sameplace.Celanowesa debtto
Heidegger'sthoughtfor this reference.For the 'coming/word'is a line thatresponds
to Heidegger'smetaphysicaladventism,to his 'coming God', to his On the Wayto
24

Language,which canbring abouta Turn. Celan'slanguageis fragmentedand

halting.He seeksout the thinkerandis unsureof what he finds.Celanstandsbefore
20Felstiner: 1995,p. 247
21PhflippeLacoue-Labarthe:1999,p.37
22phifippe Lacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 38
23phifippe Lacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 38

85

the living personof the Other.Both the thinkerandthepoetmustrespondto the same

historicalconfiguration.Theyareboth calledto responsibility.Whatis interestingis
the figureof the anonymous'man' who is thoughtfullylistening.He is
His
is
driving.
is
he
Does
technological
the
vocation
undistinguished.
poetsuggest
it'?
'with
most

CelanIs Thought on Poetry in the "Meddian -'

One understandingof Art conceivesof it as somethingthat seeksto expand

itsclf; that clamoursto bc expandcd.Art aimsto cffaceits differcnccfrom the things

In
is
(to
beings
is
'proper'
that
the
to
a
way
of
nature.
which
art
art's own, what
and
Unheimlich),is the tendencyto mitigatedifferentiation,andin so doinginvadeand
Or
formulations
We
that
mediate
everything.
everything.
contaminate
recall aesthetic
because
is
Celan
down
throws
of
nature
art.
only
nature
a seriouschallengeto this
implies,
it
his
be
from
what
and
as
can
of
of
art
gathered
a closereading
notion
thoughtfulreflectionon poetry'Meridian'.

Whatcanwe useto bolsterus againstthe estrangement

implied in the
Art?
Celan's
'Meridian'
humble
of
conception
replyto that
a
suggests
aforementioned
What
Celan
about
art.
question
will sayopposesthe Unheimlich,the
ancient
is
T,
'self
the
the
the
various
names
of
art,
under
or
ownown-being:
estrangement
We
'he'
the
of
singularity.
shouldstriveto protectthe creatureandthe
even
human.
but
Poetry
Not
to
the
that
aim
should
shelter
creaturely.
onemanor anotherin
here
in
is
This
drift
Celan's
the
there,
the
and
now,
singular.
man
of
reflections

24Rudiger Safransld:1999,p. 424

86

humanity
in
Theestrangement
'Meridian1,25
that
throughart occurs
of
occurs
and
.
becauseof language.We forgetourselveswhenwe speakin words.Poetry,as
is
in
interruption
language.
Celan's
'every
Something
time'
the
sense,
of
understood
from
is
'art'.
from,
Poetry
the
of
really the suspension
or
preserved
realm
of
removed
language.Poetry occurs when a word appearsin the pure suspensionof speech.T'his
is what Holderlin meansby speakingof the caesuraas 'the pure word'. Poetry, then,

it
Lacouehuman,
And
Philippe
the
the
speaks
of
our
suspension
so,
over abyss.
says
Labarthe will write: 'the place of poetry, the place where poetry takesplace, every
time, is the place without place of the intimate gaping - somethingwe must certainly
(do
the
spacing
pure
which
places
not) sup-poseand which upholds
as
of
conceive

them,with no hold'. Poetrythenis the properabyssof art. It occursin thebetween

is
the
time of
caesuraand alwayssingular,unique.

Celanwritesin the 'Meridian': 'Perhaps,I musttell myselfnow - perhaps

here
between
"wholly
Other"
familiar
I'm
this
term
a
and
using
a
evena meeting
becomes
"other"
distant,
thinkable- thinkableagainand
that
a quitenear
not all
26 As it speaksits own name,or speaksin its own individual cause,speaksin
again .

in
individuation
is
hopes
language
that
the
the
of singularity,of an
radical, poem

is

languageto speak'in the causeof the strange'.It will usethe languageof

itself
itself
However,
Ithe
the
only
self - or
singular reaches
within
estrangement.
here
immediately
'outside'.
For
is
the
an
and
now
singular
of
existence
an
via
(a
date
kept).
We mustsubstitute
be
time
and
another
whose
memory
must
elsewhere
for the topologicaldivision of hereandstrange,nearandfar - which inevitably
23SelectedPoemsand Prose: 2001, p. 401 413
26SelectedPoemsand Prose: 2001, p. 408

87

division
difference
As
Philippe
Lacouethe
unlocatable
of
or
alterity.
places
assigns
Labarthewrites:'In the place(without place)of the elsewhere,an "other" occurs,that
is, a singularexistentin whosename- andthis time, the expressionis apt- the poem
hope
Estrangement
the
speaking.
of
yields groundto the encounter'27
maintains
.

However, as soonas other occurs there is the threat of an absolutealterity, ab-

forbids
impossible
is
immediately
The
the
renders
or
all relation.
other
solute,which
is
As
Paradoxically,
the
to
the
other
unthinkable
same.
withoutrelation
wholly other.
0
detaching
itself
from
has
in
the
the
appears,
same,
same, advance,
soon as other

it
brought
it
back.
is
impossible
It
to think a total unbinding.
and
alreadyrecovered

The sameis itself in relationto the Other.Betweenthe sameandthe other

it
is
by
As
is
Lacoue-Labarthe
"relating
'in
to",
the
there necessarilya relation.
writes:
definitionthemovementof alterationthat predominates.
Or if oneprefers,difference
is alwaysmoreprimitive. Sothat in the relationof the sameandthe otherthereis an
imbalance.This meansthatit is the alterity of the other,the being-wholly-other
of the
in
"duplicity"
institutes
the
that
the sameasa relationto the
other
a
certain
otheror
28.
is
differentiates
it,
The
de-parts
that
the
thus
always
wholly other
other,
other,and
it
it:
it
in,
its
to
the
same,
which
re-lates
receives
mostintimate
rather
as
or
approaches
difference.Sothat the wholly otheris the gift of the otherasthe possibilityof the
for
The
is,
itself
'differance'.
the
the
that
sameof establishing
as possibility
as
same,
does
(the
Subject)
its
to
into
the
a
view
not
go
outside
self
and
pass
other,
with
same
turningandrelatingbackto the self soasto establishitself assuch.But underthe
it
is
itself,
to
the
the
which
of
already
always
gift
other
relates
same the pure
original
27PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 59 60
2" PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 60

88

'intimate
is,
(Lacoue-Labarthe's
the
that
allows
gaping'
which
phrase)
movement
its
'original
hollow
itself
(time)to
the
outside
self
out,to openand
self,
within
spread.

We read Celan's poem 'Your Being Beyond':

God,so we read,is
a partanda second,a scatteredone:
in the death
of all thosemowndown
he growshimselfwhole.

There
our looking leadsus,
with this
half
29

keep
up relations.
we

And thenwe have'On EitherHand':

find my way out.

0 this wanderingempty
hospitablemidst.Apart,

29SelectedPoena: 1990,p. 161

89

I fall to you,you
fall to me, fallen away
from eachother, we see
through:

One
and the same
has
lost us, one
and the same
has
forgotten us, one
and the same
has _ _30

And thusit would seemthat what Celancallsthe encounteris thusfirst the

hollowing out, the intimate gaping of the singularity. The encounteris the original
intimate ecstasyaccordingto which singular being exists. This is why one can say of

it
is
'alone'
that
that
alsotakesplace'in the mysteryof an encounter.
the poem

To speakto the otherbeingor thing - to addresshim or it, is to let whatspeaks

in him or it occur,andacceptthis word in the very heartof the poem(in its
immediacyandproximity) asthe gift of the other.It is to prepare,ecstatically,for the
'presence'of the otherwithin oneself.to allow this intimacyto openup. The otherde-

"SelectedPoems:1990,p. 163

90

in
it
to
that
close
remains
us
and
yet
a
manner
such
makesthe very spacean
parts,
intimacythatrenderspossiblethoughtandword,that is, dialogue.And soLacoueLabarthewrites:'For this reasonthe poemturnswithin itself, to the appearing,to
it
into
is
The
"in
the
the
of
process
appearing";
questions
coming
presence.
very
what
in
it
is
(dialogue),
(the
this
to
the thoughtof the
mode
act),
poetic
proper
poem
(of
is
the
the
thought
other of what present:
of no-thingness
present'spresence,or of

0
1.
is
Being),that to say,the thoughtof time The experienceof the You, the
Being,
than
the
onto
nothing
other
opens
experience
of
of the no-thingof
encounter,
being - which Celan designatesas 'openness', 'emptiness', 'freedom'.

Thepoeticactthenis alwaysecstaticin the originalsenseof that tenn asa

The
The
is
being.
the
transcendence
of
oneself.
exorbitant
pure
of
steppingoutside
it.
is
is
And
to
towards
the
to
turned
to
the
open,
offered
up
u-topia,
open
open
poem
the placewithoutplaceof the advent.Thepoeticact is in PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe's
32
in
is
in
being,
'catastrophiC,
to
the
:
an
upsetting
relation
what
an
upset,
word

(the abyss).And so,afterHeidegger,thereis a challengeto

directionof no-thingness
For true poeticart, in theseterms,is aboutperceivingrather
the art of representation.
thanre-presenting.

TheInterlocution with Heidegger

Heideggerarguesin On the Wayto Languagethat the essentialplaceof a

is
'at
the tip of the spcar'33This placeor
poetic
saying
of
convergence
a
point
poct's
.
PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 65
PhilippeLacoue-Labarthe:1999,p. 67
VeroniqueM. Foti: Heidegger and the Poets: Paiesis,Sophia, Techne:HumanitiesPress:New
Jersey:1992,p. 81

91

'highest
indicates
inner
the
and
utmost'
necessityof the saying.This extreme
point
hidden
to
the
or
converges
responds
with
sourceor origin of the saying
gathering

4;

is
dislocated
into
for
Heidegger
the 'unsaid'.Heideggeris insistentthatthe
which
it
but
forth,
does
the
saying
as
rhythmicafly
of
poetic
surges
abandon
source,
not
wave
rather'lets all the movementof the sayingflow backinto the evermoreconcealed
in
locus
becomes
This
'unsaid'
the
the
and
gathering
origin
point
concealed
of
origin'.

the interlocutionbetweenthe poetandthe thinker.Heideggeris in searchof a

differential unification. A post-metaphysicalmoment, but a post-Hegelianone that no
longer functions within the closed economyof the self-unfolding of the Absolute.

Heideggeris in searchof a placeof unity but onewhich within itself containsthe

powerof transitionandof transformation.

Celanhadhis own relationshipwith Holderlin.It is articulatedin a poemfrom

collection.
a posthumous

I drink wine from two glasses

andploughawayon
the king's caesura
like that one
on Pindar,

Godturnsin his tuningfork

asoneamongthe least
of the Just,
the lottery drm spills

92
34

our two bits.

Holderlinhada particularunderstanding
of the poeticcaesura.It was
formulatedon thebasisof his work on PindarandGreektragedy.He conceivedof it
interruption'
by
'pure
height
'counter-rhythmic
the
the
of poetic
word' which at
asa
transport,allows representationto show itself as such, in its law. The division effected

by the caesurafrustratesboth dialecticalunificationanddecisiveorientation.For

Holderlinthis hasa catharticfunction.It purifiesa tendencyto limitlessunificationby
limitless separation.The gap createdby the caesurafalls outside of the philosophical
economy.

Thedivisionof the caesurais intensifiedby Celan'sexplicit negationof any

inspiration
'draught
the
traceable
of
poetic
of
provenance.
vintage'
of
unified source
Celanis caughtbetweentwo glasses.He is displacedfrom the Westernclassical
inheritance.Holderlin'sGodhasgivenoverthe 'tuning fork' to the inconspicuous
be
itself
just
Jewish
Poetic
longer
to
mysticism.
onesof
meaningno
allows
small
for
by
the
the craftsmanship
of
convergence
acme
prepared
at
of
collected
Heideggerian
poetizingandthinking.It falls, instead,to the dictatesof chance,out of
but
the spinningdrumthat allots destiny- not becauseof the poet'scarelessness
By
in the 'unsaid' hasbecomesuperseded.
becausethe possibilityof the convergence
la
in
Celan
'A
'unwritten
in
the cataclysms
that
things'
pointe
aceree'
of
writes
what?
35
it
is
history
have
into
language
is
'hardened
The
language
that
on
of recent
effect
.
longer
suppleandcapableof the movementof surgingforth andrecollective
no
Heideggerian
let
typical
thought,
so
of
alonethe poet'sor thinker's
confluence
34SelectedPoemsand Prose: 2001, p. 367
35Selectedpoems: 1990,p. 193

93

prescriptivecollectingof meaning.

In virtue of an historicalupheaval,the hiddenthingsof the earth,'the ores

the crystalsjthe geodes',arecastout andlie bare,'crossways',shamelessly
exposed
in disorder.Their exposure'lay[s] barea sky'. This sky is insecure.It maywith the
turning of the breath becomean abyssbefore one's feet. For Celan, there is no

its
history
(the
'killed/chalk
the
of
symbols
of
star') or of
univocalreadingeither
No
for
'from
Heideggerian
turning
or
collecting
saying
can
prepare
out
a
orientation.
We
(to
its
It
'spluttering
tied
to
traces
tracks'
the
are
reading
nonetheless.
abyss'.
of

the siteof the deathcamp)in the quietof the 'forest hour', andquestionswith the
36
'finger
is
thoughts',what unrepeatable
searchingtouchof
.

Thereis an embeddedchallengeto Heideggerhere.For Heideggerthe

disclosivepowerof poeticlanguage,togetherwith its ability to openup the dimension
it
layout,
history.
dwelling
by
human
to
give
and
a
remainsessentiallyunaffected
of
So,from the poetsof classicalGreece,to his contemporaryGermany,downto our
'same'
the
thing without historical difference.
time,
say
essentially
poets
own

However,for Celan,the point of the metaphoricsof home,dwelling,root, or groundis

in
describe
the
the
to
self a disruptionfor which the only obliqueanaloguein
natureof
the traditionof modernityis foundin Holderlin's late poetics.It stemsftom.the
Shoah'sbeinga systematicdestructionof the resourcesandintegrityof the self asthe
for
instilling,
in
'the
Being'
the
the
survivors,of
and,
shameof
sourceof poiesis,
like
Celan,
Westem
idea
Celan's
However,
the
the
residue
useless
of
art.
of
poets
finds
itself
dislocated
devastation,
that
to
the
this
and
one
poetics,
poetry
zeropoint of

31SelectedPoems: 1990,P. 195

94

itself
in
to
reconfigure
responseto the urgencyof another
strivesnevertheless
mandate.

We will look morecloselyat the poem'Engfuhrung'.Celancomposedthis

May
biographer
Celan
1958.
Celan's
between
February
that
and
wrote
argues
poem
this seriesof poemswhen he thought his earlier poem 'Todesfuge' was being

37
by
He
to
too
and
easily
comeup
readily
critics
readers.
needed
and
appropriated
defY
This
the
that
resist
of
would
and
any
appropriation.
was
part
something
with
it,
incapacity
Celan
to respectthe singularity and
conceived
of
our
as
problem
is
It
This
things.
the
poem consistsof nine sections.
uniqueness, un-repeatabilityof

inter-linkedby a repriseof textualfragments.It suggests

the musicalform of the
is
last
fugue.
Amidst
The
the
the
third
the
the
and
part
of
structure
of
stretta
stretta.
interlacingvoicesof the poemCelancreatesa certainpoetic'constancy':what
Martin Heideggercallsa sameness
without identity.However,Celan'splurivocity
'higher
in
The
Heidegger
discerned
Trakl.
the
the
of
accord
univocity'
repudiates
is
focus
discursive
Celan's
to
technique
on
avoid
speech,closureanda
effectof
textual function rather than meaning.And so Veronique Foti can write: Telan's
38

frustrates
diction
unifying and crypto-eschatological.moves'
implacably
poetic

09
first
'The
Straitening
We cometo the
sectionof
:

Driven into the

teffain
track:
with the urunistakable
37SeeFelstiner:1995,p. 118- 119
38Foti: 1992,p. 85

95

grass,written asunder.The stone,white,

with the shadowsof grassblades:
Do not readanymore- look!
Do not look any more - go!

Go,your hour
hasno sisters,you are are at home. A wheel, slow

itself,
the spokes
out
rolls
of
climb,
blackish
field, the night
climb on a
needsno stars,nowhere
doesanyoneaskafteryou.

In this poemwe aredeportedinto a strangeterrain.JohnFelstinerwrites:'we

language
into
be
that
led
the
to
will
of
constitute
straits
reality
explored
are
"Engfuhrung"displacesreality into a text, makingthe poeminto realtime, placeand

40
in
is
into
landscape
is
Through
transported
the
that
one
poem
a
notone
event, .
is
but
The
dwell
humans
We
landscape.
in
that
the
trace.
textual
rather
of
are a
which
first verseendsin a colon,andopenson a descriptivespecificationof terrainand
has
blank
'grass,
This
This
the
trace
terrain
reveals
of
trace.
grass no
written asunder'.
deathinnocence.
Felstiner
is
that
the
the
to
that
argues
traceof rural
grassreferred
of
in
imagery
film
Night
He
Fog
Celan
had
the
translated
that
such
notes
and
camps.
19SelectedPoena: 1990:P. 137- 149
' Felstiner: 1995,p. 119 - 120

96

into German'.In beingwritten asunderthe grasstracesits shadowwriting on the

white stones.

Thereis a directaddress.The implied 'you' is singularandfamiliar. It is given

longer
but
It
decipher
'read'
but
'look'
command.
a
must
no
upon
and
promise
not a
it
HOWeVer,
inescapable.
does
is
into
the
textual
terrain
that
Must
go
not allow
what

itself to be read.This imperativeis not theHolderlin oneof go andgreetso asto

in
hour.
it
into
Rather
hour
the
time-space
a
sisterly
which
and
achieverecollection
drives the one who is addressedis cut off and unrepeatable.As Foti writes: 'if what is
is
forth
(also)
(Celan's
is
the
to
throughout
go
poem
poetry
self-reflective
commanded

is
in
is
home
it
the
time-space
of
a point of
origin
at
which
andself-problematizing),
.
effacement'42

Celan'spoemseemsto be at homein andmustgo forth from a destinaltime

hour
has
The
to
the
reference
refasal.
of
no referenceto the calendarand
space
and
but is insteadrolling blindly 'out of
the clock,to the layingout of timesandseasons,
itself. As the spokesclimb, revealingandinscribing,theyconveya 'blackishfield'
insteadof a play of light. The night herehasno starsby which onemight find
destitute
And
is
for.
this
the
time
or
poem
of
poet
not
asked
orientation.

Nowhere

doesanyoneaskafteryou-

The placewheretheylay, it has

41Felstiner: 1995,p. 119
42Foti: 1992,p. 86

97

it
has
name
a
none.Theydid not lie there.Something
lay betweenthem.They
did not seethroughit.

Did not see,no

spokeof
words.None
awoke,
sleep
43

cameoverthem.

Thefact that the poemis nowhereaskedfor appearsto be linked to a failureof

By
Celan
the
of
name
erasure
and
an
place.
means
poem
naming,
of
poetic
disclosive
the
the
about
questions
representational
raises
characterand
paradoxically
Celan
between
language.
thing.
the
challenges
assumed
and
reciprocity
word
of
power
that thosewho lay or did not lie in a namelessplacein the textual
His poemsuggests
language
trace
the
experienced
as opacity rather than as granting disclosure.
terrain of

Whentheyspokeit was'of/ words' only.Not oneof themawoketo the powerof the

logos.All that cameto themwassleep.Which shutthemout from anysortof
temporalecstasy.

Came,came.Nowhere
anyoneasks-

"'Selected Poena: 1990:p. 137 139

-

98

it is1,1,
I lay betweenyou, I was

open,was
breathing
ticked
audible,
at you,your
it
is
obeyed,

I still, but then

44
you areasleep.

Among the echoesof sleep's coming and of being nowhereaskedfor, another

first
insistence
directness
itself
the
the
the
of
of repetition and
with
coming announces
is
That
tense
the
which,
coming
arrival.
present
whose
essence
and
-a
personsingular

'lay
its
is
its
Being
the
its
in coming,reveals openness
and constancyof
whatalready
but sustainstemporalityandinterconnection.
Even
betweenyou'. It is unrecognized
had
It
this
ticking
oblivion
an
remained
audible.
experienced
astheysleptand
breath
force,
it
life
For
Was
the
the
their
touch.
of
sleepersresponded.
awakening
beyond
be
lifeless,
However,
the
to
as
of
now,
sleepersappear
spirit, or speaking?
from
debarred
the
opening.
and
recall,

It is I still years.
Years,years,a finger
feelsdownandup, feels

around:
here
palpable,
seams,

44SelectedPoents: 1990,p. 139

99

it is split wide open,here

it grew togetheragain - who

"
it
covered up?

It is a call to
Whatis the call that assertsitself throughyearsof darkness?
bear
finger,
in
intimate
A
The
to
call
witness.
a very personaland
remembrance.

feels
its
into
image,searches
theterrainof memoryandexploresthe
own
around,
way
it
have
has
Does
We
touch
tissue?
the
that
on
scar
sense
of
a wound
gapingwound.
been coveredover and coveredup. The gestureappearsto be ambiguous.It is both
compassionateand concealing.

Coveredit
up- who?

Came,came.
Camea word,came,
camethroughthenight,
wantedto shine,wantedto shine.

Ash.
Ash, ash.
Night.
Night-and-night.- Go
46

to the eye,the moistone.

45SelectedPoem 1990,p. 139
46SelectedPoena: 1990,P. 141

100

What'cmne' irrepressibly,at last,wasa 'word'. A wordthat dispelledsleep.

A word thatrenderedmanifestwhatthe
A wordthatpenetratedthe darkness.
in
finger
discovered
dark.
Felstinerwrites:'It maybe Christthe light
the
searching
thattheJewsrejectedand/or a languagethatpassedthroughdarkness- thesetwo
histories converge'47Somecommentatorsarguefor the central significance of this
.

Seeing
in
fonnat
the
the
the
sequence
poem.
of
of 4+I+4
section

we reacha vital

transition betweenthe two strophesof this poem. We are at the poem's and the
The
in
its
is
to
centre.
word,
which
exact
coming
sought
shine,
suffocated
sequence's

by ashesandby night closingin uponitself, which repudiatesall illumination.At its

T,
'you',
has
'they',
but
'we'
the
no
or
poem
a singleword 'Ashes'.The poem
nadir
hadsetout on a questfor remembrance
andwitnessanddoesnot simplyleavethe
it.
Rather,
following
it
it
'look'
'go',
the
to
still
approached
command
presentas
and
in
by
bears
is
in
its
to
the
a
new
way,
going
witness
moist eye,which,
now
weeping,
incapableof luminosityandpanoramicvision.

Oncewe haveabandoned
anynotionof harmony,andacceptthatmeaninghas
how
itself,
is
its
the
from
we
witness
poetic
taskof
word
released
withdrawn
illumination.Whenit entersinto the depthsof mourningit abandonsthe fiery element
dark,
illumination
the
turbulent
It
into
and
enters
waters
of
a
primal
sea.
encounters
of
Within
begins
the
disseminate
itself
the
to
poem
whirlwinds.
word
and
with a
storms
bewilderingprolixity. And thusthe sixth sectionof this poemis the longestandhence
in
discuss
it
two
parts:
will
we

47Felstiner:1995,p. 121

101

Go
to the eye,
the moistoneGales.
Gales,from the beginning of time,
whirl of particles, the other,
you
know it, though, we
it
in
book,
the
was
read

opinion.

Was,was
How
opinion.
did we touch
eachother- eachotherwith
these
hands?

Therewaswritten too, that.

Where?We
it,
put a silenceover
stilled with poison,great,

a
green
silence,a sepal,an

102

ideaof vegetationattachedto it -

green,yes,
attached,yes,
undera crafty
sky.

Of, yes,
48
vegetation.

Whatemergesfrom theword asit issuesout of mourning?Thereis a total

breakdownof languageandits driveto articulacy.We arepresentedwith a textuality
the fit
devoidof sense.Celandeniesfonn, andindirectlyanyHeideggerianessencing,
introduces
Celan
Although
'you'
cosmos.
a
andpoignantlyaddresses
orderof any
them,we canspeakof the constitutionof a new 'we'. And so,the personof the other
is
them
the
communion
with
severelyproblematized.
and possibilityof

The 'we' of the third stropheindicatesno communitybut ratherthe speaker's

implicationin a culturalwork of dissemblingandsilencing.Whatthis silencingand
'poisonThe
the
terror
to
the
was
recognize
of
refused
nihilistic
vision.
concealing
Heideggerian
to
tropesastheresoundingof stillness,
mind
such
calls
silencing
stilled'
Celan'sthematicof the
the stilling of pain,or the stilling of man'sunprotectedness.
cgreen"and'plantlike' alludepossiblyto the Heideggerianinterpretationofphysisas
&W
for
for
happening
Being,
the
very
of manifestation,to the mythologyof soil
a word

48SeleCied
poena: 1990,p. 141- 143

103

be
These
intellectual
to
are
seen
compelling
cultural
and
constructs.
rootedness.
and
The speakerdoesnot entirelydissociatehimselffrom them,but seesthemstill as

formsof denial:

Yes.
Gales,whirl of particles, there was
time left, time
to try it out with the stone- it
was hospitable,it
did not cut in. How
lucky we were:

Grainy,
grainy and stringy. Stalky,
dense;
gray and radiant; kidneyish,
flattish and
lumpy; loose, tangled -: he, it
did not cut in, it
spoke,

dry
to
spoke
willingly
eyes,beforeclosingthem.
Spoke,spoke

Was,was.

104

We
let
would not go, stood
in the midst,a
porous edifice, and

it came.

Cameat us,came
throughus,patched
invisibly,patched
awayat the last membrane
and
the world, a millicrystal,
shotup,

UP.
shot

49

Beforetheterrifying vision onerealizesthat the pathwhich leadsto the moist

have
issue.
We
fissioning
time,
is
the
whirl
rush
of particles
and
eye a path without

it
left
language.
The
is
'to
fissioning
for
try
the
only way
now
of
poeticword
andthe
is
hardness,
The
Its
the
stone
not
plantlike.
stone'.
resistance,andopacity
out with
language
in
its
diaphonous
to
the
of
characterization
resistance
recall earlier
'through'
it,
it.
to
the
effort
speak
continual
or' across'
prescricingand

The speakingwhich'leavesbehindthe moist,quasi-vegetative

realmof
andmourning,achievesa synchroniccrystallization,a spatialization
remembrance

41SeleetedPoena: 1990,P. 143 - 145

105

itself,
be
interpreted
Mallarmean
This
time
can
of
as
a
pure
poetry.
solidification
and
in
the
sixth strophe,consistsof strings of adjectives
as
presented
stone-speaking,

both
forms
inorganic
of
organic
and
naturewithout anygrowth
which conjoin
historicity,
order,
or
other
evidence
of
withoutthe metaphysical
principle,narrative
is
The
structure,
and
without
subjectivity.
erasure
of
subjectivity
subject-predicate
indicated by the shift from the genderedpronoun er (referring to the stone)to the

in
the
pronoun
es
neuter
seventhverse.
ungrammatical

What is the price for continuing to speakand to affirm Being, of reconstituting

the cosmosas a 'thousand-crystal' out of poetic language?It is a distancing from

hospitable
The
involvements.
life
interrupt':
'did
thus
stone
no mourning
not
ordinary
disrupts
its
dry
'to
the
serenity
anguish
of
speaking
eyes'that,
or metaphysical
however,it eventuallyclosesto the concernsof the times.In the seventhpart of 'The
Straitening'Celanvoicesdissatisfactionwith the crystallinepurity andconsummate
formal play of purepoetry:

Shotup, shotup.
ThenNights,dernixed.Circles,
greenor blue,scarlet
squares:the
its
inmost
world puts
reserves
into the gamewith the new
z

hours.- Circles,

106

red or black,bright
squares,no
flight shadow,
no
measuringtable,no
50
in.
smokesoulascendsorjoins

The emphatic 'then' in the reprise of the seventhsection allows the crystalline
has,
impossibile,
into
darkness
that
the
to
per
separated
out
a prism
very
appear
world
formal
The
displays
its
which
world
crystallized
and
colours.
consummate
of spectral

inmost'
in
its
hours'.
form
'pledges
'new
The
the
play
with
of the poem
structurenow
balance
betweensenseandsound.This poetry
the
is dependent
constantly
shifting
on
back
its
for
Is
to
the
this the powerthat
to
word
ordinary
power
restore
naming.
aims
hours'
(hours
longer
'without
initiate
'new
thus
the
no
a new
sisters),
and
releases
temporalorder?

Whatthis crystallinecosmosexcludes,however,is shadowandsmoke,aswell

human
The
flighty
encounter.
of
meaningful
shadow
absence
of
a
possibility
asany
bringshomethe ghostlyinsubstantialityof this poetic'mobile' of geometricsimples
in
it
does
but
(and
insubstantial),
itself
is
so
paradox,
since
shadow
andpurecolours
importance
in
the
tracc-writing
the
of
shadow-writing
and
off
sets
constitutionof
also
for
The
table
the chartingof the meridiansof
text.
allows
plane
the poetic
Thereis the obviousreferenceto the crematoria,but alsoperhapsto
interconnection.

50SelectedPoents: 1990,p. 145

107

ExOdus17.21-22,andagainto certainHeracliteanfragments(137,B98) concerning

theneedof the psycheto orientitself by smellin a smoke-worldwherevision fails. It
is clearthat shadowandsmokearenot to displacethe lucid articulationof the world
language,
but
to takepart in it, to 'play along'.
constitutedout of

Ascendsor
joins in -

At owl's flight, near

the petrifiedscabs,
near
hands,
fled
in
our
the latestrejection,
above
the rifle-rangenear
the buriedwall:

visible, once
more:the
grooves,the

choirsat that time, the

psalms.Ho, hosanna.
So

108

therearetemplesyet. A

star
probablystill haslight.
Nothing,
is
lost.
nothing

Hosanna.

II

At owl's flight, here,

I'

day-grey,
the conversations,
51
of the water-level traces.

As the smoke-soulmountsandplaysalong,onefinds oneselfreturnedto the

hour
flight.
in
(not
fleeing
twilight
the
the
the
trace
the
owls'
of
and
gods)
terrainof
Fledalsoare'our hands'(with which 'we/ graspedeachother'); andthe crystalworld
Whatbecomesvisible
hasbecomethe mineralrealmof a petrifiedleprosy/outcasting.
in andby the place/timeof outcasting,however,is 'above' the buttsfor targetpractice
death
Night
Resnais'
the
buried
the
closure
of
and
surmounting
the
camp.
wall,
on
Fog showedtheyardof Block Elevenat Auschwitzwith its infamousblackwall
'shieldedagainstthe ricochetof bullets'52.The naffow channelsthat showthemselves
intoning
by
'the/
that
time',
the
at
choirs
of psalms,the stammering
anewareopened
ho'
'ho-siannah',
brutal
'ho,
for
divine
the
to
as
cry
a
salvationandmercy.
response
like
the gloriousOsannain excelsisin Bach's
411110sanna"
shoutswelcomeandpraise,
51SelectedPoem: 1990,p. 147
52Felstiner: 1995,p. 123

109

B Minor Mass. But in Psalms,the Hebrew term means'Save [us] pleasel' (118: 25).

Celan's'Ho, ho-/ sanna'reducesto a stammeror derisivelaughter,with echoesof the

Germanmarchingsong'For we areHitler's brown-cladhost- Huzza,ho-ho!'

What is interesting is that neither the poisonedsilencing nor the terrifying

is
If,
(one)
then,
temples
stand
reinstated.
perhaps
still
or
star still
a
nihilistic vision
has light - if in this sense'nothing is lost' - this suffices for the repudiation of
however,
Celan,
is
negation.
not voicing any simplistic
nothingness,of nihilistic
is,
frail
hope.
It
deported,
the
the
after
all,
word
of
condemned,and
acquiesenceand
dying - the word spokenin extremity as prayer and cry, seekingan Other - which
for
Heideggerian
that,
the
without,
all
accomplishing
any
channels
etched open

institutingandfounding.This powerof theword, at onceslight andawesome,is

insists
is
being
highest
lucidity
'here',
by
the
that
on
whose
a
poetizing
preserved
iffecusable'gray' of the day,andwhich doesnot takepart in anyexaltedand
in
but
interlocution
traces,
rather
a
conversation
and
of
of remembrance
prophetic
is
life-sustaining.
traces,
the
of
what
nevertheless,
witness-

(-- day-grey,

of
the water-leveltracesDriven into the

teffain
with
the umnistakable
track:

110

Grass.
Grass.
)53

written asunder.

This last section,entirely in parentheses,is itself a reprise of the opening -a

instead
but
the
that
close
circle
cannot
subjectsthe openingversesto greater
repetition
fragmentationandattrition.It servesto call into questionthe achievement
of the
in
duction
into
does
This
traced
the
and
as
poem.
calling
question
whole straitening
form,
but
through
to
throughthe
correction
any
as
content,
or
about
vision,
not come
haltingreiterationof the situationaldetenninates,
resultingin a retracingof the trace
In
'The
Straitening'
Rilke's
to
many
appropriation.
ways
all
responds
resists
which
jubilance
'sings
Duino
andpraise'andtraffics with 'the endlessly
tenth
elegy,which
dead',especially'the Mothers'.Celan'selegyhasnoneof the Orpheanpowerso
has
happened
in-between.
Much
Rilke.
characteristicof

Theductionled first from a time/spaceof refusalandfrom the needto casta

basis
linguistic
from
the
the
of
memory
and
myth,
on
which
self of
counter-light
fissioning
disarticulation,
fonned,
language
brink
to
the
to
the
of
of
and
atrocitywas
failure
formal
From
there
this
toward
of
any
coherence
was
a
move
pure
nihilism.
language
the
the
that
cosmos
of
out
of
re-creation
avoidsanyrhetoricof
creation,
As
Foti
'poisoned
or
renewal
as
modalities
nature
of a
tradition,prophecy,
silencing'.
he
in
in
Telan
1966,
to seekto present
as
notes
conversation
continues,
writes:
"excerptsof a spectrum-analysis
of things",showingthem in the multiplicity of their

53SelectedPoena: 1990,p. 149

III

how
facet
in
to
also
one
showing
veers
release
another,
quasi-dialectical
aspects,
formal
However
be
this
this
play,
poetic
mathematics,
must
permutation.
restoredto
the obscureterrainof the trace;geometryof itself (evenin its Platonicversion)is not
height
daring
It
to
the
the
respond
and
of the word of thosewho in their
ethical. must
language
brutalization
into
the
transmuted
very
of
one of prayer and
extremity,

invocation'54In the hearingof their word (,they, - asCelanhimselfindicatedin his

.
late poetry- arenot limited to thevictims of theHolocaust),Heidegger'sposition,
that the destitutionof the ageremainswithheldandhasnot, assuch,cometo
is
language,
And
by
have
this
untenable.
so,
and
means,
we
an ethical
experience
Heidegger's
In
to
philosophical
position.
utmostabandomment
andthrough
corrective
thematrix of languagetherearisesthe mandateof extendingoneselftowardthe Other,
dstudying'the Otherin his or her otherness.

JohnFelstinerhaswritten about'The Straitening':'by far Celan'smost

demandingpoem, [it] camejust after theBremenspeech,which endswith the poet
"strickenby andseekingreality". He told an interviewerin Bremen:"In my first book
I'll
do
"
things
"Engfuhrung"
that
transfiguring
never
again!
still
reconceives
was
"Todesfuge",
of
goingbeyondthe pathosof blackmilk,
the mannerandmatter
dimension
itself
The
the
trauma.
as
a
of
memory
original
poem'sclose
exploring
its
is
into
the
And
there
way
memory
opening,
almost
coincides
with reality.
melds
here,
Not
does
to
miss.
easy
only
else
an asteriskcomeafter eachsection,
something
but thereis alsoan asteriskbetweenthe title andthe first line -a mark devoidof
link
"Stretto's"
[Felstiner's
last
Celan's
to
translation
title]
we
are
of
purposeunless
line to its first andsetout again,da capo.Repeatthis to the six-millionth degree,and

54Foti. 1992,p. 96

112

"Nothing is losf'. '55

A Summary:

Our questioningmustreturnto the breakbetweenthis 'spiritual' poeticsand

Heidegger,
For
Heidegger.
a major poet's poetic saying remainsobedientto its
that of

inner
'highest
to
thinking
necessity
an
essential
utmost'
necessity
which
and
own
does
Heidegger
for
What
the
the
offer
reason
necessity
of
approaching
responds.

interlocutionbetweenthe poetand
&unsaid'andwhy might therebe a necessary
thinker?Somethingof Heidegger'sthinking on this canbe graspedby Robert
Bernasconi'scommentsconcerningthe 'experiencewith language'thatHeidegger
in
his
George's
Wort':
Tas
meditation
to
on
possible
poem
seeks make

Theexperienceof the nothing[which 'pointsto Being'] arisesin the anxietyin

deprived
is
Nothing
for
The
Being
of
speech.
are
not
we
a
word
which
... for
lack
to
the
thinker's
the
experience
corresponds
of a word
of
nothing
this breakingof the sequence
Being.This speechlessness,
of wordsfor Being,
historically
be
to
asmarkingthe endof the succession
of
understood
comes
56
for
Being
within metaphysics.
words
An essentialculminationandtransformationis thusannouncedin whathas
failed to evercometo languagebut hasbetrayeditself throughthe rupture,the
Heidegger
One
through
the
this
circumlocutions
which
of
approaches
caesura.
for
is
it
is
'the
The
('saying')
lacks
the
Being;
word'.
word
not a
word
essentialunsaid
beingto which a word canbe affixed,andhenceit is not its essence
asBeingwhich
hasbeenwithheld.The word is a markerof Difference,of the donationof Beingout
is
it
brings
Heidegger
is
the
to
to
pass esgibt, which, as
careful note,
of emptiness;
55Felstiner:1995,p. 125
56Foti: 1992,p. 96

113

divestedof 'the wholespookaboutthe it (es)957

.

languageor 'saying' alonecan

Since,on Heidegger'sunderstanding,
in
its
breakage
Open,
Being,
donation
the
and
the
can
also,
very
of
of
and
accomplish
failure, let this donation appearas such,poetizing and thinking, as privileged fonns of
by
by
The
in
the
to
the
thinker
or
challenge
rupture
presented
proximity.
saying,stand

it,
differential
Heidegger
is,
task
the
then,
understands
or polemic
of
as
caesura
World,
Earth
it
be
the
technical,
and
of
and
of poetizingand
art
of
unificationfuture.
This
the
the
the
past
withheld
of
promise
with
unconsummated
thinking, or of

differential
integration
is,
for
by
him,
task.
the
spiritual
properly
avoidanceof ellipsis

However,Celan'sown prominentthematizationof rupture,of the possible

is
for
thinking,
the
spiritual, at odds
andevenof
taskswhich remain poetizingand
does
Celan's
Heidegger's.
the
thinker
on
work
not
offer
pointsof engagement
with
his own terms.As Foti writes:'For Celan,the rupturethat definesthe contemporary
historical
in
intellectual
but
It
the
is
and
provenance.
subjects
essential
not
situation
in
Western
tradition,
the
which, of course,poetizingand
culturalconstructsof
It
be
hermeneutics
implicated,
to
whatmight calleda
of suspicion.
thinkingremain
language
inviolate,
Being
for
leave
bestows
furthermore,
the
to
word which
refuses,
devastation.
dislodged
bestow
Poet
imperceptibly
to
thinker
are
and
canveeralmost
for this preeminence
hasnot beenethical"".
from their normativepreeminence;

Whatcanwe expectfrom the poet?We do not expecta wanderingstepanda

from
darkness.
defines
Rather,
transition
the
trail
given
are
of
out
of
a
we
which
word
57Foti: 1992,p. 97
5gFoti: 1992,p. 97

114

the 'finger-thoughts'that explorethe terrainof the traceto bearwitness,to persevere

in remembrance,
andto respondto the creativeword of thosewho daredto namewhat
Heideggermight call the god(s)or the holy in the situationof desolation.Throughthe
language
itself
Celan's
to the
to
matrix
of
poetry
seeks extend
screenandcrystalline
Other,
'all
the
repudiating
while
oracles' and any essentialunification.
othernessof

Violenceand Poetryfrom Northern Ireland:

We will now placesomeof the abovereflectionswithin a contemporary

illustrate
look
We
in
their
to
possible
relevance.
closelyat a poem
will
order
context
his
from
1979
Field
is
Work.
It
'The
Toome
Heaney's
Seamus
volume
called
of

Rod'. It begins:

OnemorningearlyI metarmouredcars
in convoy,warblingalongon powerfultyres,
broken
camouflaged
all
with
alderbranches,
59
headphoned
in
and
soldiers standingup turrets.

Herethereis a presentation
of the visible consequences
of violencewith the presence
landscape.
known
The
force
dwells
details
the
the
the
poem
of
upon
upon
of an alien
instrusionsothat the intrusivedimensionis exactlywhat standsout. The poetasks:
'How long weretheyapproachingdownmy roads/ As if they ownedthem?' The
fixity,
its
behind
this
suggests
a
question
a
rootedness
within naffativevoiceand
voice
locationthat standsagainstthe observed,intrudingforce.The poetenumerates
a list

51SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround.- Poenu 1966- 1996: Faber:London: 1998,p. 150

115

knowledge:
intimate
local
that
of solid possessions suggest

I hadrights-of-way,fields,cattlein my keeping,
tractorshitchedto buckrakesin opensheds,
silos,chill gates,wet slates,the greensandreds
of outhouseroofs.

Given the poet's emphasisupon the local and familiar we are struck by the poem's
invisible,
'the
We
this
to
The
note
untoppled
omphalos'.
refers
poet
ending.
brings
Greek
turn,
this
a note of
strange
word, omphalos,which
significant poetic
by
intrusive
local
is
the
the
the
suggested
alien
against
set
and
and
othernessagain,
is
What
the
and
permanence,
stages
poem
an
assertion
of
possession
car.
armoured

individuality,
the specificnatureof the omphalosstandsasa
the
throughwhich
The
of
all
narratives
ancientassociations
against
of
usurpation.
momentof resistance
it
is
beyond
the
cuffentconflict, yet
the word omphalossuggesta pennanence
between
it.
have
So
the
located
specific
we
an
excellent
movement
within
precisely
both
burden
the
the
of
word omphaloscarrying
successfully
andthe general,with
demands-60
poetic

60For a moredetaileddiscussion
NorthernIrish poetryseePeter
of thisissuewithincontemporary
MistakenIdentities:PoehyandNorthernIreland-.ClarendonPress:Oxford:1997,p. 58
MacDonald's
-72

116

Chapter Three:
Through the Eye of the Shoah:
The Shibboleth in Paul Celan
Heaney
Seamus,
and
Shibboleth
Onedidn't know the nameof Tarzan'smonkey.
Anothercouldn't strip the cellophane
Froma GI's packof cigarettes.
By suchminutiaewerethe infiltratorsdetected.

By the secondweekof battle

We'd becomeobsessed
with trivia.
At a sentrypoint,at midnight,in the rain,
An ignoranceof baseballcouldbe lethal.

The morning of the first snowfall, I was shaving,

Staring into a miffor nailed to a tree,
Intoning the Christian namesof the Andrews Sisters.
'Maxine, Laverne,Patty'.

Michael Donaghy

'Mchael Donaghy:DancesLearnedLastNight. Poems1975-1995: Picador:London: 2000, p. 19

117

New York poetMichaelDonaghy,now living in London,

Contemporary
from
is
background
hailing
Irish-American
originally
an
cultural
well placed
although
belonging,
the
to exploreandexamine natureof c'ultural
andits opposite,exclusion.
'Shibboleth'with its biblical title from his collectionof the samenameexploresin a
death
how
discrimination
in
life
'in'
and
operates
separatingout an
group
situation of
from an 'out' group. The poem suggestshow this can occur at various levels of

by
his
As
the
the
the empoweredgroup
presents
scene
poem
group
excluded
culture.
did not know the name of Tarzan's monkey; a shallow cultural signifier indeed,but
define
American
twentieth-century
to
not
a
member
one
as
of
culture.
popular
enough

in
This exampleillustrateshow what oneknows,one'sinsideknowledgeexpressed
the languageof a culture,communicates
your familiarity with its dimensions,or not.
Thenthereis the secondarylanguageof thebody;one'sway of actingor carrying
in
his
Donaghy
this
conveys
poemthroughthe actionof openinga packetof
oneself
This
be
in
way.
might
enoughto give the gameaway,andsignify
cigarettes a certain
onetsoutsiderstatus.

Again,somethingasculturallyspecificasbaseball,anda knowledgeof its

history
border
horizon,
barrier,
can
operate
as
a
magical
and
a
a
or
as
rules,players
initiated
the
are,asopposedto the alien,the strange,
crossingeven,signifyingwho
base
Something
lies
foreign
the
those
the
that
who standoutside.
of
at
the
and
anxiety
final
belonging
inside
define
in
is
the
the
to
as
oneself
on
communicated
of this need
first
In
The
two
the
the
the
verses
present
actions
poem's
of
group.
empowered
verse.
final versewe meetfor the first time the voiceof the solitarynarrator.He is anxiously
is
in
his
knowledge
he
be
to
the
popular
of
culture order
readywhen
at
rehearsing
it
By
this
the
that
author
subtly
suggests
tested.
means
maynot be too long beforethe

118

it
be
its
long
How
turns
on oneof own members.
will
groupmakesa mistake,or
beforewe areall subjectto a scrutinythatmayprovefatal?

impetus
its
Thethematicof theshibbolethin contemporary
poetryreceives
from the corpusbequeathedto us by the life and writing of one Paul Celan through
One
best
like
'Shibboleth'
the
the
others.
significance
and
of
commentators
on
poems
Celan's
body
has
been
in
French
Paul
thinker
and
of
work
writer,
the
shibboleth
of
2

in
his
Celan'
Derrida
'Shibbolethfor
Paul
Jacques
major
essay
entitled
philosopher
.
Before we move on to an extendedanalysisof Derrida's essaywe will look at one
first
from
is
Seamus
Heaney.
The
the
the
poetry
of
poem
exampleof a shibboleth

Heaneypublishedin North (1975)called'SingingSchool'.Thetitle

from a sequence
in
is
first
is
Fear'.
It
'The
Ministry
the
the
sequence,
of
of the specificpoem,
dedicatedto fellow poet,critic andold schoolfriend SeamusDeane.

The Ministty of Fear

for SeamusDeane

Well, asKavanaghsaid,we havelived

In importantplaces.The lonely scarp
Of St.Columb'sCollege,whereI billeted
For six yearsoverlookedyour Bogside.
I gazedinto new worlds:the inflamedthroat
Of Brandywell,its floodlit dogtrack,
The throttleof the hare.In the first week
2Jacques
Derrida:'ShibbolethforPaul Celan, Trans.by JoshuaWillner,WordTraces:Readingsof
paul Celan:(ed.) Aris Fioretos,JohnHopkinsUniv. Press:Baltimore:1994,p. 3- 72

119

I wassohomesickI couldn't eveneat

The biscuits left to sweetenmy exile.

I threwthemoverthe fenceonenight
In September1951
When the lights of housesin the Lecky Road
Were amber in the fog. It was an act

Of stealth.
Then Belfast, and then Berkeley.
Here's two on's are sophisticated,

Dabblingin versestill theyhavebecome

A life: from bulky envelopesarriving
in vacationtime to slim volumes
Despatched'with the author'scompliments'.
Thosepoemsin longhand,rippedfrom the wire spine
Of your exercisebook,bewilderedme Vowelsandideasbandiedfree
blowingoff our sycamores.
As the seed-pods
I tried to write aboutthe sycamores
And innovateda SouthDerry rhyme
With hushedandlulled full chimesforpushedandpulled.
Thosehobnailedbootsfrom beyondthe mountain
Werewalking,by God,all overthe fine
Lawnsof elocution.
Haveour accents
Changed?'Catholics,in general,don't speak

120

As well asstudentsfrom theProtestantschools'.

Rememberthat stuM Inferiority
Complexes,stuff thatdreamsweremadeon.
'
'What's your narne,Heaney?
,6TJ, a

'
Father.
Ileaney,
'Fair

Enough.'
On my first day, the leather strap
Went epileptic in the Big Study,

Its echoesplashingoverour bowedheads,

But I still wrotehomethat a boarder'slife
Wasnot sobad,shyingasusual.
On longvacations,then,I cameto life
In the kissing seatof an Austin Sixteen

Parkedat a gable,the enginerunning,

My fingerstight asivy on her shoulders,
A light left burningfor her in the kitchen.
And headingbackfor home,the summer's
Freedomdwindlingnight by night, the air
All moonlightanda scentof hay,policemen
Swungtheir crimsonflashlamps,crowdinground
The car like black cattle,snuffingandpointing
The muzzleof a sten-gunin my eye:
'What's your name,driverT
'Seamus...'

121

Seamus?
Theyoncereadmy lettersat a roadblock
And shonetheir torcheson your hieroglyphics,
'Sveltedictions' in a very florid hand.
UlsterwasBritish, but with no rightson
The English lyric: all aroundus, though

We hadn'tnamedit, the ministry of fear.3

Seamus Heaney

Thoughtheyhaven'tnamedit, symbolicfor their not havinggraspedits

Heaney
Deane
being
into
initiated
the
the moresof
young
and
essence,
are
violent
their community.Theyarebeingsentto schoolto learnthe languageof a society.In
this schooltheymustbehaveandstudyhard,or paythe price for it. Sometimes
is
its
having
been
deserved
least
There
out
regardless
of
meted
at
are
or not.
violence
two violent dimensionsto the communitythat HeaneyandDeanearebeingschooled
in. Thereis theviolenceof the religiouseducationtheyboth received.It is an almost
The
'billeted'.
Big
There
is
beating
in
the
term
the
the
author
uses
regime.
military
Study.Thereis alsoan implicit suggestionof the driving underground
by thereligious
authoritiesof the naturalexpressionof sexualurge.The illicit natureof sexuality
in
intimacy
Heaney's
Austin
Sixteen
the
an 'act of stealth'also.And thenthere
makes
is theviolenceof the state.Its representatives
mansentrypostswith sten-guns.
by the throttling of the hareat the dog-track;
Violenceis endemic.This is suggested
its blood-lettingis part of an animalnature.

3 SearnusHeaney:OpenedGround.- Poems1966 1996: Faber:London: 1998, 134 136

p.
-

122

Whatis almostasstrikingis the linguisticdimensionto the schoolingprocess.

How Heaneyemphasizesin the poem the vital role languageplayed in defining arenas

domain
'hobnailed
His
belonging
the
of
culture.
and
struggle
within
of conflict, of
boots' area symbolfor his fanningbackground.Thebootssymbolizewhatis rough
lacking
the
the
town,
thereby
city and attendantnotions
refinement
of
and
ready,
and
is
from
He
'beyond
the
importance
supremacy.
mountain, a potent signifier of
and
of

He is outsidethe pale.This mountaincontrasts

his strangerstatus,his outsiderness.
is
image
for
This
lawns
the
'fine
cultivation required
of
elocution'.
a
poient
the
with
has
its
is
it
tamed.
a
site
where
suggests
everything
place
and
of civilization.

Socialdivisionis signifiedthroughthe languageandspeechof the individuals

hints
Heaney
that
the
saw
at
snobbery
their
communities.
social
respective
and
lookingdownsnootilyupontheir lesswell-spokenCatholicneighbours.
Protestants
He usesdirectspeech,andthis is appropriategiventhat the focusis uponspeechand
languageandhow theysignify socialdivisionandsustainthem.This is pickedup on
is
Heaney,
happy
his
in
fact
The
the
the
that
fronts.
school
name
are
with
priests
two
is
he
Catholic
The
is
to
them.
for this signifiesgood
stock
reverse exploredwhen
block.
is
The
'Seamus'
by
the
the
at
road
name
a potent
soldiers
confronted
in
him
for
it
defining
their
as
an
enemy
eyes,
signifiespapist,
shibboleth,now
fact
italicizing
by
Heaney's
foreignness
strangeness,,
a
emphasized
and
republican,
for
frontier.
is
It
Gaelic
'Seamus'
the
the
term
translation
at
or
their pronouncingof
incident.
is
is
interesting
What
'James'.
to
the
this
English
note
author'ssettingof
the
is
in
idyllic
There
the
a
to
Justprior
confrontationwe are an almost
pastoralsetting.
descriptionof a quietlate summers
eveningwith Heaneyreturninghomeafter
intrusive
feels
forces
is
lover.
the
his
One
that
the
the
action
all
of
state's
meeting

123

is
for
There
drawn
between
then
this.
the world of
a
strong
contrast
morepotent
natureandthe world of culture.

Thereis an irony in the descriptionof the soldier'sbeingunableto readthe

for
Heaney,
define
Deane
'hieroglyphics'.
They
to
to
this
they
sent
soldier
are
poem's
in
belonging
between
linguistic
that
once
again,
an
arena
community
of
shared
a

HeaneyandDeaneis determinedoverandagainstthat of the soldier.The irony in this

is one that the poet is not slow to draw out, which is that the languageHeaneyand
Deaneare using hasbeentaught to them by the occupier. Ulster might be British but

invaded
have
her
language
her
it
in
in
territories
their
and
made
own an act of
some
dominant
force.
the
the
paradigm
of
within
subversion

Derridabeginshis essayShibbolethforPaul Celanby emphasizingthe

is
It
happen
Through
that
this
something
circumcision.
of
can
only
once.
uniqueness
his
in
Derrida
the
that
the
this
note
conveys
sounds
preoccupation
with
essay
means
He
the
the
the
unique
and
antiunrepeatable.
examine
singularity,
will
of
nature
that emergedbeforethe SecondWorld War that resultedin the deathsof
Semitism.
death
German-speaking
the
Celan's
Paul
specifically,
of
as,
as
well
poet
many,
himself
Derrida
This
Particularly
the
to
that
concern
will
with
war.
resistance
parents.
boundaries,
into
for
him
last
force
the
of
a
consideration
world war challenged
will
impose
In
light
boundaries
history
to
the
and
sought
others.
and
recent
of
many
lines
is
forced
demarcation
He
Derrida
discrimination.
to
contemplate
of
and
atrocity
By this meanshe will beginto approachthe
is interestedin passportsandpasswords.
Shibboleth.Languageitself possesses
shibboleths,hiddencodesthat allow us
belong,
language
do
Through
For
we
or
not.
assoonaswe speakwe
passageway.

124

learn
have
When
is
to
talk
we
common.
we
accessto a communityandthe
utterwhat
languagethat it speaks.

The Origin of the Shibboleth

JacquesDerrida in his essay'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan' will considerfirst the

for
13'h
its
February.
it
date,
In
the
of
example
appearance
appears
outward
calendar
from
has
It
distinct
the
be
actual
writing
of
a
poem.
to
a metonymic character,
designatingpart of an event or a sequenceof eventsby way of recalling the whole.

Whenwe speakof the 13thofFebruarywe arereferringto a part of whathappened

on
that day, a part though that standsfor the whole in a given context.

An exampleis givenfrom Celan'spoem'In One'. Theopeningline of this

February'.
The
'in
is
'all
'Thirteenth
of
one',
at once',severaltimesat once,all
poem
in
date.
in
However
being
the
this
to
uniqueness
of
all alone,theonly
constellate
seem
Is
date
February?
For,
is
there
than
thirteenth
the
thirteenth
this
more
one
one?
of
one,
becoming
its
thereby,
February
year,
every
recurs
each
year, very own revenant.
of

Couldit be alsothat thereis a multiplicity of events,dispersedat differentperiods,in

foreignidioms,that conjoinat the heartof the sameanniversary?

IN ONE
Thirteenthof February.Shibboleth
Rousedin the heart'smouth.With you,
peuple

125

de Paris.Nopasaran.4

Derridaconsidersthe openingof this poemto be ciphered.Thirteenwe know

hasan idiomaticreferenceto fateor chance:whatfalls - for goodor for ill - together.
The poem announcesthe desireto con-signand co-sign a multiple singularity. The
its
date
first
line. All this is incorporatedinto the poem. They
into
the
of
title moves

it
is
that
they
the
to
poem
are,
although
a cipheredaccess.
give access

There is a sensein which all of Paul Celan's poetry is untranslatable.This

becomesapparentassoonaswe considerthe aporiain Celan.An aporia.is a barred

in
is
'No
Quite
It
this
through
the
poem
suggested
quickly
phrase
Pasaran'.
passage.
Celanconfrontsusby meansof this poemwith four languages.In a singlepoem,all
languages
four
like
these
move
a seriesof propernamesor signatures,
or even
at once,
like the faceof a seal.

Thetitle, the dateandthe first line arein Gennan.The secondline confronts

language,
Hebrew
'heart's
in
the
that
the
apparently
second
word,
arises
a
one
uswith
mouth':shibboleth.

This secondlanguagecouldwell be a first language,the languageof the

from
language
heart.
Shibboleth
The
the
the
of
origin
speaking
and
of
word
morning,
Phoenician,Judeo-Aramaic,
Syriac.It hasa
is foundin a wholefamily of languages:
by
it
is
traversed:river, stream,ear of grain, olivemultiplicity of meanings which
however
it
has acquired the value of a password.It
Beyond
these
twig.
all
meanings

4 Paul Celan:SelectedPoenn: Penguin:1990,Trans.by Michael Hamburger,p. 207

126

border
The
during
the
war
at
meaning
and
after
crossing
of
a
under
watch.
used
was
it
The
did
the
the
to
matter
as
much
the
as
way
was
pronounced.
relation
not
word
of
defeated
Jephtah
The
thing
the
to
was
suspended
or
neutralized.
army
of
meaningor
the Ephraimitesand,in orderto keepthe soldiersfrom escapingacrossthe river, each
known
Why?
Ephraimites
Because
to
the
say
shibboleth.
were
personwas required
for their inability to pronouncecorrectly the shi of shibboleth, which becamefor

an "unpronounceable
nmne';theysaidsihholeth,and,at that
them,in consequence,
to the sentinelat therisk
invisibleborderbetweenshi andsi, theybetrayedthemselves
These
They
the
death.
thus
re-mark
a
could
not
mark
at
coded.
events
occurred
of
borderof the river Jordan.

With the fourth languageof Celan'sstrophe,afterthe Frenchof 'Peopleof

Paris',we areplacedat anotherborder.The phraseis Nopasaran.The dateis
February1936andthe electoralvictory of theFrentePopular.We areon the eveof
by
la
Pasionaria,
Franco,
Phalange
No
the
to
to
the
no
supported
civil war. pasaran:
MussoliniIs troopsandHitler's Condorlegion.This Phrasebecamea rallying cry and
for
later.
Madrid
became
No
three
during
the
years
siegeof
a shibboleth
pasaran
sign
for
for
their
the InternationalBrigades.And yet, what
Republican
allies,
people,
the
it,
despite
Second
World
War,
the
the
this
passed
was
war of
cry,
what
passed
Civil
War
dress
Spanish
The
The
Spanish
the
was
phrase
rehearsal.
extermination.
becomesa rallying sign,a typeof handclasp,a signof membershipandpolitical
watchword.

into our hands

he spokethe word that we needed,it was

127

shepherd-Spanish,...
in icelight of the cruiser 'Aurom'... 5

We havethe Germanlanguage,theHebrewword andthe Spanishphrase.

Among them we have the Peopleof Paris:

With you,
peuple
de Paris.No pasaran.

date,
The multiplicity of languages
the
mayconcelebrate,
same
all at once,at
the poeticandpolitical anniversaryof singularevents,spreadlike starsoverthe map
henceforth
by
fall
Europe,
the
conjoined
and
a
secret
affinity:
of Viennaandthe
of
in the sameline by anotherpoem,
fall of Madrid,for both citiesareassociated
'Shibboleth';andstill othermemoriesof February,the beginningsof the October
Revolutionwith the incidentstied not only to the cruiserAuroraandto Petrograd,but
last
Fortress.
Paul
The
Peter
'In
One'
the
to
and
stanza
of
recalls other
also

unforgettablesingularities:

'Aurora':
the brotherlyhand,wavingwith
the blindfold removedfrom
his word-wideeyes- Petropolis,the
roving city of thoseunforgotten,

5SelectedPoems: 1990:p. 207

128

Tuscanly
was
close to your heart also.

6
Peaceto the cottages!

Even within the habitation of a single language,French for example,a

discontinuous
swarmof eventsarecommemorated
all at once,at thesamedate.This
dimensions
the
takes
type
the
on
strange
character
of
a
of unheimlich,or
consequently
The
date
itself
date
for
to
the
predestination.
comes
resemble
a
shibboleth,
of a cryptic
for
to
the
to
this
collocation,
access
configuration
memory.
of
places
ciphered
a
gives

if wejust focuson Celan'suseof 'February'we canmakesomeconnections

On
failure
Deffida
February
1934,
France,
the
twelfth
the
suggests.
of the
of
after
with
Common
Front
form
February
Right,
Doriot,
the
the
to
a
of
with
of
after
riot
attempt
6, a hugemarchtook placein Paristhat spontaneously
regroupedthe massesandthe
leadershipof the partiesof the left. This wasthe origin of thePopularFront.

However, Celan doesspecify the thirteenth of February.We think of February

13th,1962andCelanwasin Paris.This is the dayof the funeralfor theMetro

Charonnemassacre
victims,an anti-OASdemonstrationat the endof the Algerian
days
Parisians,
Two
hundred
Paris,
Several
the
thousand
people
of
aremarching.
war.
lead
begin
Evian
Paris
to
the
These
the
which
are
accords.
meetings
people
of
after
Commune,
In
band
the
the
together.
the
people
with whomonemust
peopleof
still
date,
the
same
nationalandcivil war, the endof oneandthe
the sameevent,at
beginning- as the beginningof the other.

6 SelectedPoena: 1990:P. 207

129

Thepoemnamesthe rallying cry thatbringstogetherall the political situations

brought
in
borders
We
historical
together
that
the
the
are
configuration.
poem's
along

is
that
the shibboleth,the theme,meaningandcontentof the
talking
a
visa
about
are
date's
Shibboleth
the
alsospells anniversary
singularpowerof gathering
poem.
together.This anniversarygrantsaccessto the date's memory, its future, but also to
the poem itself Derrida writes: 'Shibboleth is the shibboleth for the right to the poem

its
it
the
that
own
a
shibboleth,
moment
shibbolethat
very
which callsitself
7.
Celan
For
dramas
the
these
signifying
others
and
conjunction
of
all
commemorates
historical actorsconstitutesthe dated signature,the dating of the poem. When we
functions
in
how
the
the poem we are not at the moment at
shihboleth
recognize

be
Rather
it
to
the
the
cryptic.
shibboleth
secret,
passage
remains
ceases
which
'the
Derrida
that
to
this
writes:
poem
as
only
unveils
secret
confirm
and,
uncertain
thereis somethingsecretthere,withdrawn,foreverbeyondthe reachof hermeneutic
heterogeneous
interpretative
It
the
to
totalization,
all
remains
eradicating
exhaustion'8.

hermeneuticprinciple.Derridawrites:'thereis no onemeaning,from the momentthat

longer
date
is
no
a soleoriginarymeaning'9
there
andshibboleth,
.

At this pointDerrida.reachesthe crux of his meditationon the word shibboleth

in
is
it
functions:
'a
if
it
the
how
the
word
shibboleth,
shibboleth,
one,
names,
and
broadestextensionof its generalityor its usage,everyinsignificantarbitrarymark,for
between
difference
becomes
difference
the
that
shi
and
phonemic
si,
as
example
discriminative,decisive,anddivisive"O.The differencehasno meaningin andof
itself However,this differencebecomeswhatonemustknow how to recognizeand
7 JacquesDerrida: 'Shibboklhfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 28
8JacquesDerrida: 1994:p. 28
9 JacquesDerrida: 1994,p. 28
10JacquesDerrida: 1994,p. 28

130

is
if
border
to
to
to
the
one
geton, getover
of a placeor the threshold
aboveall mark
legitimate
habitation
language.
the
to
granted
see
oneself
asylum
a
or
of
of a poem,

Deffidawrites:'to inhabita language,onemustalreadyhavea shihbolethat one's

disposal:not simplyknowthis meaningor knowhow a wordshouldbe pronounced
(thedifferenceof h betweenshi andsi: this theEphraimitesknew),but be ableto say
it as one ought, as one ought to be able to say it"'. So it has an unavoidable

dimension.
perfonnative

We are dealing with a type of marking. The difference betweenshi and si has
it
is
Yet
be
the
ciphered
mark
which
one
must
able topartake ofwith the
no meaning.

differential
be
inscribed
in
is,
in
that
this
power
must
oneself,
one'sown
and
other,
body,just asmuchasin the bodyof one'sown language,andthe oneto the same
is
There
'natural'
'its
Derrida
As
this.
the
nothing
very
other.
about
notes:
as
extent
in
in
linguistic
participation
a
cultural
a milieu of
and
community,
origin presupposes

12
but
Then
does
an
alliance'
shibboleth
in short
cipher
something,
not
apprenticeship,
.
it
keeps
from
itself
in
becomes
the cipher
that
non-meaning
where
reserve,
emerging
of the cipher.

PaulCelan'swork, like that of JamesJoyce,indicatesa multiplicity and

language
languages
being
here
the
the
the
within
presented,
of
example
migration
four
languages
His
the
within
one
poem.
of
poemsarea poeticversionof the
presence
towerof Babel.In the poem'CROWNEDOUT' with the referenceto the 'ghettoRose'andthatphallic figureknottedin the heartof the poem('boundphallic to you")
that is alsoits lastword, its addressandenvoy:
JacquesDerrida: 1994,p. 28
JacquesDenida: 1994,p. 29

131

And an eartharises,ours,
this one.
And we send
downward
noneof ours
to you,
13

Babel.

The poem's addressand envoy certainly, but what appearsto be said to Babel is that

it.
be
to
addressed
nothingwill

We aredealingwith a multiplicity of languages

andtheir migration;and,as
for
defined
boundaries
too
the
languages
can
of a country,
shift andmove,so
As
borders
transported.
transfer
oftenshift, change,migrate,
andare
countries'
Derridawrites:'it displacesitself like thosenamesandthosestoneswhich onegives
detached,
hand,
hand
is
hand
from
the
to
too,
and
given,
andwhatgets
asa pledge,
itself
in
the
the
together
the
tom
pledge,
can
gather
anew
symbol,
away,
sundered,
14
imparted
imparted
the
the
the
the
word,
migration
word'
of
alliance,
promise,

back
togetherripped
apart,
grows
what
you've got themnow, sotakethemnow, so now you've got
themboth,
the nwne,the name,the hand,the hand,
sotakethemandthis pledgewill stand,
he takesit too andyou've got back
13SelectedPoemsand Prose ofPaul Celan: Norton: New York: 2001, Trans.by JohnFelstiner,p. 193
14JacquesDerrida: 1994,p. 30

132

what'syours,whatwashis,

windmills

drive air into your lungs, you're rowing

We arestruckby the imageof the windmill. The windmill might symbolize

itself
holds
from
illusion
it
draws
Language
as
much
of
and
as
wind
chanceand risk.
breath and spirit, from the breathingbestowed.This is illustrated within the body of
its
Osip
There
Russia
to
the
through
references.
of
many
are references
this poem

Mandelshtarn
andto Moraviaandthe Praguecemetery.With the referenceto
thereis a referenceto the emigrationof the countryitself andof
'Normandy-Niemen'
its name.Like language:

is
it
called,your land
what
backof the mountain,backof the year?
I knowwhat it's called.

it wanderseverywhere,like language,
throw it away,throw it away,
then you'll have it again,

the pebblefrom
the MoravianBasin
15
your thoughtcarriedto Prague.

15SelectedPoemsand Prose of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 203 - 204

133

Derridanotesthatthemultiplicity andmigrationof languages

occurswithin
languageitself We can speakof the Babel within a single language.Shibbolethmarks

for Derridathemultiplicity within languageandinsignificantdifferenceasthe

language
However,
in
take
meaning.
can
only
on meaning relationto a
conditionof
border,
house,
By
the
to
mean
relation
we
a
country,
place
or threshold,as any
place.
from
in
general
within which, practically and pragmatically,
site, any situation

fonned,
contracts,codesandconventionsareestablished
which give
alliancesare
institute
insignificant,
bend
language
it,
to
the
to
passwords,
what exceeds
meaning
it
a moment of gestureand step.
of
make

Derridaemphasizes
the heterogeneity
of languagehere.Untranslatabilityis
difficult
by
the
passage
suggested
nopasaran,the aporiaor the
connectedwith
impassethat isolatesonepoeticlanguagefrom another.Babel,though,is alsothe
beyond
hope
impossible
of transaction,tied to the multiplicity of
possiblestep,
inscription:
languages
the
the
of
uniqueness
poetic
within
severaltimesin one,several
is
The
languages
act.
poem unique,in itself anotherdateand
in a singlepoetic
in
idiom,
it
forges
'in
seals
and
a
single
one', the poetic events,a
shibboleth,
languages
dates.
and
of
equally
singular
of
multiplicity

Whatwill alwaysremainuntranslatable
within this poemarethe marked
differencesof languages
within the poem.Thereis a doingthat cannotbe reducedto
knowing.Celan'smarkingis a settinginto motionof the differences.As Derrida
here
does
'the
by
translation
again,
not
resist
shibboleth,
reasonof some
writes:
in
it
but
by
forms
that
the cut of a nonsignifying
of
secret,
virtue
which
semantic
differencein the bodyof the written or oral mark,written in speechasa markwithin a

134

16.
incision
itself,
On bothsidesof the historical,
markingthevery mark
mark,an
border
linguistic
(a
border
is
different
the
the
and
never
natural),
political,
meaning,
known:
the
word
shibboleth
are
of
asriver, earof grainandolive twig. One
meanings
it
be
know
how
Yet a singletrial will determinethat some
should
pronounced.
can
it
heart's
the
can,
pronounce
others
cannot,while
with
mouth.Somewill not pass,
line
the
the
the
the
of
place,
of
country,
while otherswill pass
of
community, of
-

in
language,
in
languages
takes
a
place
aspoems.
what

For Derrida every poem has its own language.Every poem is one time alone
its own language,evenwhen, and maybe especiallywhen, severallanguagesare able

however.Thepoemmaybecomea
to crossthere.Thereareno guarantees
be
watchtower,onemay endowedthroughthe poemwith the vigilanceof a sentinel,
onemayseewell. However,the valueof the shibbolethmayalways,tragically,be
inverted.Thegoodwill of menmaysometimescountfor naught.As Derridanotes:
'Watchwordor passwordin the struggleagainstoppression,
exclusion,fascism,and
its
differential
it
is
the conditionof allianceand
also
corrupt
may
value,
which
racism,
it
discriminatory
limit,
the
the grillwork of policing, of
a
of
making
poem,
of

17
normalization,andof methodicalsubjugation' . Whatis strikingis how Celan,aswe
develop
this
to
through
see,
work
a way of speakingto the Other,to the
will
shall
different
the
andthe opposite.
strange,

16JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994:p. 32

"Jacques Derrida: 'Shibbokthfor Paul Celan': 1994: 32 33
p.
-

135

The Centralityof Dates

Theword 'Shibboleth'speaksin effectof the threshold,of the crossingof the
threshold,of that whichpermitsoneto passor to cross,to transferfrom onethreshold
to another:to translate.We find this word in the secondline of 'In eins'. We recallthe
'Shibboleth'
its
is
both
In
took
the
title
that
there
word
as
also.
a
poems
earlier poem
They
in
by
February
the
of
events.
anniversary,
are
sealed
and
similar configuration

boththereis a linking of capitals,ViennaandMadrid,andof Paris,Madrid and

Petropolis.No pasaran alreadyfigures in close conjunction with shibboleth. We are
dealing with the memory of February 1936- 1939,althoughneither date nor year
appear.

Heart:
heretoo revealwhatyou are,
here,in the midstof the market.
Call the shibboleth,call it out
into your alien homeland:
February.Nopasaran. 's

in
Celanseemsto be speakingof an essentialstrangeness,
of an estrangement
is
home.
being
There
home,
being
at
suggestion
a
called
of
not
also
of
onetsown
from
home
in
homeland
from
homeland,
'shall
the
or
away
one's
not'
one's
away
border
in
This
threatens
every
crossing
secures
and
out
and
of
oneself
pass,which
is
in
date,
in
in
the
the
the
re-marked
of
shibboleth
of,
month and the word,
moment
February.
18SelectedPoem: 1990,p. 97

136

Thetwo poemsbeckonto oneanother,kindred,complicitous,allies,but as

differentastheycanpossiblybe.Theybearanddo not bearthe samedate.A
from
in
the
to
the
passage
one
other the difference,within
shibbolethsecures
date,
between
Feber.
in
Februar
They
the
the same
same
and
speak,
of
sameness,
language,two different languages.They partakeof it.

Let us pausefor a momentwith the word 'partaking'.We aresuggesting

a
is
difference.
line
It
demarcation,
that
the parting of the waters,
a
of
names
word
is
divided
because
it
is
that
as
participation,
as
well
caesura
which
sharedor
scission,
held in common, imparted and partakenof Derrida will speakof the imparted or

both
In
is
S-B-L,
transmitted
and
symbolon.
cases
of
a
as
shihholeth
pledge
partaken
/
in
'he
the
word
to another, spoke
our hand'.A word or a pieceof a word,the
is
divided
in
This
two
to
tessera.
partof an object
sealan alliance,a
complementary
the momentof engagementof signing,of the pactor contract,of the promise,of the
ring.

What is important here is the role the signatureof the date plays. Beyond the

it
it
be
detachable
the
marks
and
of
which
which
would
event
propername,
singular
its
thus
the
calling,
of
of
and
recalling,
outliving
vanishedasvanished, very
capableof
like
less
it
title,
together,
a
a
more
or
apparentandsecretconjunctionof
ash, gathers
in
future
the
of,
and
which
partake
will continueto partakeof, thesame
singularities
date.We cannotassigna limit to sucha conjunction.It is determinedby the futureto
it.
No
fracture
knowledge
by
definition
testimony
promises
or
exhaust
a
could
which
its deciphering.

137

For Celanthe dateis a witness,but onethat mayblessit vAthoutknowingall

for
it
bears
is
It
for
those
that
and
of
whom
witness.
possiblethattheremay
which
of
for
last
be
The
'Aschenglorie':
longer
this
witnesses
witness.
of
any
words
no

No one
bearswitnessfor the
witness.

19

Folded or refolded in the simplicity of the singular, a certain repetition Derrida

'internal'
in
the
the
and
minimal
readabilityof
poem,even the absence
arguesassures
have
knowledge
or
of
anyone
signatory
concerning
a
who
might
some
of
of a witness,
the historicalreferenceof the poeticlegacy.The word shibboleth,for Celan,seems
derived
from
its
language
have
that
this
to
meaning
or
of origin: river, earof
not
indeed
It
it
in
the
that
the
two
takes
other
or
poems.
meanings
on
grain,olive-twig,
it
is
is
incalcuable,
it
there
there
something
shibboleth,
of a crypt; remains
signifies:
doesnot conceala singledeterminatesecret,a semanticcontentwaiting for the one
door.
behind
What
incises
key
holds
the
the
poemmarks,what entersand
a
who
in the fonn of a date,is that thereis a partakingof the shibboleth,a
languages
date
(signature,
The
closed.
and
open
moment,place,gatheringof
partakingat once
functions
It
is
there
that
as
a
shibboleth.
always
shows
somethingnot
singularmarks)
irreducible
is
there
that
to anyconcept,to any
singularity:
ciphered
a
shown,
knowledge,evento a historyor tradition,be it of a religiouskind. Thepoemspeaks,
be
intelligible,
its
Other,
to
the
than
the
one
references
none
of
none
should
other
even

19SelectedPoemsand Prose of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 261

138

it
him.
if
it
in
itself
Even
it
to
that
to
speaks
whom addresses and whom speaks saying
it doesnot reachandleaveits markon, at leastit callsto, the Other.Addresstakes
place.

Within a language,in the poetic writing of a language,there is nothing but

date
it
Like
the
the
and
name
pennits anniversaries,alliances,returnsand
shibboleth.

if
is
there
trace,
the
even
no
subsistentpresenceof a remainder.
commemorations
'Tubingen, Janner' is at once a poem, a date and a signature.Like a shibboleth,it
takes into its consignmentenigma and memory, citing the enigma:

Their - 'a

Riddle,what is purely arisen'-, their

memoryof
floatingHolderlintowers,gull
20
enswirled.

have
Ta Contrescarpe'
'(Quatorze1juillets
We
)'21.
in parentheses,
writes
...
hence,
is
language,
July 141celebratesa political
French
what
and
untranslatable.
the
in
Maybe
The
anniversaries
anniversary
anniversary.
general.
andrevolutionary
by
the
the
revolution,
of
revolutionary.
and
return,
marks

Wenotealsohowthe'(Quatorzeljuillets)' is writtenwith ans.In its dis...

The
insists
inaudible
the
this
the
mark
of
plural
on
plurality of rings.
orthography
20SelectedPoemsand Prose of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 159

139

do
the returnof the sameoriginalJuly 14th
anniversaries not signalonly, necessarily,
Othermoreor lesssecretevents,otherrings,anniversaries,
andalliances,other
date.
A
the
perhaps
of
same
parenthesis
partake
setsalongside:aside.The
partakings
in
j
Ijuillets.
'quatorze
'(Quatorze
Et
sets
aside,
reserve,
other
uillet':
sameparenthesis
)'
The
itself
de
However
to
the
poem
opens
many
other
anniversaries.
neufautres.
plus

'I don't know' it forcesus into beforeall the possibilitiesindicatesa situation.Ile

knowledge.
beyond
As
it
is,
Derrida
'it
writes:
and
writes
speaks
writes,
what
poem
first of all, this very fact, that it is addressedand destinedbeyondknowledge,
inscribing datesand signatureswhich one may encounterand bless,without knowing
date
What
dealing
is
beyond
blessing
they
or
sign'22
of
what
we
are
a
with
everything
.

throughforgettingor the unimpartedsecret,partakingyet

knowledgecommemorating
in the unimpartable.The 'Quatorze/juillets'form the cut of an unrepeatable
singuMty.

In manywayswe witnesshow this poemcontainsmanydatesor signsof other

14'h.
July
We
date,
14'h,
July
then
to
think
this
come
not asa
with
associated
of
events
dateof public andpolitical historybut moreperhapsasa datewhich signsin secret.it
We
in
'Conversation
this
that
the
the
particular
of
poem.
re-call
advent
signals
Mountains'alsosays:'andJuly is no July"'. This occursin the courseof a meditation
is
Jew,
Jew,
name
the
whose
unpronounceable,
nothingof
sonof a
who possesses
on
Like a date,what is properto the Jew
his own,who hasnothingthat is not borrowed.,
is to haveno propertyor essence,
or identity.It is worth asking,doesCelanopena
identity
beyond
the
of
confines
politics?
space
21Glottal Stop: 101poems by Paul Celan: WesleyanUniv. Press:Hanover: 2000, Trans.by Nikolai
Popov andHeatherMcHugh, p. 16
22jacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1995,p. 37
23SelectedPoem and Prose of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 398

140

We havementionedbeforewhatwe havedesignated
as 'constellations':the
heterogeneous
singukrities that are consignedto the starry configuration of a
several

bring
back
We
'constellations
dated
November'.
This
to
the
time
mark.
mind
of
single
theyareassociated
with an earnot of grainasin shihboleth,but of com:

WITH THE HAILSTONE, in

therust-blightedear
of maize,at home,
obedientto the late,the hard
Novemberstars:

the
woveninto your heart-thread,
conversationof worms-:

bowstring,
from which
a
your arrow-scriptwhirrs,
24

archer.

its
Monthsreturnhere,MarchandSeptember
The
especially. monthand return
it
becomes
to
the
reference
year,
and
without
so
a sign,a wayof
mentioned
are
its
date,
deportation.
is
What
is
the
the ring and
partaking
and
off
re-called
marking
fateof all archivalrecording.As Derridawrites:'A datemarksitself andbecomes
itself
from
in
freeing
is
It
it
the
singularity
only
which nonetheless
recalls.
readable
its
its
ideality;
body
becomes
in
ideal
an
object:alwaysthe same,traversing
readable

24JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan1 1994:p. 38

141

by
the differentexperiences
which point to or constituteit, objective,guaranteed
it
forgetting
forgetting
but
is
into
ideality
the
This
carries
memory of
memory,
codes.

This is becausethe referenceto a singulareventis

itself, the truth of forgetting'25
.
in
annulled the ring's annulation,whena monthrecallsandannuallyannulsa year.
This becomesthe moment when the year turns on itself

The date,in truth, offersitself up for annihilation.Thethreatdoesnot come

from withoutandit is not connectedto the possibilityof someaccidentsuddenly
destroyingthe archive's material support.For the date is threatenedin its coming due,

itself
its
by
insofar
it
them,
in its conservation
and readibility,
as remains,andpermits
it
it
forgetting,
from
its
In
the
be
mayalways
annulment
saves
risking
of what
to read.
in
becomeno one'sandnothing'sdate,the essence
of ash which one
without essence
day,
know
longer
time
what
one
one
alone,undersomepropername,was
even
no
can
intrinsic
date
is
destiny
This
the
to
The
the
this
and
partake
of
ash.
name
of
consumed.
to
functioningandbeingof the date.For it is inherentto the date'serraticessence.
becomereadableandcommemorative
only in effacingthat which it will have
in becomingeachtime no one'sdate.
designated,

How do we understand
that 'no one's? Therearetwo possibilities.The ateis
is,
has
Celan
That
Paul
that
event
so.
named
ciphered
an
remains
and
encryptedand
In this case,then,the
he alone,or alonewith a few others,is ableto commemorate.
26 -

in September' is destinedno longerto signifyat all one

dateof this 'Nevermansday
day for the survivors,that is to say,essentially,for the reader,interpreter,or guardian
it
has
becomes,
date
The
the
threshold
once
crossed
the
of this survival,or
poem.
of
25JacquesDenida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 38
26JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 39

142

from
it
date,
the
the
threshold
the
moment
crosses
a
of
poem,
no
one's
spectralreturn,
have
just
finite
September
We
The
a
moment
of
survival.
nameof
nevermansday.
'speaks!
'
lends
itself
it
is
It
in
that
to
to
the
that
a
poem
reading
caught
extent
cropsup
in
itself
by
in,
that
up
a
network
of
signify
convention,
marks
and
are
up catches
intelligible. It has its sharein the beauty of the poem. However, it pays for this
lost
terrible
tribute
the
this
of
singularity. We catch a rare moment of
with
readability

itself
is
in
What
in
is
in
date,
is
date,
dated
the
the
encrypted
effect
mourningreading
in
becomes
itself
date
losses,
have
And
The
the
marked
marking
off.
we
all
effaced.
lament
in
in
beings
this
the
the
we
mourning,
whom
all
griefs gathered the poem of
all

does
date
not await effacement.
whoseeffacement
a

The secondpossibility:nothingat all is encryptedin the date.It makesitself

is
in
is
And
For
the
the
the
the
to
yet, effect
end
same.
other'ssingularity
available all.
incinerated.The September
rosethat is no one'srose.In 'Huhediblu'we find: 'Oh
dates,
Septembers?
future
1,27
belongs
The
to
to
they
of
roses,
reflower,
your
will
when
does
One
in
blossoming
to
the
their
come,moreparticularly
re-floweringof returns.
date,
but
flowers
the
the
the
the
time
stone
of
a
on
rather
roses,
one
awaits
of
place
not
datedtime. Whatis significantis the dateandnot what is born,flowers,opens.

is
in
This doublephenomena
the natureof things.For the sameness
sorts
of
of
here.
What
is
here
is
dating
the possibility
constituted
and
we
encounter
gathered
all
its
keeping.
We
the
the
ring,
anniversary
recurrence,
and
and
encounterthe
of reading
is,
it
date
its
For
is
it
is,
it
the
truth of
never what
poemand madness. a
or what says

27JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 40

143

less
it
is.
it
being,
by
force
Instead,
is
than
or
more
what
remains
without
and always
for
of music, remains song.

When
bloom,
when
when,
whenbloomthe hoomenclibloom,
hoohedibloo,yesthem,the Septemberroses?

Hoo - on tue whenthen?

...

When,whenwhen,
manywhens,
yesmaniabrother
...

29

And so in the date'sannulmentin the anonymityof nothing,asin that of the

is
date
leaves
its
in
fact,
In
that
the
is
the
trace
trace
the
this
this
of
given
poem.
ring,
just
is
happened,
trace
took
It
the
that
something,
of
of
a
non-trace
which
not
poem.
in
lived
it
be
through
in
the
to
that
one
sense
of
was
word
asks
and
place
is
it
is
is
bound
Firstly,
It
date,
this
the
trace
that
and
more.
which
as
commemorated.
its
bereave
itself
is
if
if
it
it
is
itself
to
it
to
to
mark,
off
to mark
remain. mustexpose
it.
if
it
is
keep
itself
It
losing
blur
border,
to
the
must
constantly
secret,andrisk
it,
between
is
This
the madness
readability
and
unreadability.
crossingandre-crossing
from
date
During
finite
incineration
fire
the
the
that
time
within.
a
consumes
of
of

21JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 42

144

is
is
happens,
however,
transmitted,
the
and
shibboleth
communication
password,
hand
heart
heart.
hand
from
to
to
and
passed

This annulmentis properandright. For annulmentis at work everywherethat

its
losing
it
itself
here
iterability,
its
describes
to
date
and
now
within
when consigns
a
itself
in
These
in
thus
succeeding
only
names
effacing
self-forgetfulness,
senses,

date's
destiny
is
And
for
to
that
a
analogous
of everyname,everyproper
others.
stand
be
bless
in
letter,
leads
date
to
Desire
to
the
praise
and
us
order
which,
given
a
name.
itself
is
be
in
in
its
being.
Ash
it
is,
to
the
that
read
ash,
give
non-being
of
must
what

Concerning
itself,
date
the
remainder.
nothingremains,nothingof
remainderwithout
is
dated
by
it.
Rather
it
dates,
of
what
no oneremains,a priori.
nothing
what

We re-callthe lines from 'Psalm':

Praisedbe your name,no one.29

Or in 'Eimnal' ('Once'):

OneandInfinite,
annihilated,

ied.

30
Salvation.
Light was.

29SelectedPoems: 1990,p. 175

30SelectedPoems: 1990,p. 271

145

Whenthe datebecomesreadableits shibbolethsaysto you: T (an almostnothing,

but
in
I
I
that
endlessly
am
alone
recommenced
act),
am,
ended
very
once
oncealone,
just
have
been
that
will
which
consignedto oblivion,
only a ciphercommemorating
destinedto becomename,for a finite time, the time of a rose,nameof nothing,
'voices of no one', name of no one. Ash, finally.

Like the September

roses,the no onevsrosecallsfor theblessingof thatwhich
does
does
in
this remainder,the
that
not
remain,
which
what
not
of
remain
remains
dust or ash.It sings,yes, amen,to this nothing that remains, and even to the desertin

be
left
bless
have
And
'Psalm'
to
the
there
one
no
again:
ashes.
so
would
we
which
I-

No onemouldsus againout of earthandclay,

no oneconjuresour dust,
No one.

Praisedbe your name,no one.

For your sake
flower.
we shall
Towards
you.

A nothing
we were,are,shall
flowering:
remain,
the nothing-,the

146
31

no-one'srose.

To speakto no oneis an act of faith itself Whatblessingcouldbe otherwise?

Onceit becomescertitude,it becomesdogma.We aredealingwith whatmightbe
is
incalculable.
Thus
'Chymisch':
It
We
never
presume.
can
given.

Great,grey,
sisterly shape

nearlike all that is lost:

All thenames,all those

names
burrit with the rest.Somuch
be
blessed.
Somuch
to
ash
landwon
above
the weightless,so weightless
rings
of souls.

32

However,thereis a remainder.What seemsto nourishitself or quenchits

in
it
being-present.
Although
being,
it
from
the
up
thirst at
emerges
springof
uses
it
being
draw.
from
The
to
the
which
seems
remnanceof the remainder- ash,
advance
drunk
is
being
is
What
drawn,
the
that
with
remains.
suckedup,
almostnothing- not
31SelectedPoems: 1990:p. 175
32SelectedPoems: 1990:p. 179

147

the scoop,with the ash-scoop,

with the ash-ladlecomesout of the tub of being.It
it
comesout of clean, soapy:

DRAWN WITH THE ASH-LADLE

from the tub of being
33

soapy...

A Lingedng Relevance

The centralityof the shibbolethto language,andtherebyto all humanthought,

by
discussion
from
Paul
be
the
a
widening
of
our
of
post-warpoetry
can garnered
Celanto the variousshibbolethswe encounterin the poetryof SeamusHeaney.We
looking
from
his
by
Out.
1972
The
begin
Wintering
thematic
at
a
poem
collection
will
is
in
developed
'Broagh':
the
the
poem
shibboleth
of

Riverbank,the long rigs

endingin broaddocken
anda canopiedpad
downto the ford.

The gardenmould
bruisedeasily,the shower
gatheringin your heelmark
wasthe black 0

33JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 47

148

in Broagh,

its low tattoo

amongthewindy boortrees
andrhubarb-blades

endedalmost
like
suddenly, that last
gh the strangersfound
difficult to manage.34

We notethatthe word 'Broagh' is an anglicizationof the Gaelicword

'Bruach' which means'riverbank'.The first threelines of thepoemconcludewith
dialectwords:we have'rigs' for 'furrows', a word broughtto theNorth of Irelandby
Scotsplanters;'docken' is a ScotsandarchaicEnglishword, a plural for 'dockleaves';andthe last 'pad' is an EnglishandScotsdialectword for 'path'. Furtherinto
'boortrees'
is
for
find
Scots
the
word
which
an
old
plural the elderberry.
the poemwe
This poemthencelebratesthe local Planter'sdialectaswell asthe 'native' tongue.
Whatis interestingis how Heaneyconnectsthe landscape,languageandthebody.
The languageandthe landscapearetattooedlike the body.

The poemdoessetup a paradigmof exclusiveness

throughthe last 'gh the
in
difficult
And
inclusiveness.
found/
to
this
the
type
manage'.
a
nameof
of
strangers
For the word 'Broagh' is a word availableto Unionist andNationalistin theNorth of
Irelandbut excludesanyonefrom the islandof Britain, especially,oneimagines

34SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround.* Poems1966 - 1996: 1998,p. 54

149

has
England
from
to
the
this
particular
no
connection
roots
of
who
cultural
someone
idiomaticusageof the language.Neil Corcoranwritesof this poem:'Exhilaratedly
it
for
beyond
linguistic
its
the
paradigm a reconciliation
riding on own melting, actsas
in
is
histories
have
Its
division.
that
resulted a community
point
conflictual
sectarian
individual
their
whatever
members,
political or religiousaffinity, now all speak
whose
derived
from
Hence
Irish
Scots
English
language,
the
whether
or
or
roots.
the same

in
Catholic
Protestant,
to
this
community,
pronounce
whether
or
everyone
ability of
is
intended
little
hortatory
"Broagh"
as
a
optimistic
or
allegory of
the place name
linguistic,
as
well
communityv35.
potential political, as

Anotherpoemin which we encounterin a significantwaythe 'shibboleth'in

Heaney'swork is 'From the Frontierof Writing'. It is oneof manyparabolicpoems
1987
in
is
from
in
It
Heaney's
departure
the
style
and
ambition
writing.
thatmarka
Lantern:
Haw
The
collection

Thetightnessandthe nilnessroundthat space

in
the
the road,the troopsinspect
car
stops
when
its makeandnumberand,asonebendshis face

towardsyour window,you catchsightof more

on a hill beyond,eyeingwith intent
downcradledgunsthat hold you undercover

is
interrogation
everything
and
pure

35NeHCorcoran: The Poetry ofSeamus Heaney. A Oilical Study: Faber:London: 1998,p.47 - 48

ISO

until a rifle motionsandyou move

with guardedunconcerned
acceleration-

a little emptier,a little spent

as always by that quiver in the self,
subjugated,yes, and obedient.

So you drive on to the frontier of writing

where it happensagain. The gunson tripods,
the sergeantwith his on-off mike repeating

dataaboutyou, waiting for the squawk

down
the
training
clearance;
marksman
of
like
hawk.
the
sun
of
upon
out
you
a

And suddenlyyou're through,arraignedyet freed,

from
behind
if
passed
a waterfall
as you'd
on theblack currentof a tannacroad

pastannour-platedvehicles,out between
the postedsoldiersflowing andreceding
36
like treeshadowsinto the polishedwindscreen.

Whatis newhereis the vocabularysuggestiveof sexualviolation.The 'little

36SeatnusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poems1966 - 1996: Faber:London: 1998,p. 297 - 298

151

little
in
'a
'quiver
the
the self' all conveysomethingof sexual
spent',
emptier'and
has
beenleft weakenedandpowerlessby this encounter.
the
transgression,
poet
where
Whatis interestingis the movefrom the reality of roadblocksin theNorth of Ireland,
it,
land
language,
imagination
form.
In
to
the
the
resembling
of
and
somewhere
or
interrogation
is
The
the
examination,
an
of
self occursalso.
self
world of art
by
is
it
half
the
the
that the ethical
one
presumes
other
self;
of
examined,questioned,

This
the
of
artistic
questions
self?
ask
presumesan othernesswithin, a
must
self
division within the self A path must be cleared,to allow one to journey on. In the
There
is
liberation
by
Heaney
this.
the
achieves
a
sense
of
and
progression
poem
is
interesting
What
is
how
imagines
The
Heaney
the
transition.
conclusion.
poem's

becomes
definite
tripods
objects,
soldiers,
guns,
andsurveillanceequipment,
world of
bluffed,fuzzy,indefinite,conveyedthroughthe wateryimageryof a verblike
'flowed'. We havea senseof movementin stasis.Thingsarenot astheyseem.We are
in a liminal spaceof the nihilism prior to creation.We shouldbe opento an element
in
Keeping
for
liberation,
the
the
actual.
an
ways
open
a
moment
of
surprise
of
freedom,
has
As
forces
from
to
tyranny.
the
of
a
moment
one
out
a
release
of
opemng
Daniel Tobin writes: 'The poet is never completely cleared,though the hope of

is
forgo
transcendence,
by
to
a
pure
promise
of
madeviable our willingness
clearance,
here
in
the
andnow'37.
clearance

37Daniel Tobin: Passageto the Centre.- Imagination and the Sacred in the Poetty ofSeamus HeaneY:
univ. Pressof Kentucky: Lexington: 1999,p. 232

152

TheCrackedTuneChronosSings

dateandthe
Mewe havediscussed
thingsthusfar the commemorating
have
date
in
tended
to
rejoin
and
conjoin
a secretanniversary,andthe
commemorated
it
is
blesses,
the
the giving of this ring,
this
anniversary
anniversary
sings
and
poem
the seal of an alliance and of a promise. It belongsto the samedate as the one it

blesses,givesandgivesbackagain- the dateto which it at oncebothbelongsandis

destined.At this strangeborder point that has alreadypassedand is still yet to come
between
is
the poem's external appearance,its 'empirical' date,
there an effacement
We
in
barriers
internal
its
that nonnally
the
are
genealogy.
a
utopian
place, where
and

inner
between
break
between
the
the
the
the
and
outer,
empiricaland essential,
exist
down.Suchis the placeof the poemthat is a blessing.

For Derridawe beginto crosstheborderinto philosophicalquestioningat this

begins
is
The
that
experience
a
philosophical
with
questioning
a crossingof
point.
limits, andit alwaysoccurswithin the experienceof language;andassuchit is as
it
is
literary
philosophical.
as
poeticand

Derridatoucheson the significanceof the clock andthe calendarin Celan's

how
in
key
day,
have
Both
they
We
the
the
mark
off
are
months
and
years.
work.
hours
in
the
the
to
revolution
of
of
sounded
and
sound
us the beatingof the
space
'the
for
in
Derrida,
Both,
the
the
nmne
return
of
other,
wholly other the
of
clock.
hour
hour
For
Derrida
'38.
the
the
writes
and
speaks,in Celan'spoemswith their
same

" JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan. 1994,p. 48

153

frequentreferenceto Uhr andStunde.Thehour callsandassignsthe poem.Thehour

the poemthereby,andthe poetwho
andaddresses
provokes,convokes,apostrophizes
is claimedby the hour.Thereis a summonsandan hour.In the poem'Nacht' thereis
dialogue
hour,
the
anda
or conversationwith the turninghour;the sharing
a senseof
it.
of a wordwith

Mallarmespokeof the initiative returningto words.For Derridathe initiative

hour.
The
is
to
the
poet
provokedandconstitutedby it. He is revealedto
alsoreturns
himself from within it. The 'caesuraof the hours', cadence,chance,and sufferance
from
involves
its
the
This
the
that
moment
and
poem
moments
of
origin.
rhythm
scan

form
language,
but alsothe origin of meaning,
the
the
not
only
concerns
of
a spacing
language.
Celan's
Bremenaddressconfrontsthesequestions.
the
of
meaning
andof
Whatis the meaningof language,of its senseandplacefor an exile?The German
languagefor a poetof the Germanlanguagewho is not German:

In this languageI havesought,duringthoseyearsandthe

yearssincethen,to write poems:so asto speak,to orient
find
to
out whereI wasandwhereI wasmeantto go.
myself,
It was,you see,event,movement,a beingunderway,it was
an attemptto gaindirection.And if I inquireinto its meaning,I
believeI musttell myselfthat this alsoinvolvesthe questionof the
direction.
clockhand's
For a poemis not timeless.Certainlyit laysclaim to infinity, it
39
it.
seeksto reachthroughtime - throughit, not aboveandbeyond
This is a fearful moment.It is the momentwhenthe hourbeginsto turn on
itself We areat a momentof consumption.It is the becoming-ash
or burningup of
the date:on the hour,in the houritself, at eachhour.This is the everpresentthreatof

39SelectedPoem and Prose of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 395 396

-

154

the absolutecrypt:the momentof nonrecurrence,

unreadability,amnesiawith nothing
left, but nonrecurrence
as recurrence,in recurrenceitself

We areat the momentof the holocaustof eachhour.Everyhourwithin the

holocaust.
is
is
There
hell,
there
a
a
a memoryof the all-consuming,within our
world
Derrida:
To
'every
hour
is
it
back,
quote
unique,
whether
consciousness.
comes
and

this is the wheelthatturnson itself, or whether,the last,it comesno more,no more

40
thanthe sister,its ownthe same,its otherrevenant '.

Go, your hour

hasno sisters,you areareat home.A wheel,slow,

rolls on its own,the spokes
climb,
1----1
Years.
Years, years,a finger
feels down and up,

Came, came.
Came a word, came,
came through the night,
41
to
wanted shine,wanted to shine.

' JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 50

41JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan, 1994,p. 50 51
-

155

In this poemthe ashandthe night call to eachother:

Ash.
Ash, ash.
Night.
Night - and- night.

dateandthe dateof the

We havespokenof the commemorated
do
How
distinguish
between
the
them today?
commemorating.
you
commemoration,

Or on the anniversaryhour,whenit hascome?Not somuchbecausethis hour,today,

here
dated
is
date,
this
this
and
now
not rigorouslythe sameas,merelyanalogous
at
to, the other,but becausethe originarydate,ascodedmark of the otherhere-now,was
fiction,
in
telling
of
singularity
only the fableof conventionsand
alreadya sortof
in
iterable
fiction?
is
What
the
truth
this
any
are
case
marks.
of
generalities,of what
Canwe speakof the untruetruth of this truth?Are we at theshibboleth?

The Jewishnessof Thought

42.
itself
'poetic
He
dating
in
its
Derridastatesthat
to
writing offers
entirety,
up
hints
Celan's
Bremen
idea
Here
Celan
that
this
the
address
at
suggests
out
also.
points
from
is
'something
('an
toward
a
place
route
always
en
open'
approachable
poem
'across'
it
is
is
'timeless'.
time,
The
its
way
never
poem cipherof
you'), andit makes
its
it,
singularity,offering placeandrecalling offering andrecallingits time at the risk
holocaustic
in
losing
the
them
generalityof recurrenceandthe readabilityof the
of
42Jacques
Derrida:'ShibbolethforPaul Celan. 1994,p. 52

156

in
Derrida
the
the
repetition
anniversary
of
unrepeatable.
writesthat
concept,
is
iterable,
is
'a
there
signaturewhich at onceuniqueand
crypticand
wherever
in
is
date'43
It
be
date,
the
that
there
there
can
never
an
absolute
same
way
readable,
.
date,
However,
be
the madnessof when,andthe
cannever an absolutepoem.
terrifying ambiguityof the shibboleth,the signof belongingandthe threatof
discrimination,remains.

A date discernsand concernsa place. It is a situation. The poet's passionis for

It
incision
the
Derrida
time
crypt.
occurs
calls
every
singular
a
marks the
what
language.A voice of a poem will always carry beyondthe singular cut: in that the cut

becomesavailablefor readingfor thosewho haveno part in the eventor the

it,
for
but
from
to
those
consigned
events
excluded
partaking who
constellationof
impart.
And
Deffida
thus
to
thus
and
callspoetry's
come
we
partake
what
mayyet
'Philosophy,
Derrida
the
status
of
a
possessing
philosopheme.
writes:
resemblingor
hermeneutics,
andpoeticscanonly comeinto beingwithin idioms,within languages,
is
dates
body
a metalinguisticoverviewof which onecouldnot say
the
of eventsand
from within, soto speak,by the structure
impossible- but ratherthat it is guaranteed,
date's
iterability,
is
its
to
the
to
that
pertains
which
say
off
essential
of marking
date
is
inside
here
The
the
the
the
the
of
or
of
name
effacement
ring:
annulment.
hermeneutics,
their
of
of
poetics,
sendoff44
of
philosophy,
origin
.

Doesthe affirmationof Judaismwithin Celanhavethe samestructureasthat

discuss
date?
Jews'
Derrida
'We
the
to
the
might ,
proceeds
what
statement
are
all
of
it
It
that
take
of
a
notion
responsibility,
suggesting
suggests
we
Uponourselves.
mean.
4' JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan.- 1994,p. 52
44JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Cetan': 1994,p. 53

157

It suggests
an ancientrootedness,
andan acceptedmemorywithin an unchosen
here?Is therea senseof belongingandof partaking?
destination.Is therean essence

Celanrecallsthe commonthemethatthereis no Jewishproperty.'Becausethe

Jew,you know,whatdoeshe havethatis really his own,that is not borrowed,taken
A5
I
The
hint
is
is
Jew
the
that
the
the
other;
also other,myselfand
andnot returned?
his
has
in
is
Jew
has
Jewish
the
the
of
nothing
saying:
otherwho
who
no essence,
am
is
have
time
have
Thus
the
to
same
essence
and
own
not
at
one
one.
we
own or whose
its
from
Jews',
Russian
Marina
Tsvetaeva
'All
the quote
with
poetess
poetsare
incommunicable
Jewish
the
the
alleged universality of
witnessing,and
suggestionof
his
idiom.
have
We
'his
Judaic
the
the
unpronounceable
name,
singularity
of
secretof
46
namei, .

It
his
Whatthenof the Jew'sunpronouncable
name, propername? says
does
by
be
that
this
not
name
cannot said onewho
shibholeth: unpronouncable
If
but
know
The
Ephraimites
the
to
cannot.
covenant.
what oneought say
partakeof
is
It
God
the
the
also.
covenantor allianceonecannotutter nameof
onepartakesof
by
it,
but
Jew,
does
fact
the
the
to
can
say
who
a
commanded
not,
unpronouncable
law. It is finally the nameof the Jewwhich the non-Jewhastroublepronouncing;or,
derides
by
doesn't
And
he
to
pronounce
or
wish
mispronounciation. sowe can
which
like
it
keeps
destroys
its
It
keep
the
the
that
and
unpronouncability
name.
can
say
it
doom
God,
And
Derrida
to
the
writes:
annihilation
among
or
of
ashes.
so
name

41JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 54

' JacquesDenida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 54

158

4apparentlydifferent or contradictory, thesetwo possibilities can always crossthe

borderandexchangewith oneanother'47
.

TheJewandthe nameJewcometo exchangethemselves

with theshibboleth.
Theyareboth in the nameof the other,both singularanduniversal.Derridawrites:
'witness to the universal by virtue of absolutesingularity, by virtue of and in the name

of the other,the stranger,you towardwhomI musttakea stepwhich,without

bringing me nearerto you, without exchangingmyself with you, without being
lets
assuredpassage, the word passand assignsus, if not to the one, at least to the

same"8.For Derridawe aredealingwith the passage

of the other,towardthe otherrespectof the same,of a samethat respectsthe othernessof the other.In
'Sprachgitter'we find Celanchoosethe word Tassat' to say'We arestrangers',
'Passat'beingthe nameof a wind:

(WereI like you. Wereyou like me.

Did we not stand
underonetradewind?
)49

We arestrangers.

Theyareboth strangers.We areboth strangersto eachother.Are we both

strangersthento outsideparties?

We find in Celana temptationto designatethe Judaic,Jewishness

- yoursand
inappropriable
for
found
only
mine,
as
always
something
the
not
example
other'sof
41JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbokihfor Paul Cejan': 1994,p. 54
48JacquesDerrida: 'Shibboklhfor Paul Celan 1:1994,p. 55

159

in the poem'Zurich, zurnStorchen'.We find Celanusethe words'I andYou' in

You
be
to the
can
complexways.
andarea me. Sothe word You, maybe addressed
otheraswell asto myself,to oneselfasother.

Of too much was our talk, of

too little. Of the You
and You-Again, of
how clarity troubles, of
Jewishness,of
your God.

...

Of your God was our talk, I spoke

50
him,...
against

The "you', the 'yours' maybe addressed

to the otherasJewbut alsoto the self
Jew
as
another
other,
or asotherthanJew. 'The Lock Gate' addresses
as
you,and
your mourning,'all this mourninglofyours". What hasbeenlost, andis beyonda
trace,is the word, a word which openslike a shibboleth,on what is mostintimate.
This lost word,the word that is to be mourned,is not only the word 'that had
remainedwith me': 'sister'. It is alsothe word that opensthe possibilityof mourning
has
been
lost
beyond
what
a trace(the exterminatedfamily, the incinerationof the
family namein the figure of the sister for the word is 'sister' at the final hour
49SelectedPoentsand Prose Paul Celan: 20011 107
of
P.
50SelectedPoeins: 1990,p. 157

160

longer
has
a sister- 'your hour/hasno sisters').It is thevery wordwhich
which no
Jewish
to
mourning: 'Kaddish'. This word addressedme, soughtme,
grantsaccess

like the hour'sinterpellation;it camebeforeme,it soughtme out, it took the

initiative.Then,I lost it. Like the wordthathadremainedwith me: 'sister'. I lost the
had
lost
I
that
the onethat soughtme out to mournthe one
remained
with
word
me,
thathadremainedwith me:

To a mouth
for which it was one of a thousand

I lost I lost a word

that hadremainedwith me:

sister.

To
the worshipof manygods
I lost a word that waslooking for me:
a'h.

52

Celanis imaginingthe worstkind of loss.He imaginescrossingthe line, the

boundarywheremourningitself is deniedus,the interiorizationof the otherin
memory,the preservingof the otherin the sepulchreor epitaph.Celannamesthe
incineratedbeyondof the date,wordslost without sepulchre.Oncedead,andwithout
sepulchre,thesewordsof moumingwhich arethemselvesincineratedmayyet return.
51SelectedPoem: 1990,p. 169
52SelectedPoems: 1990,p. 169

161

Theycomebackthenasphantoms.Onehearsthemroamingaboutthe stelae:

like unsepulchered
words,
roaming
in the orbit of attained
53
goals and stelaeand cradles.

Celan mentions the spectral errancy of words. This spectralreturn is partaken

from
first
by
their
words,
all
emergence.Derrida writes: 'What one calls poetry or
of
literature, art itself

is nothing perhapsbut an intensefamiliarity with the ineluctable

...
54

loss
We
it
into
ineluctable
the origin.
the
translate
the
of
of
specter'
can
originarity
.

It is the momentof mourning,andthe experienceof mourning.

The CircumcisedMind

Celanhasmentionedthe uniqueeventof circumcisionthat marksthe

legitimate entry of the Jew into his community. We have the phrase'it carries across/
55

the wound-read' . We havea passingbeyond,overthat which is readto the quick,to

the point of bleedingandwounding.The cipheris painfully inscribedon the body
itself It is readableandunreadable.The literal word 'circumcision'appearsrarelyin
the bodyof Celan'swritings.However,Derridawrites 'the tropic of circumcision
56

disposescuts,caesuras,
cipheredalliances,andwoundedringsthroughoutthe text' .

" JacquesDerrida:
54JacquesDerrida:
5' JacquesDenida:
" JacquesDerrida:

'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan':

'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan':
'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan':
'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan':

1994,p. 58
1994,p. 58
1994,p. 58
1994,p. 59

162

He arguesthat 'it is tied to both the differentialmarksandthe destinationof language:

theinaccessibilityof the otherreturnstherein the same,datesandsetsturningthe
ring,

57

What doesCelan meanby saying 'all poetsare Jews'? What the trope comes
to, then, is locating the Jew not only as a poet but also in every man circumcisedby

for the
languageor led to circumcisea language.We havethreebasicsignifications,
'circumcision':
word
(1). The cut which incisesthe male sexual member,entering and passingaround it to
fonn a circumvenient ring;

(2). A namegivento the momentof covenantor allianceandof legitimateentryinto

for example,
the community:a shibbolethwhich cutsanddivides,thendistinguishes,
by virtue of the languageandthe namewhich is givento eachof them,one
is
it
from
Jewish
from
from
Egyptian
the
the
another,
which
circumcision
operation
indeed,
derive,
Muslim
the
to
or
operationwhich resemblesit, or manyothers.
said
(3). Theexperienceof blessingandof purification.

As Celandevelopsthe idea,thosewho undergoor participatein a certain

be
Jews.
And
legitimately
be
that
called
might
well
experiencemight
experience
Jews,
We
if
they
type
to
the
are
that
circumcision.
of
as
a
can
say
are
all
poets
referred
Celan
is
keen
in
focus
then,
circumcised.
to
or
circumcisers,
on all ciphered
all,
wounds.

5' JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celan': 1994,p. 59

163

WhatdoesCelanmeanby 'no one'scircumcision'?Theevocationof the

designates
in
black
the
race
exterminated
raceandroot of no one:
erection the sky,
verge and testicle, race and root of no one. Uprooting of the race and the sex in

'Radix,,Matrix':

Who,
who wasit, that
lineage,the murdered,that looms
black in the sky:

rod andbulb-

(Root.
Abraham'sroot.Jesse'sroot.No one's

root-0
ours.

58

We havethe commandin Celanto circumcisethe word.Theverbherehasthe

its
it
word as object, speaksaboutan operationto be performedon the verburn,on the
is
Its
word. complement the world, or ratherthe Word.We havea referenceto Rabbi
Low:

Rebbe,I gnashedmy teeth,Rebbe

Loew:

58SelectedPoems: 1990,p. 187

164

cise
this one's
word...

59

This word givento be circumcisedfor someone,this word mustbe an opened

like
Open
like
door.
Open
A door open to the stranger,to the
a
wound.
a
word.

neighbour,andthe guestandto whoever.Opento the onewho will come.Maybe

form
Monstrous
because
beyond
the
to
and
monstrous
creature.
anticipation,
open
beyond
known
every
conceivable
and
norm,
genre.

Is therea referencehereto the prophetElijah? Is he the oneto whom

hospitalityis due?He maycomeat anymoment.And thenin Derridawe find: 'He
his
is
happen
instant'60.
Elijah
the
to
of
event
not only the
cause
coming
may
at each
he
be
itself,
to
door
the
the
the
one whom, as relationship
guest,
of
word must opened;

is not only or simplya messianicandeschatologicalprophet;accordingto tradition

Elijah is by God'scommandto be presentat all circumcisions,eachtime, everytime.
He watchesoverthem.The onewho holdsthe circumcisedinfant mustbe seatedon
is
known
Elijah's
chair.
as
what

So,herein this place,in the poem,the monster,or Elijah, the guestor the
before
door,
The
first
the
text.
the
the
threshold
the
stands
at
poem's
of
other,
step,on
61
in
is:
'To
He stands
door...
onewho stoodoutsidethe
poem'stitle translation

" Glottal Stop: 101 Poentsby Paul Celan: WesleyanUniv. Press:Hanover: 2000, Trans.by Nikolai
Popov and HeatherMcHugh, p. 9- 10
' JacquesDerrida: 'Shibbolethfor Paul Celmi': 1994,p. 62
61Glottal Stop: 2000, p. 9- 10

165

beforethe door,asbeforethe law. We think of Kafka'sobtuseparable'Beforethe

Law'. Thedoorandthe law areintimatelyconnectedin Jewishtradition.

), as
The '1' of the poem,the poet,(asfigure for you andme maybe?
but
door
him,
'all'
the
'are
He
Jews'.
to
the
those
anyway
of
opens
who
representative
door turns into the word. What he opensto him is not the door, but the word:

To one who stood outside the door, one

evening:

to him
I openedmy word -: )

Canwe readthis poem,then,asan allegory?We rememberthat an allegory

bearsthe word for the other,to the otheror from the other.The poemfollows the
begins
hours.
The
in
The
the
times
their
turns
of
aremarked.
vicissitude
vicissitude
Occident
the
in
of the poem'einesAbends'.Thepoet,the onewho says
evening
one
himself
the
to the Rabbi, to the Mohel, to the one whom
and
addresses
word
opens
he appointsas circumciser since he saysto him 'circumcise'. What doeshe ask of

him?To closethe doorof the eveningandto openthe doorof the morning.If the door
he
is
the
the
now,
once
word,
word circumcised,asksit for the word of
speaks
morning,the Orientalword,the poemof the origin.

And Rebbe,slamshutevening'sdoor.

166

Fip open morning's, Re-62

Here we witness a violent opening and closing. Celan's Gennan suggeststhe

brusquely,
has
It
connotationsof
rapidly andwide. also
openingof something
breaking somethingopen, to rend in one stroke, like a veil. There is a hint also of a
door being slammed,of somethingbrutal. As though in someone'sdirection,
final
for
As
interrupted
in
Re-,
its
to
the
the
someone.
name
closing
signifying
in
is
finally
first
that
the
of
syllable an appellation
remains
not completedand
caesura,
in
Rabbi
two. It also carries a connotation of the Egyptian God as
the
cut
the mouth,
light,
door'.
is
'morning
This
the
the
the
the
at
opening
of
or
poem
sun
well,

becoming-poetic
of the word; of the wordsbecomingJewish,if 'all poetsareJews'.It
becoming
describe
the
the
to
circumcised
of
word of origin.
attempts

As
body.
Circumcisionwill alwaysremain,inescapably,
the
much
matter
of
a
Celan
It
body
Paul
bequeathed
the
to
offers
corpus
of
poems
the
as
us.
physical
of
the
itself for writing andfor readingon thebody.Or rather:the senseof the senses,
body, offers itself for thinking, signifying, interpreting thus, as it is revealedthrough

'What
is
body
be
':
the
the
to
to
proper,
question:
said
this response
proper? a placeof
circumcision.

In the Bible, on the subjectof circumcision,the oppositionof the cleanandthe

improper,
impure,
the
the
the
the
and
pure
and
proper
coincidesoftenwith
unclean,
that of the circumcisedandthe uncircumcised,extendingwithout limit the semantic

62Glottal Stop: 2000, p. 10

167

field of circumcisionandthusdefiningit only at the limits of definition,of limitation,

itself,
is
it
indefiniteness.
to
which
say, conferring on a singular
of circumscription

The circumcisionof a word is intimatelyrelated,always,to thebody.Thereis

between
this event,on the onehand,andthe diacritical
thenan essentialanalogy
difference betweenshibboleth and sihboleth, on the other. For, it is in the body, by
impotence
but
impotence
the
their
of
coming
over
a
certain
vocal
organs,
an
of
reason
bodyproper, of the alreadycultivated body, limited by a barrier neither organic nor
inability
Ephraimites
the
their
to pronouncewhat they
that
experienced
natural,
be
knew
to
ought
pronouncedshibboleth - and not sibboleth.
nonetheless

Sowe havean 'unpronounceable

name'for some,shibbolethis a circumcised
him
Rabbi,
Give
For
the
the word of partaking,
this
circumcise
one,
word.
word.
impartit to him, also,to this onealso.

Theword which is to be circumcised:hereit is first of all, opened,like a door,

least
The
indeterminate
to
the
promised
other.
or
at
other
remains
given,
offered,
-

has
identifiable
He
he
face,
he
has
in
face
the
no
must
poem.
since
simply
a
unnamed
if
face
invisible.
It
door,
the
this
word,
even
the
receive
nevershows
and
remains
see
itself in the poem.It is no one,anyone,the neighbouror the stranger,for with the
it
the
to
same.
comes
other

The onewho is not yet named,the onewho perhapsawaitshis name,awaits

the unique,this one.He drawsthe
its bestowalby a circumcision,is the one-and-only,
is
him,
him.
It
to
that
to
towards
this
one,
poem
onemustopen,give,
whole

168

for
him
living
Nothing
be
inscribed
in
heart:
him,
for
that
the
to
the
must
circumcise,
him, this one.

to him
I openedmy word
[

...

cise
this one's
word, write
the living
nothingnessinto
this one's
heart, spread
this one's

two crippledfingersinto a healer's

benediction.
)63

This one's.

The offeringof this word for circumcisionis indeedthe giving of a word,of

it
is
'I
Given
that
said
opened
my
since
word'.
word,
word,promise,
one9s
date,
in
form
decision.
the
saving
signature,
word
also
a
of poemor a
engagement,
This word of openingpermitsoneto passthroughthe doorway.It is yet another

63Gload Stop: 2000, p. 9

169

shibboleth,the veryshibbolethat the origin of all the others,andyet oneamong

language.
in
given
others, a

Theshibbolethis givenor promisedby meto the singularother,'this one' that

he may partake of it and enter, or leave,that he may passthrough the doorway, across
the line, the border, the threshold. This word also asks.It asksintercession,or rather it

intercedeswith the Rabbi- still an other- that he might bestowhim, the third, the
law,
before
this
the
the
the
on
word
shibboleth
of
community
value of circumcision
the sign of the covenant.The Rabbi is a wise man investedwith this right; he hasthe
knowledge,and the power to circumcise the word. He is the guardianand the

just
him
it
is
the
that
the
transmission
through
the
as
of
passes
shibboleth
guarantor;
doorwayis crossed.And this doorwayis nothingotherthancircumcisionas
decision
for
legitimate
the
to
the
the
community,
of
right
of
place
access
shibboleth,
the covenantor alliance,the givennameof a singularindividual,but the datedname,
body,
inscribed
day
in
but
the
on
right
on
a
given
a genealogical
singular

classification.

It appearsthat the intercessorseemsto hold all the powersandall the rights,

intercession,
This
Rabbi's.
the
thinks
the
poem's
of
of
mine,
one
or
of
-a
whether
Here,
intercedes.
knowledge
the
power
and
areannulledof themselves.
shibbolethThe knowledgeandthe powerof RabbiLow areannulled,his knowing- beingablein
truth to the samething, which arebut one- are
amount
to circumcise,which
immediatelyannihilatedin the object-less.Theyknow how andareableto infinitely,
For the writing of circumcisionwhichI
but mustalsoinfinitely annihilatethemselves.
intercede
for
It
him,
I
intercessor,
is
the
which
with
a writing ofNothing.
askof

170

Nothing,
incisive
its
bleeding,
to
the
on
operation
an
surgery
of
which,
point
performs
to the point of wounding, embedsthe inscription of Nothing in the flesh, in the living

flesh
in
Celan's
the
In
the
of
pronounceable
and
circumcised
word.
writing
word,
thereis a proximity of wordsfor writing, slicing,inscribing,cuttingandseparating.
One gives the word, one's word, in inscribing this Nothing in the heart; thus one
in,
but
on the contrary allow the word passage.
cut
shouldnot

There is in Celan the echo of Heidegger;in the poem 'Todtnauberg 64a hint of
the questionof Nothing and the meaningof being. There is the hint of the truth of a
being which passesthrough the experienceof Nothing. We have in Celan the hint
by
incision
Nothing
the
the
circumcision,
one's
word's
circumcision
of
alwaysof no

in the circumcisedheartof the other,of this one,you.

Whatis meantby the demandto circumcisethe word for him, to circumcise

his word? More thanonecanmean-to-say,
moreandlessthanthis or that meaning,
determination.
Circumcision
defines
it
less
is
determination:
than
this
alsoa
moreor
for
is
But
decides.
it
for
determinate,
to
to
ask
circumcision
a
not
ask
something
and
meaningor an o ect.

Thecircumcisedword isfirst ofall written, at onceboth incisedandexcisedin

body
be
language
binds
the
in
body,
the
of
a
may
and
which
which
any
case
always
a
bodyto language:the word which is enteredinto, woundedin orderto be what it is,
because
into,
into,
cut
written
caesuredin its origin, with the poem.
the word cut

64SelectedProse and Poeins of Paul Celan: 2001, p. 315

171

The circumcisedword is, nextofall, readable,startingfrom nothing,but

he
bleeding.
This
to
the
to
the
to
point
of
point
of
read
wounding
and
readable,

circumcisedword grantsaccessto the community,to the covenantor alliance,to the

in
language,
language.
becomes
The
Rabbi
thena poet,revealingthe
a
partakingof a
Celan
how
language
German
in
him.
the
the
explores
question:
can
receive
poet
date,
is
following
holocaust,
this
that
to
the solution
the
poem's
at
say,
circumcision

thatwasthe final cremation,the ashof all? How is oneto blesstheseashesin

German?

And then, as a mark at once both readableand secret,a mark of belonging and

the
the
the
of
partaking,
of
as
wound
also
circumcised
reminds
us
word
exclusion,
of
doubleedgeof a shibboleth.As the mark of a covenantor alliance,it alsointervenes,
it interdicts,it signifiesthe sentenceof exclusion,of discrimination,indeedof
be
It
it
is
turned
then
the circumcised who are
may
against
oneself:
extermination.

border,
held
from
death,
the
the
to
excluded
at
or
or
community,
put
proscribed
in
first
the
the
to
the
mere
sight,
at
mere
name,
ashes:
at
readingof a wound.
reduced

How doesone guard oneself againstit? With Nothing.

The circumcisionof the word is not datedin history.It calls forth the date.It
door,
it
history
the
to
the
the
other,
and
opens
word
andthe poemand
opens
hermeneutics
Of
itself
the
that
and
religion.
the
and
and
all
name
calls
of
philosophy
blessingof the name,of yesandof no, it setsturningthe ring, to affirm or to annul.

172

Chapter Foun
'Out to An Other Side: Poetry as a Way to the

Transcendental Other
Before proceedingto a discussionof poemsby SeamusHeaneywe will look at
different
from
The
Cathal
0'
Searcaigh
by
two
writers.
comes
very
poet
poems

Donegalon theNorth Westcoastof Irelandandwritesin Gaelic.The secondis the

American contemporarypoet Adrienne Rich. The first poem from 0' Searcaighis
called 'Breakthrough':

Soundasleep,you put up

No defences,no wall,

Soat night,I walk

Your mind's landscape,

Its sky more naturally blue

Thanthe sashGod'smotherwore.

On the othersideof a word

Thereis sucha view.'

This is a poemdrawnfrom the intimacyof the boudoir.We identify its context

fairly quickly; it is a pillow poem. It is significant that it is so intimate. We are at a

173

boundaries
break
down.
is
There
deep
normal
a
possibility
of
communion
point where
love
body
is
human
The
the
taste
romantic
offers
us
greatest
of
oneof our
which
Interestingly
boundaries.
0'
Searcaigh
de-limiting
the
claims
power of this
primary

fact is challenged,removed,renderedlesspowerfulin the momentof human

intimacy. So he can walk the 'mind's lanscape'of his lover. And how does0'
Searcaighenvision this space?It is a deepblue - bluer than the virginal blue of Mary

theMotherof God.Sowe aretalking aboutpositivity andpurity. Thereis a qualityof

blueness
because
it
is
divine.
We
this
the
about
also,
associated
rewith
absoluteness
in
is
frame
Searcaigh
0'
that
a
very
positive
of mind here lying besidehis
call
The
lover.
is
from.
itself
that
this
the
that
argues
poem
space
poetry
emerges
sleeping

0' Searcaighintroducesa very strangeidea,alien,apparentlyto his overall

language
He
triesto capturethe plenitudehe has
says
poetry,
or
preoccupation.
touchedon here.It is the view on the far sideof a word. Sothereis a gapto be
traversed,thereis an echoto be heard,a promiseto be fulfilled andit is poetrythat
for
In
that
anothertranslationthe suggestionis of a melody,a musicwhere
us.
signals
distance
is
feeling
haunting
the
them
typically
are
united,
normally
and
or
word
2

close own.

In this contextanotherpoemof 0' Searcaigh'sprovocativelytitled

is worth examining:
'Transubstantiation'

Betweenthe thoughtandthe word

Are regionsof ice andfog;
I CathalO'Searcaigh:Out in the Open: CIOIar-Chonnachta:Conarnara:1997,p. 117, Trans.by Frank
Sewell
I CathalO'Searcaigh:An Bealach 'na Bhaile. Homecoming: CIOjar-Chonnachta:Conamara:1995,
by
Joan
McBreen
Trans.
1,
15
p.

174

But all my life I'll be

Shatteringthe frost, scatteringthe fog

Stirringandsunning
th my heart's fiery rays

So that you'll flower one day

You that are only a shadow.3

0' Searcaigh
paintsthe momentthatexistsin between.Themomentof
is
birth
fog
the
poetry's
when
and the ice are dispersedby the sun's rays flowing from

the poet'sheart,in an attemptto bring the momentof shadowto light. Whatexists

betweenthethoughtandthe word is a nebulousregionwithin whichwe cannotdwell
terms,is 0' Searcaigh
comfortably.In morecontemporary
speakingof the gapthat
existsin the realmbetweensignifierandsignified?0' Searcaighsuggests
a moment
is
it
0'
Searcaigh
For
Blanchot
For
the
the
of nothingness.
moment of absence.
is
bring
into
domain
the poem to light, to
task
to
this
and
continual poetic
venture

in
doing
here.
it
it
be.
he
has
live,
We
And
that
to
to
succeeded
make
allow
canenter
into the momentof nothingness
by his terms'fog' and'ice' anddwell
suggested
We canimaginethe momentof nothingness,
there.Sohis poetryhassucceeded.
poeticworld andword,
approachit anddwell within it, all throughthe transubstantive
wherethosetermsaretautological.

3 CathalO'Searcaigh:An Bealach 'na Bhaile. Homecoming: Clo lar-Chonnachta:Conamara:1993,

185,Trans.by GabrielFitzmaurice

175

AdrienneRich's poemcomesfrom a collectionsuggestively

titled TheDream
Poems
1974
1977:
Language:
Common
ofa
-

Your silencetodayis a pondwheredrownedthingslive

I wantto seeraiseddrippingandbroughtinto the sun.
It's not my own face I seethere, but other faces,

evenyour faceat anotherage.

Whatever'slost thereis neededby both of usa watchof old gold, a water-blurredfeverchart,
a key....Eventhe silt andpebblesof thebottom
deservetheir glint of recognition.I fearthis silence,
this inarticulatelife. I'm waiting
for a wind that will gentlyopenthis sheetedwater
for once,andshowme what I cando
for you,who haveoftenmadethe unnameable
4
for
for
nameable, others,even me.

Rich is talking aboutthe natureof poeticactivity here.The implicationof her

imageryis that sheseesit asa sacramental,
certainlysacredprocess.Shecreatesthe
ideaof depththroughthe useof waterimagery.The nothingness
that existsbeforethe
it
from
threatens
the outside,at the edgesof poetic
always
which
and
poeticmoment
depth
has
it.
its
Rich
in
to
surface
a
and
is
vast,
succeeds suggesting spatial
utterance,
dimensions.And yet, paradoxically,drownedthingslive there,waiting to be
from
itinerary
Items,
live,
there,
elements
a
useless
past
awaiting
wait
exist,
retrieved.

" AdrienneRich: The Dream ofA Common Language: Norton: New York: 1993,p.29

176

is
is
It
by
type
the
poeticword which a
of personal,mayberacial,memory. a
retrieval
into
We
this
that
enter
space.
we
needto nameeven the most
necessity

inconsequential
things.Whatis normallypassedovermustnot be missedin our
Nothing
existsoutsidethe poeticword.
namingof creation.

The one moment of dread soundedin the poem is the fear of silence,of not

beingableto utterthe poeticword. The mouthof Orpheusmustneverbe silenced.It

is the voice of the race, its past, presentand future dependson the ability of this poetic
it
from
the
the
to
within
which
world
out of which
exists
and
nothingness
name
word

it came:which alwaysshadowsit. Thereis a continual,creativeandconstructive

that precedesit and
battlegoingon betweenthe poeticnamingandthe nothingness
from which it proceeds.Wind is a traditionalterm for poeticinspiration,sanctioned
traditionalsoasan imageof the holy spirit. Thepoetawaits
by theJudaeo-Christian
in
be
to
order
ableto name.Is the 'you' in that poema
this momentof visitation
it
Or
is
inspiration
itself
intimate
is
known
in
lover
the
poet?
of
which
partner,a
is
key
Again,
the
suggestion oneOfsimilarity, in the senseof familiarity.
terms?
Somethingwill affive whi.ch you will know andbe ableto name,andhelpyou to
is
bringing
light,
The
the
to
things
to
the
thereby.
always
with
struggle
surface,
name
by
to clarity andunderstanding naming.

Somepoemsby SeamusHeaneyareinformativein this context.The first

'Glanmore
Sonnets'.
is
his
from
It
four,
taken
sequence
number
poem
and
a
comes
from his 1979collectionField Work.

177

GlanmoreSonnets
IV

I usedto lie with an earto the line

For that way,theysaid,thereshouldcomea sound
Escapingahead,an iron tune
Of flange and piston Pitchedalong the ground,

But I neverheardthat.Always,instead,
Struck couplings and shuntingstwo miles away
Lifted over the woods. The head
Of a horse swirled back from a gate,a grey

Turnoverof haunchandmane,andI'd look

Up to the cuttingwhereshe'dsoonappear.
Two fields back,in the house,smallripplesshook
Silentlyacrossour drinkingwater
(As theyareshakingnow acrossmy heart)
5

And vanishedinto wheretheyseemedto start.

The circumstancesdescribedin this poem are easyenoughto sketchin. The

listen
by
feeling
been
its
to
the
train
had
the
told
to
through
coming
vibrations
poet
disputes
he
has
is
been
The
told,
tracks.
what
poet
andreceivedwisdom under
railway
it
for
He
he
heard
You
test
the
the
train
yourself
says
must
over
coming
question.
interesting
is
There
play or reversalat work here,betweenthe groundandthe
an
trees.
between
for
Rich
While
images
below
transmitting
the
the
presence,
and above.
air as
favouredthe undergroundcurrenciesof rivers,the lake andthe sea,SeamusHeaneyis

3 SeamusHeaney:OpenedGroun& Poems1966 - 1996: Faber: London: 1998,p. 166

178

its
lightness
is
for
for
the
the
travel
very
airiness
air,
and
medium
any
of
opting
Heaney
brilliantly
know
how
conveys
something
significance.
can
of
you
message

beforeit arrivesby its registeringin the sensiblethingsaroundyou,in its vibrations.

despiteits absence.
Eventhe sensitivealthoughunintelligent
Its beingis announced
Thus
image
horse
is
this.
the
the
that
of
sensitiveto and re-acts,
register
can
world
is
pre-empts, awareof, the oncoming train and announcesthis moment to the poet.

Eventwo fieldsback,registeringdistancein local currency,the presenceof the train

is anticipatedin the rippling water which also registersin the poet's heart. What is
interestingto note is the 'now' of that secondlast line. Is Heaneytalking about the
later moment of poetic creation which has come after the original, originary event but

final
its
innate
force,
have
And
then
the
or presence?
stunning
we
which still retains
image:'And vanishedinto wheretheyseemedto start'. And so we havethe imageof
its
being
is
to
to
the
andclearance;what seems allow
momentof
emerge
nothingness
To quoteDerridaon Heideggerfrom Aporias:death'signifiesthe
disappearance.
6.
is,
impossibility
itself
The
the
measureless
exists,
of existence
poem
possibilityof
just
image
it
is
inscribed
be
the
the
that
as
understood,
contains
and
read
within
can
ideaof its own disappearance.

The secondpoemfrom Heaneycomesfrom his sequence

of sonnets
from his 1987volumeTheHaw Lantern.This entirecycledealswith
'Clearances".
Heaney's
family,
death
members
of
the
of significant
particularlyhis motheranda
favouriteaunt:

6 JacquesDerrida:Apotias: StanfordUniv. Press:California: 1993, p,72, Trans.by ThomasDutoit

179

Clearances
II
Polishedlinoleumshonethere.Brasstapsshone.
The chinacupswerevery white andbig An unchippedsetwith sugarbowl andjug.
The kettle whistled. Sandwichand tea scone

Werepresentandcorrect.In caseit run,

The butter must be kept out of the sun.
And don't be dropping crumbs.Don't tilt your chair.
Don't reach.Don't point. Don't make noise when you stir.

It is Number5, New Row, Landof the Dead,

Wheregrandfatheris rising from his place
With spectacles
pushedbackon a cleanbald head
To welcomea bewilderedhomingdaughter
Beforesh6evenknocks.'What's this?What'sthisT
7
down
in
And they sit
the shiningroomtogether.

In this poemHeaneycreatesandre-createsa lost world. SimonCritchley

identifiesthe poetictropeprosopopeiaasonein which an absentor imaginaryperson
is presentedasspeakingandacting8-He speaksof this asrevealinga failure of
it
is
inability
death
because
the
to
when
moment
convey
reality
a
of
an
representation,
it
is
failure
Heaney
disappears.
And
We
closely
a
of
presence.
will
read
consciousness
7 OpenedGround. 1998,p. 308
SimonCritch1ey:Very Little ... Almost Nothing: 1997,p. 73: 'the representationof deathis not the
death,
intuition
fikeness
draw
a
of
an
object
of
perception
or
cannot
of
a
a
presence,
we
representation
-

180

bearingthis reflectionin mind, with the view thatHeaneystill createsa world that is
So
into
we
can
enter
comprehend.
and
we entera transcendental
which
thereand
in
its
be
is
It
that
own uniquespace.
meaningfulandcan comprehended. exists
space
the world his mothergrewup in. It is a very orderedworld where
Heaneysuggests
is
luminosity
from
There
its
had
the
to
the
a
china.
properplace,
children
everything
from
'shone'
least
from
in
the
the
the
this
of
word
world
word
go,
or
at
use
announced
line.
focus
A
Heaney's
is
trait
in
the
the
on the particular and
of
work
twice
opening
the tangible. We recognizethe scones,the butter, the tea set and the sun. The moral
from
is
the
that
the
the
also,
or
suggested
material
world
world
apart
created
world
is
like
'Don't
The
the
inhabited,
through
sestet
phrases
shift
run',
etc.
surprising
child

is
It
longer.
described
in
does
the
the
the
that
place
not
exist
any
octet
whenwe realize
'land of the dead'.Heaney'sgrandfatheris rising to meethis spectraldaughter,
himself
is
There
is
he
a momentof recognition,a meetingpoint
a spectre
although
hint
describe
both
the
the
at
arrival of
expect
only
and
not
can
where
poem
which
have
know,
have
they
expected
and
yet
not
understoodor graspedwith
something will
The poemsuggests
that the world of the
the intellect,or conceptualunderstanding.
be
recognizedandunderstood.
unknownwill

the
Heaneyhascreatedtwo tangibleworlds.Throughthe real he hassuggested
We can enterinto or residein the world of the
liminal, the unreal,the disappeared.
it
is
know,
is
the
It
of
world
the
only,
although
yet
we
a
significant
only,
world
octet.
have
layers
We
So
the
of
there
world,
a
of
removal.
of
are
re-creation
poetic
poem.
a
have
disappeared,
is
in
the
the
the
that
then,
the
world of
and
sestetwe
the real world
descriptionof an afterworldin termsdrawnfrom this world, a world that we don't
death
Thus,
life,
they
rather
or
representations
of
or
whatever.
are
misrepresentations,
a
still
portrait,
are representationsof an absence'.

181

know yet. Poetry,the innate argumentof the poem dealswith the languageof
is
is
the
a
practicing
of
sacramentalword, and the only means
presenceand absence,

by which suchcrossoverlines,the traversingof the chiasmusbetweenbeingand

be
Heaney's
and
absence,
can
achieved.
poemoperateson a
presence
nothingness,
transcendentalact of faith groundedin the possibilities of the poetic word. We are
him
believe
in
he
has
fictional
the
travel
the
to
as
we
with
reality
world
of
urged

constructedor created.

The idea of a type of sacramentalpresencebeing conveyed,suggested,created

by meansof the poetic word is an idea Heaneyutilizes in anotherpoem from this

from
'Clearances':
three
sonnet
sequence,

III

Whenall the otherswereawayat Mass

I wasall hersaswe peeledpotatoes.
Theybrokethe silence,let fall oneby one
Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:

Cold comfortssetbetweenus,thingsto share

Gleamingin a bucketof cleanwater.
And againlet fall. Little pleasantsplashes
Fromeachother'swork would bring usto our senses.

Sowhile the parishpriestat her bedside

Wenthammerandtongsat the prayersfor the dying
And somewererespondingandsomecrying

182

I remembered
herheadbenttowardsmy head,
Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knivesNever closer the whole rest of our lives. 9

We note the daring use of sexualinnuendo in the secondline 'I was all hers'.
This is all the more striking by being placed in the vicinity of the referenceto
is
family
The
Mass.
the
the
are at
religious ceremony
religious observation; rest of
disparate
the
communion,
a
moment
of
normally
unity
when
creating
at
aimed
human
in
harmony
body
the
the
through
world
are
united
of
and with
elementsof
Christ. Heaneycreatesa secularalternative. Through the act of peeling potatoes,again
life
food
item
for
Heaney's
also
a
reality,
sustaining
generationof
a solid, everyday

his
is
folk,
between
Heaney
Irish
of
communion
moment
a
created
and mother.
rural
Thereis a sensethattheyarelost in their work; the mind is removedfrom thebodyin
imagery
is
languages
This
and
suggestiveof a type of spiritual or mystic
a way.

harmony;wherethe alienatedmind that oftenoperatesat a removefrom the activities

in
is
And
body
type
the
a
of
ecstasy.
suspended
so while the priestgoesthrough
of
death-bed
liturgy
Heaney
formal
the
the
utilised
at
recalls this moment of
with

he
for
his
In
loss
this
the
mourns
closeness
as
poem
and
intimacy
of
mother.
gemime
imagination
interesting
is
the
What
to
the
of
analogical
creativity
at
work.
we witness
by
is
fascinated
Heaney
how
is
the
intngued
and
still
notionof communion;
with
note
it is whathe is still trying to attainpoetically,andin the real world. The situation
describedby Heaneylocatesa sacredpowerwithin the everyday,andwithin the
injaginationof the poetashe drawsit out throughhis verbalact of poesy,in a direct
Heaney's
The
implication
behind
the
to
of
official
representatives
religion.
challenge

opened Ground: 1998,P. 309

183

draws
to
is
to
the
the
metaphor
experience
on
and
world;
unity
a
of
poem
-poet
breakages
in
the
a narrative moment of
overcome world's apparentgapsand

andmeaning.
wholeness

Enter Maurice Blanchot

TheSpaceofLiterature (1955) by French novelist, critic and philosopher

Maurice Blanchot containsa chapterentitled 'The Work and Death's Space"O.Here
Blanchot expoundsa core argumentin his thesis for the first time. A novelist himself,
Blanchot is keenly awareof the elusive nature of 'creative' writing. The figure for
is
by
him
Poetry
For
the writer
is
Poetry.
always
attempt
escaping
every
eachand
this

formulate
is
down,
it.
it
There
it
to
thereby
hold
tie
and
no certainty
contain
to
or
form
formulate
Those
in
Poetry
to
terms
a
of
either
or
content.
attempt
who
about
flounder.
basis
its
bound
framework
the
to
of
poetic
on
activity or productsare
moral
is
is
his
hesitancy
What
his
true
the
Themarkof
poet
regarding statusasa poetat all.
her
just
for
Poetry.
The
is
the
poetry,
or
search
poetmustrelinquishall
poet's
vital
is
here
investigated,
tested,
as
challenged,
she
mastery
rendereduncertain
attemptsat

by Poetryitself Thework producedby Poetryquestionseverything.The work always

forcesthe writer out of complacency,andforcesher out of the familiarity of whatshe
doesandknows,therebyforcing her out from the possibilitiesof what shecando.

Whatthenis the natureof the poeticwork?What is achievedwhenthe poem

is finally bom?For Blanchotthe poemis but oneinstantof the infinite possibilitiesof
is
The
human
the momentwhenpossibilitybecomespower,the
poem
mind.
the
10maurice Blanchot: The Spaceoftiterature: Univ. of NebraskaPress:Nebraska:1989,p. 85 - 159,
Trans. by Ann Smock

184

4gra,ed' moment(to usea word foreignto Blanchot'sformulation)whenmind

U--c
becomesthe givencertaintyof a realisedform, a beautifulbody.For Blanchotthe
instant,
infinity
is
but
the
a
privileged
one
moment,
along
path
of
which the
work

is
infinite
The
is
conceiving.
of
mind
andthe work alwaysrecognises
mind capable
this.

Blanchotconsidersin detail a notefrom FranzKafka's Diaries: 'On the way

home,I said to Max that on my deathbed, provided the suffering is not too great,I
forgot
I
later
best
I
be
to
that
the
this
add,
content.
and
omitted
on
very
purpose,
will
is
based
have
die
I
Kafka
this
to
upon
written
capacity
content".
writes about
of what

his
feels
he
over characterswho aredying,andindirectlythe readerwho
thepower
is
dying.
'I
dying
in
feel
this
the
the
moment:
of
even
enjoy
characterwho
pathos
will
ThusI calculatinglyexploit the reader'sattentionwhich I haveconcentrated
upon
death;I keepa muchclearerheadthanhe,who will lament,I suppose,on his
My lamentationis thusasperfectaspossible.It doesnot interruptitself
deathbed.
12

lamentation
does,
it
follows
its
beautiful,
the
real
rather
way
purecourse'
abruptly
hereby Kafka amazesBlanchot.
The senseof masteryandcalculationsuggested
Contemplatingthis Blanchotwonders,shouldoneturn the momentof supreme

in
balanced
to oneof satisfaction;shouldonebe clearheaded
this
dissatisfaction
and
degree
be
to
the
that
these
One
the
threatened?
so
values
more
should
are
moment,
death,
into
the
turning
the supremeandabsolutely
extreme
negative,
capableof
time
project
and
possibility,
arerealised.
where
positive,

II The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 90

12The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 90

185

Blanchotarguesthat a concernwith deathis the centralfactorin all of Franz

Kafka's work; from the storiesIn the Penal Colony and TheMetamorphosisand The

Judgementright throughto whenhe conceivesandwriteshis novel TheTrial. What

identifies
line
is
how
this
the
who
of
enquiry
quickly andsilently
reader
surprises
Kafka's charactersdie. Blanchot accountsfor this through what will becomethe
Space
die,
The
He
they
that
of
ofLiterature.
suggests
not
argument
only
when
central

live,
Kafka's
to
they
they
struggle
when
are
alive,
protagonistsexistwithin
evenas
death's space.It is to the indefinite time of 'dying' that they truly belong. In fact the
is
Kafka
to
test
they
this
through
them
that
at
all
exist
strangeness
out,
and
reason
himself is also tested.The reasonhe can work, creatework at all, is through his ability

its
be
death,
in
be
this
to
to
trial
tune
to
eventualpossibility, stand
equal.
with
with

Enter Kirilov, StageRight

The figure of Kirilov hashauntedmodemwriting eversinceDostoyevsky

his
for
The
Possessed.
Albert
him
French
novel
writer and philosopher
conceived
Camusdevotessomereflections to this figure in his philosophical and political essay

knownin Englishas TheRebel.Kirilov is the cool andcalm rationalist.Men fear

deathandthat is why theyarepersistentin living. Our humanfearof deathis the
idea
is
liberate
God
The
human
to
the
of
originates. authentic
challenge
point at which
fear,
God,
from
this
to
and
oust
andwe canonly conductthis enterprise
ourselves
death,
in
by
die
here
is
fear.
It
to
that
to
choosing
opposition
satisfactorily
what we
freedom
is
located.
human
Vital
is
to
this
that we annexto our
authentic
lies
in
idea
disappearance.
insight
Blanchot's
the
of
our
own
particular
consciousness
his question:'Doeshe [Kirilov] provethroughhis deaththe possibilitywhich he

186

from
his
death,
be
him
in
being
to
that
powerof not
which permitted
received advance
himself - to be, that is, though freely linked to himself, always other than himself -

13
be
being?
'
thepower,to act,speak,takerisks,and without

Blanchot is here developingthemesthat he touchedon in his earlier essay

14

'Literature and the Right to Death' found in The Work ofFire (1949)

In that earlier

had
'The
is
imaginary
Blanchot
the
written:
realm
of
not a strangeregion
essay
it
is
itself,
but
beyond
the
the
the world as entire, manifold, the
world,
world
situated
is
it
is
in
That
because
it
is
the
the world, grasped
why
not
a
whole.
world,
as
world
by
its
in
individual
the
the
entirety
global
negation
of
all
realities
and realized

disqualification,
it,
by
by
in
their
that
their
the
of
absence,
realization
contained
how
is
literary
begins,
literary
for
itself,
creation
which
creationgoes
when
absence
backovereachthing andeachbeing,it cherishesthe illusion that it is creatingthem,
becausenow it is seeingandnamingthemfrom the startingpoint of everything,from
the starting point of the absenceof everything, that is, from nothing'15.Blanchot will

like
life,
in
it.
The
literature,
itself
death
that
to
must
endure
andmaintain
go on say
basisfor Blanchot's argumentlies in an interpretation of how languageworks. It lies
in how meaning is createdin the first instancein languageitself We presentan object

in language.We representit. This is the death,though,of the objectin itself andof the
boy,
When
John,
deny
boy,
the
the
the
the
of
man,
speak
or
manand
we
of
we
person.
Johntheir reality.We denythemtheir flesh andblood reality in the realmof
in
is
language.
is
being
The
deprivation
that
word a placeof
presenting
representation
being.
For
Blanchot
death
is
the
that
to comeis presentin this moment
the absenceof
is
it
death.
It
The
boy,
figurative
what
makes
possible.
a man,or John,or a woman,
of
13The SpaceofLiterature: 1989:p. 99
14 The Work of Fire: StanfordUniv. Press:California: 1995,Trans. by Charlotte Mandell

187

from
be
from
be
their
their
present
and
presence,
removed
existenceand
can removed
by
fact
future
into
death.
The
the
their
nothingness
of
annihilation through
plunged

into
being
language
is
because
through
comes
signification
possible
of the
which
being.
human
mortalityof

Speakingof the woman, as figure for his thought, Blanchot writes: 'if this

dying,
if
by
death
threathened
capable
really
of
not
she
were
at every
were
not
woman
bound
life,
joined
her
death
by
be
bond,
I
to
and
of
an
not
essential
would
moment
ideal
deferred
is
that
that
to
negation,
out
assassination
carry
which
what my
able
languageis'

16

17

We note Gillian Rose's astutecriticism of Blanchot here Shenotes

.
.

the passivityof this femalesubjectfor Blanchot.Doesthis femalesubjectnot havea

desire
her
identity,
to
and
a
personality
work
of
own?Blanchotgoeson to write
will,
that literature'is the presenceof thingsbeforethe world exists,their perseverance
disappeared,
has
the stubbornness
the
of what remainswheneverything
after world
dumbfoundedness
And
the
of
what
appears
so
and
whennothingexists"'.
vanishes
RodolpheGaschewill write: 'if literatureis a marvel,a wonder(unemerveille),as
Blanchot holds, it is so precisely becauseits origin is a mystery. It occurs in ways that

happens
if
it
had
It
as
no antecedents,
eachtime newand
arenot predicatable.
The
literature
felicitious,
that
to
conditions
contradictory
give
rise
are
singular.
it
how
literature
because
The
depends
them.
remains
mysterious
wonder
on
precisely

15 77teWork of Fire: 1995,p. 316

16 The Work of Fire: 1995,p. 323
11Gillian Rose: 'Potter's Field., death workedand unworked, in Maurice Blanchot.- The Demand of
Writing: Routledge:London: 1996,p.203. Shewrites: 'nothing canbe learnt from the disparity
...
betweenthe evocationof her nameand her actuality,her desire and work, becausesheis not a selfis
love,
his
desire
term
the
The
equally
other's
middle
self-relation,
whose
of
ruin
and
work.
relation
loss,
follows
from
its
death
in
impossibility
the
of
the
risk
attendant
ruin
always
of
of
action
and
with
manchot'.
Is The Work of Fire: 1995,p. 328

188

but
is
its
Given
literature
the
the
nothing
silent
about
existence'19.
wonder
of
impossibility of his task the writer will always produce somethingthat is singular and

'the
is
Other
in
is
it
Gasche
that
work
an
umnasterable
writes:
unpredictable,
unique.
in
is
It
Other
in its effect,andescapes
the Hegeliansenseof
reappropriation. not an
beingthe Otherof self.Its Othernessis not that of the alienatedself,but of something
from
derivation
Paradoxically
self and henceremains irrecuperablev20
that refuses
.
then in a moment of emptinesseverything becomespossible.Literature possessesan
infinite power to endurecontradiction. This is founded ironically on the deathof the
language
For
literature
for
Blanchot.
to proceedat all, which they patently
and
subject
do, then I must not be fully recuperableto myself For me to speakat all and become

therebya universalsubjectI mustexperiencea distancefrom myself And thuswe

by
Christopher
described
Fynsk
'my
the
speak
of
wherewe can
reach point
in
impersonal
form
the
anonymity
me,
appearing
as
without
other
of an
consciousness
thatis lessa presencethanthe presenceof an absence,the intrusionof the outside,
irreducible
alterity"21.
an
relationwith

For Blanchot then to be is always determinedby our capacity not to be.

Shadowdetermineslight. We arenow beginningto strikethe particulartenorof

Blanchot'sthought,what we might submitashis 'originality'. Blanchotarguesthat
fully
herself
belong
him
if
it.
to
For
over
negation
or
you
canneveruse
whoevergives

leave
it,
belong
for
take
to
the
to
thereby
never
of
can
yourself,
you
you
absolutely
in
is
is
longer.
From
that
this perspective
which
one
absence,
oneself
no
neutrality
deathis no longerto come,for it is that which comesno longer.Death,or suicide,
" RudolpheGasche:'The Felicitiesof Paradox:Blanchot on the nulls-spaceof literature, in Maujice
Blanchot. The Demand of Witing: Routledge:London: 1996, p. 45
20 Gasche:1996,p. 47 - 48

189

is
delusion
lies
if
desire
Blanchot,
to
that
the
considered,
a
according
moreproperly
behindsuicideis to kill oneselfat a determinedmoment.For Blanchotdeathcan
Suicides
future
death.
be
to
the
the
seek
abolish
of
present.
as
mystery
never
deathis renderedreadable,is madetransparent,
indecipherable
the suicidevainly
hopes.The suicide seeksto relieve death of its still-to-comenesswhich is its very
it
but
For
Blanchot
to
thereby.
safe
and
vulnerable,
render
substanceless
all
essence,

the carefulsuicidenoteandchosenmomentarevain,
andreadiness,
our preparations
for we can haveno power over the essentialindeterminacythat is the moment of
death- for deathcan never be a relation to a chosen,determinedmoment any more
than it can bear a determinedrelation to myself

For Blanchotthenthereis a similarity anddifferencein art andsuicide.Both

involvean investmentin possibility.Both wish to extendthemselvesinto the region
is
Death
Death
the
the
as
such
not
answer.
appearsto offer an answer
ungraspable.
of

in thatwe haveconceivedof it asan attemptto deliverus up finally into the

beyond.
For
Blanchot
death
depth
is
'empty
the
that
the
all
of
reveals
unfathomable
beyond'. Death loosensmy hold upon myself and castsme out of my power from the

beginninguntil the very finish, andbecomesultimately,without relationto me, 'the

is
This
delivers.
However,
the
the work seeksthis
suicide
what
infinite'.
of
unreality
The
dwell
in
to
the momentof absence,
seeks,
work
wants
origin.
when
as
its
reversal
from,
denied
is
Suicide
blind
death
is
death
to,
to this
or
me.
robbed
or
voluntary
my
death
A
death
the
to
the
see
one
refuses
cannot
grasp,
reach.
onecannot
possibility,
despite
from
The
drawn
is
to
the
this
to
space
reaches
out
this
work.
work
space
call
itself It is absolutelyput to the testby somethingthat visits it from this space.The
" ChristopherFynsk: 'Crossingthe Areshold. Literature and the Right to Death', in Maurice
Blanchot.- The Demand of Wtiting: Routledge: 1996,p. 84

190

is
drawn
is
to
the
to
this
moment,
space,
or
place
where
everything
exposed
work
highestrisk, where being is put at risk, where the right and power to die itself is

in
his
he
'Death
'Literature
Right
Death':
As
to
the
earlier
essay
wrote
and
gambled.
it
in
is
humanizes
the
that
nature,thatraisesexistence
world;
a
power
workswith us
in
is
death
is
human
it
it
being,
only
to
within eachoneof us asour most
quality;
and
the world - man knows death only becausehe is man, and he is man only becausehe

is deathin the processof becoming.But to die is to shatterthe world; it is the lossof

loss
being;
it
is
loss
death,
the
the
the
the
of
and so
also
of
the person, annihilation of
it
death.
for
long
I
As
live,
but
I
I
it
in
made
me
as
when
am a mortal man,
and
what
die, by ceasingto be a man I also ceaseto be mortal, I am no longer capableof dying,

horrifies
but
because
is:
death
death
it
it
longer
I
impending
the
me
see
as
no
my
and
-)22

impossibilityof dying

The Descent into Hell

In Blanchot'sview two modempoetshavehadsomethingvaluable,interesting

For
Mallarme
to
time
suicide
concerning
and
say
art.
a
confuseda
revealing
and
for
Rilke
the
an
affirmation
with
of
suicide
work
and
soughta relationship
concern

be
'exact'
the
death
than
that
that
more
previously
would
considered
under
with
death.
rubricsof voluntary

in a letterto Cazalis(November14,1896)thatIgitur
Mallarmeacknowledges
is an undertakingin which poetryitself is at stake.The ideaof igitur suggests
an
is
it
is
by
the
to
the
present
point wherewhat
attempt make work possible grasping at

22The Workof Fire: 1995,p. 337

191

theabsenceof all power,a typeof impotence.As Mallarmedescribesit:

dunfortunately,by digging this thoroughly into verse,I have encounteredtwo abysses

despair.
One
is
Nothingness
is
The
have
found
I
me
make
other
void
which
which
...
23
breast.
'And now,havingreachedthe horriblevision of a purework,
theonein my
I havealmostlost my reasonandthe meaningof the mostfamiliar words.'
'Everything which, as a result, my being has suffered during this long agony is

but fortunatelyI am perfectlydead Whichis to conveyto you that I

indescribable,
...
longer
Stephane
impersonal,
for
know'24
is
What
and
no
whom
you
altered
am now
.
Mallanne is his 'normal' relationships; that relationship that ordinarily exists to the
habitual
language;
his
is
the
to
this
of
the physical
use
what
experience
alters
world,

living.
his
Mallarme
is
finally
the
own
of
poet
yieldedup to the experience
assurance
his
its
death
he
death
death's
face
the
truth;
the
of
person
and
meets
cold
of
of
impersonality.We hazard.

Fromoutsidethe experiencewe guessthat Mallarmebeganwithin the feeling

He
its
in
to,
touch
the
was
attentive
nothingness.
of
with
pulsingof
or sensation
force
he
its
mystery
and
was
what
contemplatedin order to accomplishthe
vitality,
language
In
the
task.
of paradoxwe might say that he experiencedthe activity
poetic
in
his
For
Blanchot,
the
moment
of
poetic darknessMallarme graspedthe
of absence.

In
feels
that
the
the
shades
absence.
presence
moment
of abandonment
one
peculiar
Mallarme
language
in
his
the
presence.
of
a
persistent
articulated
remarks
on
strength
to
the
in
the
things,
to
them
render
absence
word
this absence,and
of
of
evoke
ability
be
faithful
We
transmit,
to
to
to,
the
authentically
their
somehow
absence.
valueof
yet
'it subsistsasthe dissimulated
might speakparadoxicallyof a presentabsentness:
23 The SpaceofLiterature: 1995,p. 108
24 The Spaceof Literature: 1995,p. 108

192

in
dissimulation
it
be
being,
this
and
chance
cannot
persists
as
which
of
presence
if
is
is
is
for
And
this
the
where
only
everything
at
stake,
possible
yet
work
abolished.

if
in
be
dice
is
Midnight,
the
the
presenceof
can
absence pureandperfect,only
force
it
finds
it
begins,
There
the
the
there
there
thrown.
alone work's origin speaks;
25
beginning'.
the
of

In the momentof absoluteabsencethe poetencounters

two words:it is.
Disengagedfrom beings he meetsthe mystery of this reality. In the flioment of
itself
longer
be
it
is
is
can
no
nothingness
negated,
what
affinned, the
nothingness,
baseline which is asserted,and which statesand claims nothingnessas being. This

limit
definitive
infinite
bears
the
the
to
upon
and
witness a
experienceoperatesas
in
death
begins
in
For
the
truth.
the
of
moment
partakes
work which
momentwhen
is
it
begins
in
because
do
distant
horizon
the
that
which
certaintyof
negationcan so
its point of origin, and ultimately, arrival.

its own
The authenticigitur experiencepresentsto consciousness
disappearance.This is the ongoing artistic task. We have to imagine, lucidly, advance

bodily
limits,
'transcend'
the
our
our
grasp
presence,
present
and
ourselves,
outside
disengagement
dissolution.
We
to
our
absence
and
our
must
appear
of
moment
death
disappearance,
in
this
to
this
must
we
gather
up
ourselves essential
ourselves
form
life
death
is
the
the
to
the
the
consciousness
come.
and
of
unique
act
of
which
Thereis a convergingof emergentandvanishinglines of thought,consciousness,
Beingor Poetry,at the momentwhenthoughtreachesthe point whereits-very-setf

25 The SpaceofLiterature: 1955,p. 109- 110

193

here
is
into
is
liquidation.
disappears
For
Blanchot
the
experienced
what
and
emerges
intimacy of absence,the moment of night. Essentially,by disappearinginto deathwe

it
is
No,
thereby
the
do not institutedisappearance
and
establish night.
alwaysthe
disappearance,
to
this
that
allowed
are
and
alone,
we
of
whereby
presence
absolute
die. Through this baselineof experiencewe are introducedto our mortal decisionsand
in
Blanchot
'Literature
Death':
'if
As
Right
this
to
the
to
call
wrote
we
and
act.
ability

death,
death,
then
or
or
unreality
presently
negation,andunreality,at
powernegation
language,
depths
in
in
the
the
the
truth
the
of
will
signify
advent
of
world,
work
being,
formation
intelligible
the
of meaning-)26.
constructionof

H%ereinthe Panther Stalks

For BlanchotRainerMaria Rilke of all modempoetscarriedout the intensest

human
it
intimacy
live
task
to
this
of
of
what
means
our
within
clarificationof
death.
images
When
Rilke's
darkness,
we
examine
something
or
poetic
night,
is
in
Rilke
death
'ripens'
that
our very
revealed.
suggests
philosophicallysignificant
heart.Deathis the 'fruit'; that sweet,obscurefruit, a fruit still 'green' that,we 'leaves
For
Rilke
from
bear
death
is
then
bark',
nouriSh27
and
must
not
something
and
.
by
logic
The
his
images
befalls
that
that
accident.
of
we should
us
suggests
outside
death
intimate
Death
live
living.
being,
to
as
an
with
amidstour
our
strive,or aim
deep
deep
heart's
from
from
draws
life
Death
the
within
core.
strikesprofoundly
living.
have
We
immanence
from
to
the
to
the
of
our
of
strive
centre
respect
within,
death
to
deathwithin our lives.At the sametime we mustrespectthe transcendence
of

26 The Work of Fire: 1995,P. 344

27 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 125

194

life
it
history,
is
So
human
and
experience.
alwaysthere,asa presence,
andnot
our
there,at the sametime.

We mustcontinuallystriveto be awareof 'this otherside'. Rilke struggledto

in
it
poetic terms:
articulate

With all its eyesthe creaturesees

The Open. Our eyesonly are
28

As if reversed.

ForRilke, if we couldseethingsfrom the otherside,we will alter our perception,or

be
We
for
Rilke
this
transformation.
to
would
ready
experience.
calls
also
our
access
'otherside' 'the purerelation',becausethe fact of beinglies in this relation,outside
itself,
in
death
in
Through
thing
the
the
thing.
the
and
not
representation
of
oneself,
indicates,
back
from
this
the
turn
the
and
return
comes
other
other
and
side,
eyes
our
longer
living
from
but
fact
back,
is
turned
turned
the
no
away
within
of
working
side
from
intimacy
within the night. We are not deprived of
conversion,
the
of

by
but
itself,
is
it.
Rilke
For
this
consciousness
established
outside
of
consciousness,
is
What
Rilke
is
the
movement.
to
or
moment
ecstatic
an
struggling
articulate
always
is
intimately
from
the
the
of
outdoors
reality
experienced
within, and
spacewhereby
in
is
its
intimacy
intimate
the
ourselves
the
within
all
outside
and
when
where
intimacy
is
known,
Rilke
felt
the
the
within
outside
of
andexperienced.
vastness
by
Wellinnenraum,
inner
the
term
this
the
experience
world's
space:
names

29 The Spaceof Literature: 1995,p. 134

195

Through all beings spreadsthe one space:

The world's inner space.Silently fly the birds
All through us. 01 who want to grow,

I look outside,andit is in me thatthe treegrows!29

Blanchot noteshow everything is convertedinward, and needsto be

by this experienceof the outside/inside,andthe inside/outside:

transmuted

Man is linked to things, he is in the midst of them, and if he renounceshis

in
is
it
if
he
himself,
into
not
apparentlywithdraws
realising and representingactivity,
isn't
but
he,
humble
dismiss
the
to
which
everything
and outworn realities,
order
him,
interiorization
in
to
them
these
this
take
to
make
where
with
participate
rather
they lose their usevalue, their falsified nature, and lose also their narrow boundaries
in order to penetrateinto their true profundity. Thus doesthis conversionappearas an
immensetask of transmutation,in which things, all things, are transformedand
interiorized by becoming interior in us and by becoming interior to themselves.This
into
invisible
into
invisible
the
the always
the
the
transformationof
visible
and of
fact
being
does
invisible
the
takes
place
where
of
not expressa
unrevealed
more
do
but
is
to
the
toward
turned
we
access
nor
other
us
side which not
simple privation,
30
it.
light
upon
shed

Thus emergesthe poetic task. The poet introduces all things into the space
be
free,
them
they
to
then,
at
all
and
where
retains
are
utterly
where nothing

In
having
the
their
confronted
possibility
after
of
themselves,
very non-being.
dispossession
longer
their
they
absolute
see
arereleased,we no
confrontationwith
decoration,
intimacy
in
Theyjoin
the
of the
of
purpose
or
utility.
of
us
objects
themas
interior
longer
In
Rilke
the
that
they
are
no
sheltered.
andwe
says
poem
risk where
dares
Through
'translates
to
that
they
things'.
translated,
space
are
one
passed,
space
language
from
The
this
to
through
translates
them
transfigured
one
another.
poet
say
29 The Spaceof Literature: 1989,p. 136
30 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 139- 140

196

interior
foreign,
language
interior,
from
to
the
the
the
of
exterior
altogether
space
languageeven where languagenamesin silence and possibly becauseof and by
is,
is
in
is
longer
The
itself
space
poem's
one
present
and
which
nothing
no
silence

in
is
the midstof absenceandemptiness,andeverything
spoken
whereeverything
finally returnsinto its true spiritualaccordwhich is openness,
the deadcentreof the
eternalmovement.

The poet's task as a bearerof the Word is to translatethe visible into the
invisible and the invisible into the visible. As Rilke reflected: 'how could one sustain,
how could one savethe visible, if not by creating the languageof absence,of the
invisible' ?31The poem is the vortex into which everything dies, where everything is

is
infinite
final
between
domains
there
the
the
two
an
passage
and
reversed,where
in
for
figure
The
this
and
possibility
spaceof metamorphosis energeticcirculation.
Rilke's writing is Orpheus.Orpheusis the act of metamorphosis:a singer of the song

the songthat articulatesthe anguishof that

bornat the momentof disappearance,
He is alwaysmorethoughthanpoeticplenitudealthoughhe is that.He
disappearance.
is the origin of the poem. He is the sacrificial point which is no longer the
domains,
but
he
is
lost
two
the
the
the
the
rather
god,
of
of
abyss,
chasm
reconciliation

infinitely
tracesthe momentof absence:
the onewho

0 you, lost god! You, infinite trace!

By dismemberingyou the hostileforceshadto disperseyou

To makeof us now hearersanda mouthof Nature.32

31 The SpaceofLiterature: 1995,p. 142

33 The SpaceofLiterature: 1995,p. 143

197

There is an interesting shift in the later Rilke. He seemsto allude in later

hold
in
time
time
that
to
closedupon
still
circle
of
would
a
pure
completed
a
writings
itself What exactly is the nature of that time? Does Rilke mean a spacewherein this

time risesabovethe specificnatureof a givenmoment,or a spacewhereinabsent

have
into
duration
is
Rilke
is
to
timelessness?
seems
altered
presence consumedand
in mind a spacewhere we can be, but not just subsisting,a being there that is whole,

liberated,completeandcontent.We haveasour taskto aim for this space,this stateof

just
We
things
to
this
and
ourselves
not
establish
within
space.
will
equilibrium,
disappearbut perpetuate.We will make things invisible so that they may be reborn in
their invisibility. Rilke seemsto open up the horizon, window, or possibility whereby

death:
dying
escape
through
we can

And thesethingswhoselife
Is declineunderstand
that you praisethem;fleeting,
Theylendus,us the mostfleeting,the powerto save.
Theywantus to changethemin the bottomof our invisible
heart
Into -0 infinite - into ourselves!Whatsoverwe may be in the
33

end.

For Rilke if oneonly seesdeaththenonesuffersthe error of a limited life and

is
Maybe
death
narrowlyunderstood
a poorlyconvertedor understoodconsciousness.
is
is
It
by
being.
lie.
Death
down,
de-limit,
dangerous
the
means which we close
the
When
badly,
into
false
transmute,
through
things
we
which we
route
all
the
objects.

13 The Spare of Literature: 1995,p. 146

198

finish
down
tend
to
pre-occupied
with
our
own
off,
narrow
we
close
areunjustifiably
freedom
it
be
from
liberation
If
then
this closing
means
anything
must
other objects.

from
death
death
becomes
liberation
the
where
we
approach
point whereby
off, a real
transparent.

As Blanchot readsRilke there is a key elementto the human's consentto

death.It hingeson our awareness

of our own passingaway.We arethe only onesthis
be
have
is
death
to
the
to
that
to
the
to
and
aware
opportunity consent
passing
side of
death.We are the only creatureswho articulate through speech,song,drama,art and
So,
in
humanity
disappearance.
death
level,
attains
a
a unique point,
our
new
poetry,

between
it
in
is
For
Blanchot
in
through
being,
there
then
that
and
us
sings.
a pact
of
deathandsinging,deathis the momentthat is transmutedin song,the invisible
it
invisible.
We
here.
For
by
lose
the
the
transformed
mustnot
sightof
everydayworld
is only throughthe mediationof objectstowardswhich we arecalledto be responsible
is
transformation
this
possible:
that

Being here below and being beyond, may both claim you
Strangely,without distinction.34

one of the two domainsmustnot be overemphasised

at the expenseof the other:the
it
invisible;
is
in
is
i'visible,
but
is
the
it
to
the
saved
necessary
alsowhat saves
visible
contrastestablishes
a vital equalitybetweenthe two
the invisible.This necessary
poles.

34 The Spaceof Literature: 1989,p. 150

199

This entiremovementis dependentuponwhatwe will termthe transcendental

is
found
in
it
forward
but
It
longer
looks
our
gaze
at
as no
goals,
momentoftsion.

thatlooksbackward,overthe shoulderat thingsthemselves

astheylie behindin order
to grasptheir 'closedexistence',a vision foundin my attemptto graspthemin their
in
defined
by
but
the
as
objects
perfected
or
not
context
utility,
separateness,
complete
itself.
being
This
kernel
detached
lies
(this
innocence
the
of
experience
vision,
at
pure
Duino
Elegies.
is
Rilke's
For
Blanchot
'an
heart)
this
the
ecstatic
of
experience
at
35
is
'an
death
The
the
also
gaze
of
art
and
which
experience
of
writer
experience'
.
doesnot beginwith the hierarchyimposedby the materialandcommercialworlds.
definedby
Art is only interestedin objectsaccordingto an absolutedisinterestedness
it
by
death.
is
departure
The
distance
infinite
the approachto
given
poet's point of
the

begins.
Art searches
for the point of opening,the
thepoint wherenothingness
Open.
is
in
Art
dying.
Simon
As
the
the
true
origin,
search
of
of
a
experience
Critchleynotes:'Orpheusdoesnot wantto makethe invisiblevisible,but rather(and
impossibly)to seethe invisible asinvisible'36
.

For Blanchot there is a dark impurity that hauntsthis moment isolated by

Rilke's writingsandreflections.It is the fearful sideof the absoluteindetenninacy

death.
is
It
the othersideof its excessiveness.
is
It is thevery
the
momentof
that
indeterminacythat makesit an impuretranscendence,
whatmakesthis moment
is
beyond
Death
is
its
it
something
always
worldly reality,
absolutelyungraspable.
is
Death
is
face
discrete,
its
its
turned
away.
always
revealing
essential
elusive,
intimacyat the very momentthat it opensus up to its profoundunreality.For deathis
loss
does
found
but
the
of
not
alwaysrevealsabsenceand
an abyss,somethingwhich
35 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 151
31SimonCritchley: VeryLittle Almost Nothing: 1997,p. 43
...

200

for
death
becomes
heart
its
invisibility,
foundation.
So,
Rilke,
the
at
of
a non-event,
all
is
is
is
there,
that
that
not
yet
an
accomplishment,
a
of
an
event
part
moment
a

happeningandyet cannotbe realised.As RodolpheGaschewrites:'Deathis the

hence
(alternative)
"cause"
the
other
or
alternate
and
possibility
powerof an always
of ambiguity, becauseeventhough it allows ideality, universality and meaningto
it
come about, continuesto perpetuate"an irreducible double meaning,a choice

identical
to one
them
the
that
terms
covered
over
ambiguity
are
with
makes
whose
[Gasche
is
from
it
Blanchot's essay
them
opposite"
makes
quoting
another as
'Literature and the Right to Death']. Indeed,death is the inevitable power of the
foundering
losing
lack
the
a
of
a
of
meaning,
of
meaning,
and
additional possibility
is
in
jeopardy.
There
Ideality
its
and universality are always
occurrence.
chanceof

This
that
they
the
occur.
alsomeansthat all relationto an
may
not
always possibility
Other,andall possibleaddresscouldpossiblybe missing'37
.

The Orphic SpaceDescends

Onceandfor all,
38
is
is
It Orpheuswhen there song.He comesand he goes.

In Rilke then,accordingto the readingprovidedby MauriceBlanchot,

Orpheusis not a symbolof a lofty transcendence
that the poetis the vehicleof and
for. Orpheusis not the figure for the godspeakingthroughthe poet.Orpheusis not a
is
for
immutability
No,
Orpheus
the
the
the
etemity
of
poetic
and
symbol
sphere.

37 Gasche,Maurice Blanchot.- The Demand of Writing, p. 64 65

38 The Spaceof Literature: 1989,p. 156

201

demand
disappear.
immeasurable
Orpheus
that
the
we
propheticallycalls
symbolof
die
to
more profoundly:
us

0 seekto understand
that he mustdisappear!
Even if the anguishof it dismay him,
While his word extendsthis world,
Already he is beyond where you may not accompanyhim.

And he obeysby going beyond.39

Orpheusdrawsustowardsthe point wherehe himself,symbolof the eternalpoem,

he
disappearance,
identifies
forces
his
that
into
the
where
with
very
own
enters
dismemberhim andbecomesa purecontradiction,the 'lost god, the absenceof God.
Orpheusis thebridge,the emptysignifier,lying overthe momentof origin, wherethe
for
in
hope
lacking,
is
the
the
truth
as
secure
existence
and
and
as
well
and
poem
hear
to
the
the
they
to
tested,
In
power
speak
and
this
power
undergo
are
space
gods.
instance
impossibility.
lack,
the
their
they
of
endure
their own

We arrive,then,at the symbolof the rosein Rilke's poeticoeuvre.For Rilke

Orphic
it
is
is
the
the spaceof
presence
perceptible
of
space;
the rose a symbol,
is
do
It
de-limit
intimacy.
things
a
place
where
not
oneanother,where
outernessand
in their commonunfurlingtheymakeroomfor eachother,andwhereconstantlythey
40:
into
handful
Within
a
of
ftransfonnthe outsideworld...

39 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 156

40 The Spaceof Literature: 1989,p. 157

202

Almost a being without boundariesand as if spared

And more purely inner and very strangelytender
And illuminating itself right up to the edge,
Is such a thing known to US?

41

The poem - and in it the poet - is this intimacy exposedto the world, opened
into
being.
Within
being
itself
this
transformed
things
to
space,
and
are
unreservedly
innerness.Here the word touchesand is touchedby the deepestintimacy. The word
itself
The
be
touches
this
and
risks
word
point
can
where
nothing
abandonsassurance
is
Here
itself
here,
dying
being
made.
everything
a
nothing
starts
and
over,
and
said of
never-endingtask:

Rose,oh reinerWiderspruch,Lust
NiemandesSchlafzu seinuntersoviel
Lidem.

Rose,0 pure contradiction, delight

Of being no one's sleep under so many
42

Lids.

introducing Jacques

In his first majorwork Of GrammatologyJacquesDerridaproposedthe thesis

linguistic
is
For
'differance'
the
source
of
value.
that
meaningto be constitutedthere
41 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 157
42 The SpaceofLiterature: 1989,p. 157 - 158

203

hasto be a trace of othernesswithin the smallestportion of temporal experience.

Meaningis constitutedthroughdifference:'Without a retentionin the minimal unit of

temporal experience,without a trace retaining the other as other in the same,no

differencewould do its work andno meaningwould appear3,43

At this point we
.
For
birth
Derrida
the
trace.
the traceppens up meaning.It is neither in
the
of
witness
in
'another
in
time or space.Differences produce the
world',
neither
the world nor
the
through
'The
texts
traces:
chains
and
trace is injact the
systems
of
of
elements
in
Which
ofsense
generaL
amountsto saying once again that there is
origin
absolute
The
in
difference
is
trace
ofsense
general,
the
origin
which opens
no absolute

A4
[I'apparaitre]
andsignification
appearance

Derrida and the Faith of the Blind

In Memoirs ofthe Blind. TheSet(-Portrait and Other Ruins,45Derrida writes

is
built
into
blindness
that
Arguably
the coreargumentof the
the
all
art.
structural
of
inhabited
is
by a type of blindness.Writing of this text by
is
book that all seeing
Derrida John D. Caputo speaksof a 'transcendentalblindness'46,that is, the
drawing
itself
the
invisibility of
which can never be represented.Drawing
act of

becomestherebyan operationof the blind.

To illustrate.A blindnessinheresin the originaryact of drawingitself, at the

between
The
both
involves
pen
and
paper.
the
trace
contact
of
moment
point
of
very
43 JacquesDerrida: Of Grammatology: JohnHopkins Univ. Press:Baltimore: 1998,Trans.by Gayatri
62
Spivak
p.
Chakravorty
44 of Grammatology: 1998,P. 65
45 JacquesDerrida:Memoirs of the Blind- The Self-Porft-ait and Other Ruins: Univ. of Chicago
press: Chicago: 1993

204

in
live
his
forgetting.
Even
the
the
turns
presence
of
artist
a
model,
once
memoryand
face
blank
before
from
to
the
their
her
them,
they
model
sheet
mustproceedon
eye
or
is
So
break
Before
there
basis
the
tyranny
the
a
alone.
with
of
present.
memory
the
of
blank
is
is
line
the
there
there
on
page
sorts
an
a
a
re-assembling
of
as
thepenstrikes
inclusion,
left
diminishment
things
enlargement
and
and
as
some
are
actof exclusion
When
blind
draw
become
the
to
to
they
exaggerated.
are
artist
proceeds
others
and
out
is
immediacy
of what presentandsurrendertheir pensor brushesandpaperto the
the
in
dark.
instituted
is
the
that
world

Derrida, continuing his idea of the trace first developedin Of Grammatology,

itself,
is
it
is
is
trace
how
traced
the
traced,
what
out,
after
alsowithdrawn.
even
notes
The linesdrawnmustnot obtrudewith their own densityandcolour.For the picture
become
be
invisible
they
to
to
themselves
must
withdraw,
andallow
or painting work
favour
in
into
In
the
things
that
trace.
the
through
visible
of
rise
up
presence
eclipsed,
do
lines
but 'through' the lines which are
term
the
the
not
we
see
the strict senseof
be
by
light.
Derrida
to
the
the
seen
shuttering
visible
or
notes
structuring
what permit
deus
the
talk
the Godwho disappears,
how this echoes of
absconditus,
who withdraws
47

behindthevisible world.

Concerningthe self-portrait,Derridanoteshow it is a drawingthat always

is
by
late.
This
between
the
that
too
set
the seeing
up
gap
spacing
or
exists
arrives
living
is
The
Derrida
For
the
artist's
gaze
seen.
always
a
moment
and
of
ruin.
glance
itself
The
in
dead
is
that
the
the
sees
as
seeing.
seeingeyeof
eye
there no seeing
artist,
himself
that
the
eye
sees
spectator
or herselfasan objectseen,areall
the miffor, and
46JohnD. Caputo: The Prayers and Tearsof JacquesDerrida: Refigon ivithout Religion: Indiana
Univ. Press:Bloomington: 1997,p.319

205

himself,
As
by
to
the
to
soon
as
artist
attempts
re-capture
see
abyss.
an
separated
himselfseeing,the thing itself hasalreadyslippedaway.

For Deffidathis ruin is not a failure or a weakness;

ratherthe momentof
fracture is the transcendentalcondition of the self-portrait:

Ruin is that which happensto the imagefrom the moment

first
the
of
gaze.Ruin is the self-portrait,this facelooked
at in the faceasthe memoryof itself, whatremainsor
returnsasa specterfrom the momentonefirst looksat
oneselfanda figurationis eclipsed.The figure,the face,
thenseesits visibility beingeatenaway;it losesits
48
integritywithout disintegrating.

For Deffida,then,ratherthanthe felicity andoriginaryintegrityof self-knowledge,

like
is
lost
loved
itself
having
the
thing
mourning
a
slipped
more
one,
the self-portrait
if
it
fragment
lost
Derrida
the
totality,
not
of
ruin
as
were
remaining
a
speaks
of
away.
but the conditioningstructureof experienceitself, andof memory,the inherent
is
inhabits
that
that
experience
so
whatwe experience never
spacingandwithdrawal
is
'presence',
alwaysmarkedup andpartially withdrawn,markedandre-marked
quite
by trait andretrait.

And by suchmeansJacquesDerridamakesroom for faith. We cannotknow

faceto face,we mustseethroughthe glassdarkly,or throughthe lookingglass.
Deffida will sayUe ne saispas.11faut croire', 'I don't know, onehasto believe%49
.

47 The Prayers and Tearsof JacquesDerrida: Religion without Religion: 1997,p. 320
48Memoirs of the Blind. The Seff-Portrait and Other Ruins: 1993,p. 68
49Memoirs of the Blind., The SeY-Portrait and Other Ruins: 1993,p. 129

206

Chapter Five:
Un-solid Foundations: The Aporetic,
Philosophical Faith and the Plight of
Metaphysics today

We concludedthe last chapterwith a referenceto JacquesDerrida'sMemoirs

faith.
That
We
Blind'.
type
suggested
reference
a
of
post-modem
will explore
ofthe
is
in
Seamus
Heaney's
There
the
the
chapter
current
with
aid'of
a
this position
poetry.
in
Heaney's
itself.
We
the
trace
this
oeuvre
with
act
of
writing
can
concern
recurrent
is
from
the
that
poem
often seenas his early poetic manifesto
tendencyat work

'Digging' (foundin the 1966collectionDeathofa Naturalis?) right throughto 'Field

Seeing
Things).
is
in
Heaney
I's
This
199
(in
Vision'
the
preoccupation
revealed
of
themselves
the
the
the
that
with
reflections
of
on
role
concern
of
art
work
and
poems
in
found
finest
is
Heaney
Forge"
'The
this
type
One
the
examplesof
of
poem
of
artist.
his 1969collectionDoor Into theDark4.'The Forge' is generallyseenasbelongingto
in
he
Heaney
distinctive
takes
type
the craftsmanor the artisanand
poem
of
which
a
him asa figure for the poet.Suchpoemsalsoinclude
imaginativelyre-constitutes
from
'Digging'
Deathofa Naturalistand'Thatcher'and
'Follower,
Diviner',
'The
in
found
Door Into theDark.
Note'
Given
'The

1JacquesDerrida: Memoirs of the Blind., The Sey-Portrait and Other Ruins: Trans.by Anne Brault
Chicago
Chicago:
Press:
Univ.
1993
Mchael
Naas:
of
and
2 SeamusHeaney:Death of a Naturalist: Faber& Faber:London: 1991,p. 13 14
-

207
The Forge

All I know is a doorinto the dark.

Outside,old axlesandiron hoopsrusting;
Inside,the hammeredanvil's short-pitched
ring,
The unpredictablefantail of sparks
Or hiss when a new shoetoughensin water.

in the centre,
The anvil mustbe somewhere
Homed as a unicom, at one end square,

Setthereimmoveable:an altar
Wherehe expendshimselfin shapeandmusic.
hairsin his nose,
leather-aproned,
Sometimes,
He leansout on thejamb, recallsa clatter
Of hoofswheretraffic is flashingin rows;
Thengruntsandgoesin, with a slamandflick
To beatreal iron out,to work thebellows.

The suggestionof a negativepoetics is hinted at in the rather gnomic phrasing

here
hint
is
line:
know
is
'All
I
door
into
dark'.
There
Forge's'
the
a
a
'The
opening
of
It
intrinsically
The
"all
know'
is
I
transition
negative.
knowledge,
and
passageway.
of
is
limits
knowledge
The
the
itself
the
not
of
about
something.
with
passage
concerns
into
for
'door
into
knows
the
understanding,
enlightening
a
only
poet
voyage
normal
into
into
dark'
'the
be
journey
the
dark',
a
will
voyage
a
maybe
paradoxical
or
the
be
be
illuminating?
knowledge
The
knowing
that
might
dark understanding will
worth

3 SeamusHeaney:Seeing Things: Faber& Faber:London: 1991, p. 22

1 SealnusHeaney:opened Ground. Poents1966- 1996: Faber& Faber:London: 1998,p. 19

208
locatedwherewe cannotfind, arenot lookingfor it, or wherewe leastexpectto locate
it.

Heaney'suseof the phrases'outside' and'inside' suggesta barriercrossed,a

beforeandan after.It is worth notinghow he constructsthe senseof spacein this
interior
ironmonger's
is
from
forge
journey
to
the
The
the
of
passage
seenas a
poem.

iron
cold
hoopsrusting'to the fantastic
transitory,
the
the
axlesand
themundaneand
'unpredictable
fantail
Although
the
the end of the poem
the
of
sparks'.
exciting,
and
indicatesthat the trade of the forger is virtually extinct, for now the 'traffic is flashing

in rows', Heaneystill usesthe suggestivephrase'the anvil mustbe somewhere

at the
indicate
literary,
'centre'
Does
this
a
creative,
philosophicalor theological
centre'.
highways
from
We
highways?
the
the
technological
commercial
or
centreremoved
because
imprecise
in
in
language
this
justified
the
the
question
asking
used
are
it
defines.
The
indicates
than
'somewhere'
more
vagueness
an
of
suggests
poem
fixedness
definition
lack
is
that
or
of
somewhatparadoxicalgiventhe
appropriate
forge
its
iron
hoops,
the
with
axles,andanvils.
very solid world of

In fact, the languageof the poem operatesat two significant levels. On the one

handwe havethe concretelanguageof the 'clatter of hoofs', of the 'slam anda flick'
forger
himself.
in
On
hand
'hairs
have
the
the
the
the
the
nose'
of
anvil
other
we
and
'unpredictable
'an
is
fantail
'shape
the
at
one
altar'
point,
called
of
sparks',
which
'real
iron'
the
beaten
in
that
the
shall
see
we
the
and
as
of
gets
music',
out
world
and
forge.Both tendenciesareunitedin the descriptionof the anvil. It is 'homedasa
it
is
just
'square'.
the
image
The
at
and
other
end
one
at
of the unicorn
unicorn'
fantasy
from
'square'
the
the
the
of
myth
and
world
while
phrase
suggests
emerges

209
in
image
both
his
Heaney
holds
if
the
dull,
together
as
of
anvil
reliable.
somewhat
does
fantastic
become
Does
the
the
transformation.
the
is
It
real,
or
of
place
a
altar.
doesn't
both
found
Heaney
Or
fantasy?
together?
become
answer
areelementsof
real
it.
has
In
'question'
sense
an advantageoverthe more
one
poetry
raising
after
this
does
found
in
The
thought
theology.
not
philosophy
or
poet
of
procedures
rigorous
by the
haveto justify his choiceof metaphor.It is asif the realworld is shadowed
he
is
One
That
imagined.
to
the
needs
all
seems
reflect
the
andcontain other.
world of
for his poemto work.

For the farrierto do his creativework thereis a typeof generousgiving

'expends'.
Heaney's
than
This
term
We
the
more
suggests
use
of
verb
note
required.
hardphysicallabour,a labourof love maybe,or life-givingbirth?Thereis something
his
in
farrier.
He
the
to
the
attitude
work with
work
and
of
returns
stubbornlyresistant
defianceevenafterobservinghow the world haspassedhim andhis tradeby. He goes
been
has
despite
his
The
fact
iron
that
trade
the
that
beat
poemsuggests
'to
out'.
real
last,
farrier
is
involved
in
by
the
transport
that
still
will
work
superceded modem
is
What
that
value?
of
value.
something

To help us explicitly theorize our concerns we turn to the arguments about

by
in
Derrida
his
This
Jacques
Nom5.
'Saufle
theology
presented
essay
negative

5 Thefirst versionof thistext appeared

in Englishunderthetitle Post-Scriplum
(subtitle:Aporlas,
devoted
in
Voices)
to negativetheology(HaroldCowardandTobyFoshay,eds.
Waysand
a volume
[Albany:
StateUniversityof New York Press,1992]).Theversionwe
Theology
Negative
Denida and
in
)
Jr.
Leavey
On
(trans.
from
P.
Name
the
John
the
collection
of
called
essays
appeared
haveworked
le Nom(Post- Scriptum)(ThomasDutoit ed.:StanfordUniv. Press:California:
Sauf
title
the
under
1995).

210
itself
limits
the
with
of negativetheology.In particularit meditateson
essayconcerns
the mystic poetry of Angelus Silesius.

The logicalpremiseof negativetheologyis easilystated.God,the deity,

boundaries
for
the
of
containment
all
we
can
create him in andthroughthe
exceeds
languageof humanthought and argument.The mannerin which Derrida writes about
this indicates a recurrent pre-occupationof his own Philosophicalmeditations.For
him negativetheology dealswith 'the singularity of the unknown God1,6
that always
boundaries
divinity.
The unknown God will always
the
of
essence
and
overflows
exceedthe conceptionsof negativeor positive theology, of philosophical categories
like being and nothingness.The unknown God utterly transcendsall theselimiting
he
is
Derrida
first
that
the
to arrive on this scene.Husserl
notes
not
categorizations.

indicate
the
that
statements
theology
apophatic
of
negative
stated
a significant
CriSiS,
Of
4moment

This crisischallengesthe presumptions

of phenomenology,
as
.

theologyandphilosophy.Whatchallengesthe
well asontologicalandtranscendental
is
disciplines
the emptinessarticulatedby the apophaticstatement;
these
premisesof
this is 'essentialand necessaryto themI8.One outgrowth of this is a new senseof

community,preciselyandparadoxicallythroughthis communal,possiblyprimal
Can
language
tongue,
be
a
a
speech,
new
new
translatedfrom the
a
new
emptiness.
depthsof this silence,this primitive inarticulateness
that negativetheologyconcerns
itself with?

6 JacquesDerrida: Samfk Now 1995,p. 52

7 JacquesDerrida: Sauf k Now 1995,p. 50
" JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 51

211
Deffida'sSaufle Nomopensup a 'window', a doorinto the world of Heaney's
forgerthat allowsusreadthis world asa world that alwayscontainssomething
'more'. Thereis a plusfactor,an alternativedimensionto the world aswe have
is
In
it.
It
to
things
they
the wordsof
not
enough
see
are.
simply
as
conceived
is
forger
there
to
the
the
the
than
more
world
of
eye.
clichd:
meets
conventional
Heaneyhassomethingin commonwith the forger.Indicativeof this is our question:
Why doesHeaneydeploythe forgerasa figure for the artist,if we concedethat that is
in
in
like
doing
is
'The Diviner' and'The Given
this
he
poem,
and
similar
poems
that
Note'9?Heaneyis clearlyworkingin the world of metaphorbut is this dependent,
and
doesit revolveor hingeon the possibilityof transcendence
asdeployedby linguistic
in
Are
'differance'?
Is
Derridean
imaginative
the
the
we
substitution?
world
of
and
imaginativeact at work in Heaney'spoem(wherethe forgercancometo standfor so
he
is)
indicative
in
the
the
than
manual
worker
of
something
profound
more
much
is
discourse
language
that
to
wWch
of
profound
works,
significance
any
way
'God'?
to
of
speak
presupposes

As we have noted before, in his first major work OfGrammatology Jacques

Deffida proposedthe thesisthat 'differance' is the sourceof linguisticvalue.For

has
be
be
there
to
trace
to
a
constituted
of othernesswithin the smallest
meaning
As
is
temporal
through
saw
we
earlier,
experience.
meaning
of
constituted
portion
difference:'Without a retentionin the minimal unit of temporalexperience,without a
in
difference
the
its
do
the
as
other
other
same,
no
traceretaining
work andno
would
At
Deffida
this
birth
For
the
the
point
we
appear''O.
witness
trace.
would
of
meaning
in
It
in
in
the
'another
trace
is
meaning.
neither
up
opens
world
neither
the
nor
world',
9 SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poenn 1966- 1996: Faber& Faber:London: 1998,p. 13, p.36

212
timenor space.Differencesproducethe elementsof textsthroughthe chainsand
Which
in
'The
infact
is
trace
the
traces:
ofsense
generaL
absoluteorigin
systemsof
The
in
is
that
there
generaL
to
again
ofsense
once
no
absolute
origin
amounts saying
[I'apparaitre]
difference
is
opens
appearance
andsignification'
the
which
trace

John D. Caputo arguesthat Derrida's conceptof differance is not a

12
is
for
The
differance
Deffidean
the
term
not
a
symbol
category.
transcendental

hiddenGod,it is not a manifestpresence,it hasno truth. Still andall we haveto allow

for the fact that it is what enableswhat is manifest to appearin the first place. In the
OfGrammatology
from
is
Derrida
dealing
the
conditions
above
with
quoted
passage

in
be
formed
the
to
concepts
come
articulated
and
conceived,
or
words
which
under
is
have,
for
differential
The
instance.
term
first
the
a
substitute,
all
matrix
we
very
from which all names,conceptsandidentitiesemerge.For Deffida the termdifferance
indicatesa certainnervousbreakdownof language.It extendsa challengeto all
from negativetheology,with its attemptto non-speakGod'sgroundand
discourses
inner
divine
being
itself,
from
if
the
to
the
sanctum
of
representational
within
as
soul,
formation
discursive
and
reasoningof traditionalphilosophyand
thinking,conceptual
is
language,
Negative
theology
always
an
event
within
somethingthat
theology.

be
fear
language.
it
As
language,
trembling
tainted
to
of
and
a
such
will
always
occurs
by thebrushof differance.

Canwe speakof differancethenasa primarycategory,to speakthe language

Any
traditional
and
metaphysics?
conventional
sufficientor enabling
of a more
10JacquesDerrida: Of Grammatology: JohnHopkins Univ. Press:Baltimore: 1998,Trans.by Gayatri
Chakraworty Spivak,p. 62
" JacquesDerrida: Of Grammatology: 1998,p. 65

213

conditionwouldbe traditionallyreferredto asa transcendental

condition.A classic
expressionof this type of formulation is David Tracy's argumentsin BlessedRagefor

Order13HereTracyarguesthattherearetwo 'moments'thatgivebirth to eachand

.
every fonn of philosophical reflection. Tracy identifies the first by the tenn 'the
phenomenologicalmoment' and the secondby 'the transcendentalmoment'. The
phenomenologicalmoment hasbeenwith us since the birth of Westernphilosophy
(even though it might find the terminology strange)insofar as one of the primary aims
of classical philosophy was to initiate and sustaina detailed exploration of the very
is,
basis,
that
of every phenomenonwhich presenteditself to human
ground,

its
By
very self-definitionphilosophywasobligedto seekout the
consciousness.
fundamentalpresuppositionsof every discipline, method and phenomenon.The

has
transcendental
moment alsoshadowedWesternphilosophyfrom the very outset,
for philosophyhasalwayssoughtto rise aboveor delvebeloweachandevery
in
'conditions
discipline
the
at
unearthing
andmethod an attempt
phenomenon,
of
that disciplineandthatmethod.
possibility'of thatphenomenon,

It is a fundamentaltenetof Westernphilosophyin its transcendentalist

mode
'a priori' conditions.Theseconditionsare
that everyphenomenon
or objectpossesses
constitutiveof all humanexperienceandknowledgeto the extentthat we might call
themconditionsofpossibility,that is, theyaresoconstitutiveof anyperformanceof
from
it.
deductively
Modem
that
them
philosophy
we canexhibit
actionor cognition
is still pursuingthis taskwhenit addresses
the question:whatarethe basic'a priori'
human
living
of
all
conditions
andthought?

12JohnD. Caputo: The Prayers and Tearsof JacquesDerrida: Religion without Religion: Indiana

214
Onesuspects
the reasonwhy Tracyusesthe term 'moment' is that he wishes
is
behind
basic
the
really a philosophicalmovement,that the
what
unity
to suggest
itself;
is
that
the
moment
phenomenological
an
essential
part
of
moment
metaphysical
both
into
that
the
transcendental
moment;
momentmoveson
the phenomenological
We
dimensions
this
the
different
clearly
witness
one
philosophical
movement.
of
are
is
to
the
point where a reflective and
self-awareness
raised
phenomenological
when
itself
the
problematic statusof phenomenologicalreflection
explicit examination of

is obligednot only to
At this point the phenomenologist
becomesunavoidable.
but
itself
logic
the
transcendental
must
reformulate
since
question
explore phenomena

demandsthat sheor he addressthe primaryquestionof the basicgroundor

of anyor all phenomenological
of everyandall phenomena,
presuppositions
it
differently,
discloses
the
To
the
phenomenological
moment
phrase
reflection.
the
transcendental
of
any
given
experience
while
meaningfulness
and
meaning
discloses
true
that
the
of
conditions
possibility
of
experience.
moment

For JohnD. Caputothis is indicativeof traditionalmetaphysics'attemptto tie

better
it
is
down,
Caputo
the
that
andmore
things
up
case.
seal
a
argues
thingsup, nail
differance
is
It
description
to
to
all
refer
asa quasi-transcendental
condition.
adequate
feebleness.
inadequacy
indicates
Differance
its
a
and
always
too awareof own
free
from
the
sense
when
slips
away,
squirms
strict
meaning
when
moment
horizons.
It
demarcations
enclosing
alwaysexceeds,overflows,
surrounding,
of
14
transcends
its own margins.

Univ. Press:Bloomington: 1997,p. 12

13David Tracy: BlessedRagefor Order. The SeaburyPress:New York: 1975
14JohnD. Caputo: The Prayers and TearsofJ"ques Dmida: 1997,p. 13 - 14

215
In the light of sucha position'The Forger'canrepresentHeaneyandhis
being
figure
for
itself,
for
be
it
the
as
a
as
well
as
artist,
as
well
standing
all
world, can
in
infinite
is
It
humanity,
an
creative
variety
of
possibilities.
surely
of creative
liberatingto conceiveof poetry,languageandmeaningin suchplayful terms.

In Saufle Nom it is interesting to observehow Derrida deals with the logical

incongruities of the negativetheological tradition that always threatensto deconstruct

its own premisesfrom within beforeit evenuttersa word.A distinctivetraditionof

because
it
has
left
behind
its
in
its
the
traces
thought
theology
exists
of
own
negative

its
The
tradition
this
texts
style.
most
own
creative
and
metaphor
symbol
or
of
classic
is 'the desert'.Fromwithin this desertthoughnegativetheologycultivatesitself asan
institution,
history:
is
'it
its
its
a
an
a culture,with archivesand
oasisof memory,
A5
language
in
Deffida
For
the
utilized
negativetheologyteststhevery
traditions .
limits of languageitself It is no surpriseto find the authorof Of Grammatology
interestedin sucha prospect.Throughthe momentof witnessnegativetheologyfinds
16
it
its presence:'by testifying remains' .

Let us look at the poem with which HeaneyclosesDoor Into the Dark,

Togland'. Togland' is the startingpoint of a major concernof Heaney'sthat grows

in staturein subsequent
volumesof verse.The imageof the bogasa source,asa
it
is
transcendental
to
the
as
a
space
past,
within
reof
which
possible
repository
imagineour past,our presentandourselveswill grow in interestfor Heaney,reaching
its logical conclusionin his volumeNorth:

15JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 54

216

Bogland
for T.P. Flanagan

We haveno prairies
To slice a big sun at eveningEverywherethe eye concedesto

Encroachinghorizon,

Is wooed into the cyclop's eye

Of a tam. Our unfencedcountry

Is bogthat keepscrusting
Betweenthe sigbtsof the sun.

They'vetakenthe skeleton
Of the GreatIrish Elk
Out of the peat,setit up
An astoundingcrate full of air.

Butter sunkunder
More thana hundredyears
Wasrecoveredsaltyandwhite.
The grounditself is kind, black butter

16Jacques
Derrida:Sauf le Now 1995,p. 54

217
Melting andopeningunderfoot,
Missingits last definition
By millons of years.

They'll neverdig coalhere,

Only the waterloggedtrunks

Of great firs, soft as pulp.
Our pioneerskeep striking

Inwardsanddownwards,

Every layer they strip

Seemscampedon before.
Thebogholesmight be Atlantic seepage.
17
Thewet centreis bottomless.

For HeaneyIreland'svaluesareepitomizedby its spiritualheartland,as

The
What
in
'Bogland'.
the
this
terrain?
associated
are
values
with
expressed
imaginative
by
freedom
the
of
the
sense
of
prairies
and
adventure
suggested
openness,
in
bog.
be
in
'our
We
found
the
is
unfencedcountry',
can astounded the
America
Irish
by
Great
has
been
bog.
The
the
the
that
by
preserved
the
skeleton
of
past
present
bog:
'an
from
full
We
the
been
has
astounding
note
crate
Elk
of air'.
retrieved
hollowness
image:
the
9s
this
at
core
of
of
air lackssubstance.
Heaney suggestion
itself
bog
fully
from
bog
At
been
the
the
the
has
preserved.
centreof
Butter
retrieved
'Missing
hollowness:
discover
certainlycustomary
a peculiar,maybenecessary,
we

"' SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround.- Poem 1966- 1996, p. 41 - 42

218
its last definition/Bymillions of years'.Let us not, in a momentof theologicalnayvetd,
implications
Heaney's
Heaney
setsup a contrastwith
of
rhetoric.
the
miss political
the landscapes
of the IndustrialRevolutionthat madeBritain great.England'scoalfields providedthe powerthat fuelledthe Empire.For Heaneythe coal-fieldsare
//Only
brutality:
dig
here,
imperial
'They'll
might,strength,
never coal
symbolicof
firs,
trunks/Of
soft aspulp'. TheIrish bog is softer,feminine,
great
the waterlogged
is
inexhaustible
bog
'every
The
an
source
of
excavation
and
exploration:
andpliable.
layertheystrip/seems
campedon before'.In fact the bogis sorich for explorative
it
is
'the
is
bottomless'.
What
that
seems
almost
endless:
wet
centre
possibilities
interestingin this poem'ishow Heaneyconstructsa senseof never-endingspacethat
is opento continualandexpandingdefinition.Is Heaney'spoemsitting at the center
locate
heart
language
Can
itself?
the
that
can
at
of
we
and
usage
creation
of an aporia
its
language
itself,
language
Heaney's
a
as
potent
symbol
of
chasing
poem
of
we read
in
discussion
Godit
the
Is
the
context
of
our
tail?
revealing
of
possibilitiesof
own
in
Saufle
Derrida
Nom.
look
Let's
at
again
talk?

For Derridanegativetheologyhasonepre-eminentword in andthroughwhich

fraught
That
is
'God'
questions.
word
many
andnegativetheology'smost
we glimpse
indicates
bottomless
It
desertification
the
collapse.
of
of
continual
symbol
potent
language".Heaney'sbog,it couldbe argued,is a slightly colderandwetterversionof
Derrida'sdesert.Whatis surprisingandworth noting is that we canalwaysstatethis.
We cannamethis name.This is an eventpossibleto language.We cansay'God'
'Bog';
'Desert'
the
tradition
that
theology
although
equals
argues
of
negative
equals
he
'God'.
Is
bottomless
the
Heaney's
the
name
of
exhaust
arche-typeof
we cannever

Is JacquesDerrida: Sauf leNom: 1995,p. 55 - 56

219
it
his
beyond
Is
God
is
the
God
the
that
giving
all
giving,
even
of
name,
name.
centre?
lies at the bottom of Heaney'ssoggywet bog?

Derridais intriguedby the re-configuringof spacethat seemsto alwaysoccur

in the traditionsof negativetheology.For Derridathis hasa long andhonoured
history and manifestsitself in many different cultural traditions: the Jewish, the

Christianandthe Greeknetworksof thought.The nameof Godis oftenreferredto

hangs
When
in
locality
the
the
of
experience
place.
of
the
and
one
out
context
within
develops
interesting
They
'God'
this
re-configurations
often
of
spatiality.
one
word

hue
is
desert
fact
figure
In
desert
'a
distinctly
to
them.
have
the
the
of
pure
a
often
location
does
host
has
to
This
no
geographical
not
a single
and
play
place
place'19.

indication
in
Have
the
this
we
witnessed
an
exemplary
of
readingof
subject.
objector
Heaneywe haveoffered?We recallthatHeaneywrote in an earlyessaycalledThe
SenseofPlace: 'We aredwellers,we arenamers,we arelovers,we makehomesand
is
What
here
is
Heaney's
histories'20
for
that
verbs
worth
noting
of
use
our
search
.

doing,
Is
that
this
always
culturalandpersonalwork
we are
suggestcontinualactivity.
do
be
finished?
Are
to
and
with
need
which
we
will
never
we
work we will always
the
the
tail
trace?
left
to
of
chase
always

Thereis a lexical peculiarityto the wordsdevelopedin negativetheologyto

God,
These
to
to
'God'.
symbols
speak
metaphors,
attempt
name
words,
of
speak
God,to speakto him. The namesusedarealwaysshadowedby uncertainty.They
beyond
beyond
They
themselves.
to
the
point
unnameable
attemptto namesomething
develops
his
is
Deffida
This
phrasesaufle nom.He developsthis
where
the name.
'9 JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Nom: 1995, p. 57

220
Frenchphrasein an attemptto protectthe nameof Goditself Oneis caughtin
One
to
the
the
terrain.
needs
save
name
and
except
name,
everything
paradoxical
isn't
but
the
tangible
therenevertheless,
name
which
which
everythingoutside
if
it
lose
but
'as
'shadows':
to
the
the
the
was
necessary
escapes name which name
if
bears
is
There
logic':
'normal
in
the
to
name"'.
a
reversal
of
name order savewhat
it.
losing
do
By
lose
the
the
respect
you
name
name
not undermine,
you
you

disrespector attackit. In pronouncingthe nameyou travelthroughandacrossit

towardthe other.

Let us look at somepoemsHeaneypublished in his 1972collection Wintering

Out.TheseareHeaney'swell-known'word' poems.Theyinclude'Anahorish',
'Toome' and 'Broagh'. We can also include 'Gifts of Rain' and 'A New Song'22.We

its
from
'Song'
1979's
due
Field
Work
include
to
the
collection
provocative
poem
can
last line: 'And that momentwhenthe bird singsvery close/Tothe musicof what
723Thereis somethingof Genesisaboutthis groupof poems.Throughout
happens
.
into
We
'to
Heaney
the
call
uses
words
play'
thesepoems
qualitiesof a place. will
look in detailatjust two of thesepoems:'Anahorish'and'Toome'.

Anahorish
My 'placeof clearwater',
the first hill'in the world
wherespringswashedinto
the shinygrass
20SeamusHeaney:Preoccupations:SelectedProse 1968 1978: Faber& Faber:London: 1998,p. 148
149
*
21JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 58

221
anddarkenedcobbles
in thebedof the lane.
Anahorish,soft gradient

vowel-meadow,
of consonant,

after-imageof lamps
swungthrough the yards
on winter evenings.
With pails and barrows

thosemound-dwellers
go waist-deepin mist
to breakthe light ice
24
dunghillS.
at wells and

by
Heaney
is
Irish
'Anahorish"
title
translated
the
In the poem
an
placename
is
So
home
Heaney
For
Heaney
the
the
4my
poet
on
water'.
clear
ground.
of
place
as
into
being
itself
is
The
the
this
place
almost
the
world
of
calls
poem
place
of
name
in
is
first
'first
his
Heaney
the
thereby
this
For
place
world'
place,
and
primeval.
into
His
be
first
this
translated
a
experience
of
place
places.
can
resemblesall
When
for
homes
and
persons,
all
places,all
metaphor all
possibly.
transcendental
the nameAnahorishin the poemit conjuresup a world of 'soft
Heaneypronounces
This
into
then
translates
afterglow
world
an
vowel-meadow'.
consonant,
gradient/of

22SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poems1966 - 1996: Faber& Faber:London: 1998

23SeamusHeaney:OpenedGrounik Poems1966 - 1996: Faber& Faber:London: 1998,p. 181
24SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poems1966- 1996: 1998,p. 46

222
farmyards.
Heaney
in
'mound-dwellers'.
The
the
lights
uses
phrase
swung
of
inhabitants,the natives,of this world work astheyhavealwaysworked,disappearing
in 'the mist' to breakthe ice that hasformedovertheir watersupplies.Thingshave
in
is
What
There
this
that
are
an
element
of
continuity
world.
much.
not changedall
light
language?
The
in
links
this
of
and
wordsthemselvespossibly,as
the
chain
bank
in
imagined
by
the
the
the
through the
of
memory
poet,
caught
world
articulated
languageof image and metaphorin the poem.

In the poem 'Toome' the place namebecomesfor the poet an historical

itself:
the
then
place
repositoryand

Toome
My mouthholdsround
the soft blastings,
Toome,,
Toome
asunderthe dislodged

slabof the tongue

I pushinto a souteffain
prospectingwhatnew
in a hundredcenturies'

loam,flints, musket-balls,
fragmentedware,
torcsandfish-bones

223
till I am sleevedin

alluvial mudthat shelves

suddenlyunder
bogwaterandtributaries,
25

andelverstail my hair.

When Heaneypronouncesthe name Toome,Toomeas an incantation in the poem, he

into
history.
the
The
to
the
troubled
of
place
name's
world
past
unearth
a
enters

historicalstruggleis inscribedinto the nameof the placeuntil both arc inextricable.

The weaponsof ancientandmodemwarfarehavecollectedhere,from the primitive
flints to the musket-balls.The artworkshavea similar genealogy,from the more
in
digs
deep
However
Heaney
fish-bones
to
the
torcs.
this
advanced
so
primitive
into
down
he
He
digs
torrent.
an
that
underground
enters
poem

till I am sleevedin

alluvial mudthat shelves

suddenlyunder
bogwaterandtributaries,
andelverstail my hair.

Heaneyhasbecomepart of the landscapeitself Hashe becomea part of the

life-giving streamsthat bubblecreativelyunderground,underthe world of the real,

25Seamus
Heaney:OpenedGround.- Poenn1966- 1996:Faber& Faber:London:1998,p. 53

224
the tangible,the historicalandthe linguistic?In becomingpart of this unifying and
does
he
definitions
have
become
the
that
escape
narrow
current,
so central
assuaging
intractable
history?Whattranscendental
intransigent
to our
and
possibilityinherentin
languagehasallowedHeaneythis creativeleap?

The poem 'Toome' can be read as a poem which offers us a positive way out

(read
linguistic
for
intractable
themanyreligious,social,and
the
as
symbolic
of
in
its
barriers
Northern
Irish
In
that
exist
society.
conception of an
economic)
for
imagination
benign
the
the poem can
as
resting
river
place
creative
originary,

becomea spaceof imaginativerenewal.However,thereis the issueof the ethical

himself
herself
in
For
Heaney
'A
New
the
the
artist
or
see
of
we
poem
responsibility
Song' write a poem that implicitly calls for a linguisitic re-clamation or re-plantation,

itself
is
title
tone,
the
sounding
a
rather
eschatological
which somewhat
poem's
with
woffying:

But now our river tonguesmustrise

Fromlicking deepin nativehaunts
To flood with vowellingembmce,
Demesnes
stakedout in consonants.

And Castledawson
we'll enlist
And Upperlands,eachplantedbawnLike bleaching-greens
resumedby grassA vocable,asrathandbullaun.26

26SeamusHeaney:OpenedGrounik Poeno 1966 1996: 1998, 58

p.
-

225
Let us not be foundguilty of offeringa theologicalor aestheticreadingof
Heaneythat is not attentiveto political overtonesandimplicationsfrom within his
work.

Froma readingof JacquesDerrida'sessaySaufle Nom we discoverthat

languageis openedup by the referenceto what is namedby the word 'God' but at the

its
inadequacy.
indicates
is
It
to
this
this
points
own
time
always
and
at
phrase
same
juncture that we might conceiveof poetry as a continuing theological exercise.The
languageusedby negativetheology always declaresits own inadequacyconcerning

know
it
is
desire
So
to
there
something.
claims
a
continual
andneed
that aboutwhich
for re-invention.This mightbe the basisfor the negativepoeticswe havearguedis at
Seamus
Heaney.
For
Derrida.
in
in
the
the
of
symbols
used
negative
poetry
work

found
is
There
traverse
a
across
mighty
chasm.
no
common
measure
theologyalways
betweenthe momentof revelationandknowledgeon the onehandandthe suggestion
into
Paradoxically
the
that
other.
on
placewhere
we
are
ushered
secret
absolute
an
of
into
invited
'over
We
toward
there,
to
are
a
concern
place:
go.
with
we arenot able
beyond
Is this why Heaneyvalues
the
toward
of the namein the name'27
the name,
.
farrier
diviner,
the
the
andthe poeteventhoughthis defiescommon
the work of
invited
into
forger
is
Heaney's
the
Through
the
are
we
ordinary
extraordinary.
sense?
in
direction
for
towards,
the
the
can
point
us
send
who
of
other.
us
off
one
a paradigm
Is this why the forger,the diviner andthe thatcherareemblemsfor the poet?The poet
is onewho sendsus in new andunexpecteddirections.As the culturalarchivistof
language,the high priestwho servesat the altar of language,the poetis a channelfor

2' JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 59

226
language
keeps
keeping
In
the
alive
the other.
poet
openthe channelsof
the
to
other.
communication

"
is
In Saufle Nomthe word of negativetheology alwaysapost-scriplum. It is
itself
in
by
behind
The
the
the
trailing
event
phrasesused
poetryproduced
always
language,
border
itself
the
the
theology
always
occur
at
edge
of
of
reference
negative
As it flows over the edgenegativetheology draws its energyfrom having occurred,
having carried off the legible-illegible text of itself So the text always operatesas a

behind
it
trails
the
event.
post-scriptum;

Derridadevelopsa key metaphorat thisjuncture.The languageof negative

is
him
is
An
for
in
itself
is
It
that,
arrow.
arrow
an
only
theology
an arrow,andan end
destined
it,
but
it
become
to
that towards
towards
something,
strike
never
can
pointed
So
it
it
directed.
is
it
is
the
touches,
that
arrow
misses,
even
as
and
what makes
which

safe

Sothereis a peculiarpassiveness
aboutthis work. Onethinksof the writer
Heaneyin the poem'Digging' observinghis fatherat work. Heaneyis in a passive
his
father.
Heaney's
father
land
in
to
the
the
activity
of
while
relation
works
position
dig from his personalpast,a
he workshis pen.Heaneyconstructsan archaeological
family memorialanda typeof the poeticarchive.Heaneyrefersto the grandfather
29
day/Than
in
is
Toner's
bog
'cut
turf
There
a
in
any
other
man
more
an
anxiety
who
.
in
the
this
primal anxietyof procreationmaybe.Heaneywonders
poem,
work
at
his
in
is
fitting
he
following
ancestors
a
andworthymanner:'I've no spadeto
whether
29JacquesDerrida: Samfle Now 1995,p. 60

227
follow menlike them'. He is trailing behind.Heaneydevelopsthis thememore
'Follower'.
his
father's
his
Referring
in
to
poem
ability with the plough
explicitly
Heaneynotes:'I stumbledin his hob-nailedwake', and'All I everdid wasfollow/In
Whatis revealingin thesepoemsis the anxiety
his broadshadowroundthe farmOO.
in
in
his
following,
trailing
the
a
past
which
poet
worries
about
catching
poetry.
about
Are they indirectly meditations on the inability of the writer to hold meaning down in

Are
else,pointingwhereyou want
words? wordsalwaysshootingoff somewhere
them to go but not getting there fully? Are thesepoemsfraught with the anxieties of
Deffida's arrow? Can we read them as metaphorsfor the anxiety of writing itself?

Derridahimselfdoesnot usethe term metaphor.He optsfor a moreresonant

huperbole
Plato's
in
TheRepublic. For Plato, as
the
tenn
He
use
of
on
tenn.
seizes

term
by
Derrida,
the
the
transcendence
that
suggests
movement
of
carriesor
read
being
beingness,
beyond
or
transports
epekeinatesousias.This hyperbolealways
but
it
indicates
it
an
open
possibility,
alsoprovokestherebythe openingof
announceS:
it
It
being,
discourse,
hence
It
as
produces.
reveals
will
precipitate
thepossibility.
and
'the
Platonic,
Plotinian,
Derrida:
For
Neoplatonic
or
stylewill not only
existence.
insofar
being
God
he
is
beyond
(the
or
as
supremebeing),but beyondGod
precipitate
insofar
is
or
nameable,
named
as
naming,
name,
as
reference
madethereto
evenas
Ol

some ing

Thebeyond,what is conceivedof asbeyondGod,is for Derridaradically

beyond
before
itself.
behind,
This movementof
and
after,
place
conceived

29SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poems1966- 1996: 1998,p. 3

30SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround. Poems1966- 1996: 1998,p. 11
31JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 65

228
transcendencesurpassesGod himself It surpassesthe being, the essence,the proper
is
God.
This
divinity
the sourceof the radical thought that lies behind
the
of
self,
For
Derrida
has
implications
for
this
thought
theology.
movement
of
radical
negative

its
being
In
transcendental
this
gusto movementradicallyshatters
all philosophizing.
knowledge.
Such
fractures,
knowing,
thought
and
shatters,
existence
and opensup
and
the cogito as conceivedby St Augustineor Descartes.

Do we witnessthis at work in the poemswe haveexaminedby Heaney?The

into
the
opens
us
poem
a vista we could not enter otherwise.We are
momentof
invited into the world of Heaney'sfarrier in order to enter into the gracedworld of
into
itself
We
are called
a unique place of consciousness
caughtonly in the
poetry
languageof the poet. In the being of the world of the poemwe haveour existenceand
knowledge. Eric Voegelin in his collection of essaysAnamnesishasan essay
'Reason:The ClassicExperience' in which he articulatesideasconcerninghuman

32
be
here
to
thatmay of use us
understanding
.

Eric Voegelin arguesthat the classicphilosophersdevelopedkey symbolsor

terms-aroundwhich any discussionof thepsyche of humanity shouldbe developed.
For Plato a central symbol wasthe 'philosopher"in whosepsychehumanityhad
becomeluminous for its noetic order.This is most apparentin the writings of Plato
in
'his' tensiontoward the groundof existence,is openedtowardsa
'man,
where
depthof divine reality beyondthe stratumthat hasrevealeditself asthe nous.So in
the Platonic systema window is openedto a theophanicunderstandingof reality. An
extensionof this openingis the type of pneumaticrevelation found in the history of

32Eric Voegelin:Anamnesis:Univ. of Mssouri Press:Columbia:1990

229
Judaeo-Christianity.There is also an openingfor the argumentsand insights gained
from the later traditions of mysticism. Can we extendthis definition and
include
insight?
Let us explore further.
to
moments
of
poetic
understanding

As Voegelin understandsit reasonin the noetic sensedoesnot end history in

it
Rather
sense.
pervadeshistory with a new luminosity. The primary
an apocalyptic
stateof humanity for Plato and Socratesis our existencein a stateof unrest.Humanity
is not a self-sufficient end in itself We are awarethat we do not bear the origin and
end of our existencewithin ourselves.The humanis not a divine causasui; from the
her
life
in
his
or
precariousexistencewithin the limits of birth and death
experienceof
thererather risesthe wonderingquestionabout the ultimate ground,the aitia orprote
arche, of all reality and specifically her or his own. Our humanity is defined through
our questionsaboutthe whereto and the where from of our existence.As Plato and
Aristotle explorethe issuehumanity's questioningunrestcarrieswithin itself the
is
because
This
the humanis movedto his or her searchfor the
so
assuaginganswer.
by
divine
the
very
groundof existence
groundof which he or sheis in search.As
Voegelin argues:'The man who asksquestions,and the divine groundaboutwhich
the questionsare asked,will mergein the experienceof questioningas a divinehumanencounterand reemergeas the participantsin the encounterthat hasthe
luminosity and structureof consciousness33 The groundof which Voegelin speaksis
.
is
distant
It
divine
thing.
the
a
spatially
not
rather
presencethat becomesmanifestin
the experienceof unrestand the desireto know. The wonderingand questioningis
sensedas the beginningof a theophaniceventthat can becomefully luminous to itself
if it finds the properresponsein the psycheof concretehumanbeings.The responsive

33Eric Voegelin:Anamnesis: 1990, 95 96

p. -

230
divine
the
the
through
the
to
requires
effort
of
articulating
experience
mover
pursuit
is
insight
into
The
language
this
the
of
effort
noetic
symbols.
product
appropriate
is
it
It
It
the
that
the
my
contention
produces
poems.
opens
also
psyche.
of
structure
based
God
theology
the
type
on
of
asarticulated
to
presence
of revelatory
way a
its
inadequacy
it
for
language
traces
the
the
the
of
poem
own
or
search
as
through
basisof its own being. The poem is fraught with this anxiety. As is the questionof

'God' asexploredby Derridain Saufle Nom,andasa humanbeingis all too awareof

is
What
hold
fragile
the net effect of all this?
existence.
on
their

'ForDerrida this post-scriptum has the characterof a countersignature,even as

it effacesitself Evenasit effacesitself beforethe faceof God,it effacesitself before

is
for
is
happen.
It
is
It
it
The
this
to
necessary
name not enough.
thatwhich names.
becauseit is lacking.We mustcontinueto re-nameevenas
lackingandit is necessary
inadequacy
itself
keep
is
if
(One
the
this
of
naming
why we
wonders
we areawareof
is
'God
In
this
that'
not,
neither
saying
nor
you arestill saying
poetry).
writing
being
is.
keeps
You
One
to
the
the
the
are
still
saying
entity.
what
about
something
is
One
'it
before
truth.
the
telling
the
renders
an accountof oneself
a
name:
promiseof
is
transcendence
the
the
referential
of
which
negativeway only
matterof recording
A
testimony
too,
series
approach,
one
of
stages.
a
methodic
prayer,
and
one
way,
one
love
s34
love,
I
to
but
the
love,
to
the
you"
on
way
pmyer
and
way
an
always
on
of
.

by
Derridagoesso far asto saythat he trustsno text 'that is not contaminated
him
is
For
'referential
theology
to
the
theology'.
negative
an
attempt record
negative

34JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 68

231
35.
form
iconoclasm
is
language
This
theological
of
attemptingto
transcendence
of
behind,
before
his
images.
is,
beyond,
It
he
God
to
attempts
shatterthe
as
suggest
idols of positivetheology.Thenamethat we know Godby, to be andto hearand
inadequate
favors
The
the
theological
to.
approach
non-saying
over
negative
respond
denial
defiance
is
justified
Such
to
the
of
and
refiisal.
point
carried
out
and
attribution
in
being
basis
truth
the
a
of
way
and
the
name ofiustice.
of
on

Whatis significantfor a theologicalpoeticsis the independentstanceof

it
its
Derrida
discourse
The
translatability.
theology.
calls
apophatic
mode
of
negative
literal
language
New
Testament
the
modes,
of
revelatory
of
of
stepsoutside

Christ,
dogmas
birth
Passion
Christ,
the
the
the
of
of
of
and
subsequent
eventness:
Christ'sdivinity andthe Trinity aswell asthe credalformulations.At its extreme
from the historyof
limit the logic of this mysticismpointsto an independence
Christianity.

For Deffidathereis a greatplayfulnessin the dynamicsillustratedby negative

it
him
forms
For
Through
to
the
the
an
allows
approach
other.
theology.,
poetic
in
thinking
tradition
this
the
of
we
can
approach
other without crossingthe
explored

learn
One
invisibility
into
love
to
the
the
that shrouds
can
respect
other.
and
threshold
down.
lay
We
into
One
the
one's
weapons
can
are
allowedan entry
the other.
divine
We
be
Angelus
God.
To
the
creation.
can
co-creators
of
with
quote
playfulness

Silesius:

Godplayswith creation.

" JacquesDerrida: Sauf le Now 1995,p. 69

232
All that is play that theDeity givesItself:
36
for
has
imagined
Its
It
the creature
pleasure.
(2: 198)

Whatwe do not know on this sideof our experienceis whetherthis event,testifiedto

by the classic texts of negativetheology, is openedby God, or the name of 'God', or

if it is olderthancreation,olderthanTime, History or the Word itself We do not

know whether we can appealto this event. We do not know whether it is impervious
is
j
faith.
This
the
ourney
of
to our pleading.

The Era of the Question:

Canwe formulatea philosophicalfoundationfor the issueswe haveexplored

in
To
far?
aid us this taskwe will now considerthe writings of a thinkervery
thus
differentfrom Martin Heidegger,MauriceBlanchotor JacquesDerrida,andthat is
his
Emmanuel
indicates
In
Levinas
Levinas.
of and
Emmanuel
writings
an awareness
intellectual
is
however
to
the
thought-,
scene
of
post-modem
what
attentiveness
distinctiveabouthis writingsis their consistentattemptat constructingand
framework
for
deal
broadly
We
thought.
contemporary
religious
will
maintaininga
Levinas'
the
his
through
thought
critical
probing
of
one
of
closestreaders,
with
JacquesDerrida.In Derrida'sessay'ViolenceandMetaphysics:An Essayon the
find
fascinating
Levinaswe
ThoughtofEmmanuel
a
meetingof two significant
min
contemporary

37
.

36JacquesDertida: Sauf k Now 1995,p. 75

233
In the essay'sopeningparagraphJacquesDerridabeginsby writing that we
is
Our
in
living
time
with
new
era
ripe
possibilities.
a
of questioning,with
an
era
are
liberated
from
having
us
pasttyranny.We cannow questionthe totalities
the question
in
interrogate
beings
We
totality
the
of
can
our world aswell asthe
that surroundus.
it
determinations
the
that appearto securethemand
that
within
and
exist
manyobjects
is
live
We
its
discipline.
We
the
ultimate
point
our
of
reference.
with
question
us;

is
distinctly
There
holy,
this
the
point
of
question.
still
origin
a
mustconsider
dimension
line
inquiry
insofar
Derrida
to
this
religious
of
as
speaksof
metaphysical,
the absoluteorigin' of this question,of an origin that is absoluteandother.The
38.
history
be
'grounded'
its
in
'other
decision,
we
the
may
absolute
and
question
in
Emmanuel
Levinas"
the
the
the
of
questioning
of
question
emergence
work
witness
TotalityandInfiniV9. Herewe standcloseto the essentiallymetaphysicalnatureof
for
discuss
itself,
this
type
the
when
we
ask
of
question
we
very possibility
philosophy
be
itself,
'fundamentals
The
termed
the
might
what
of
philosophy'.
of philosophy
itself,
its
for
it,
is
with
remembers
point
and
of origin andyearns
questioncorresponds
hauntedby this placeof beginningsandreturn.

A Copernican Revolution:

WhatEmmanuelLevinas'projectin TOtafitYandInjinity entailsfor Derridais

Western
from
Kant
plato
the
to
through
philosophy
origin
of
of
and
a questioning
Heidegger.In the disciplineof Westernphilosophicalthinking thereexistsa particular
history,patternof thought,a tracingof a seriesof questionsthroughdefinitetexts
37JacquesDerrida: Violenceand Metaphysics.*An Essayon the Thoughtof EmmanuelLevinas: from
Writing and Difference: Routledge:London: 1997,Trans. by Alan Bass,p. 79 153
38JacquesDerrida: Wtifing and Difference. 1997,p. 80
,

234
being,
from
is
definite
Being
The
individual
that
or
of
paradigm
writers.
ascribedto
line
however
Levinas
Heidegger.
that
to
to
of
exist
outside
Platothrough
attempts
history,
to
they
those
texts
the
this
attempt
or
questions
and
question
questioning,
beginning
is
In
Levinas
a
and
at
a
new
attempt
made
an
explore.
and
expand
clarify,
is
intriguing
be
This
the
an
question.
may a valuable,andcertainly
total re-thinkingof
here,
by
be
dislocation
Greek
has,
There
to
our
necessity,
a
of
our
origins
project.

GreekidentityasWesternEuropeanthinkersandcitizens.We areurged,provoked
from
the
to
and
move
safe,securesite of our usualpreoccupations
challenged
and
describes
Derrida
them,
to
them
this
to
put
under
question!
reconsider
concerns
40.
departureasan 'exhalation Derrida.hints at the distinctivelyJewishnatureof this
in
is
before
'prophetic'
the
territory
When
the
speech
we
are
adjective
placed
project.
Derrida
Testament
that
this
the
the
Old
and
origin
of
prophetic
word.
gambles
the
of
from
fresh
be
through
to,
this
source
point
may
close
related
that
emerges
word
Greek
With
two
the
these
the
to
and
words
of
word
philosophers.
othemess,
distinctiveconjunctionswe standwithin thebosomor cradleof our civilisation.

Distinctiveto Levinas'spositionis his considerationof an ethicalrelationship

infinitely
its
is
in
Other.
For
Levinas
to
to
the
the only
this
other,
that exists relation
begin.
Ethics
thereby
transcendence
that
and
metaphysics
can
and
metaphysics
place
becomeself-supporting
entities.Levinasjustifies his positionon the
andautonomous
basisof analyzedexperience.It is within the ambit of our experienceto witnessthe
birth of metaphysicalthinking andethicsfrom within experienceasit departsfrom
itself in the directionof the other.Everythingis shadowed,or halved,communicates
is
irreducibly
it:
Derek
Others.
As
that
towards
travels
which
other
within
with,
3' EmmanuelLevinas: Totality and Infinity: An Essayon Exteriority: DuquesneUniv. Press:

235
Walcottdescribedit in an earlypoem;the artistis in possession
of 'Only the gift/ To
by
halved
darkness/
From
This
they
they
shifl'41.
things
a
which
cannot
are,
as
see
hollow spaceis not oneopeningamongstmany.For Levinasthis aporiadoesnot exist
in equalityalongsidemanyotherfissuresin the fabric of experience.Ratherthis is the
by
is
irreducible,
be
limited
thus
and
cannot
enclosed,
shut
off
or
openingof openings,
is,
be
that
totality,
that
everything
within
experience
or
cannot
anycategory
by
is
traditional
thus
the placeof
touched,
concepts,
understood
and
articulated,
being
thought.
to
all
resistance

Levinas probesmany traditional stancesof Westernphilosophy. He challenges

has
This
the
the
tes
the
surrounding
sun
of
epekina
ousias.
presumptions
someof
has
been
illuminated
the
to
the
awakening
of
our
capacity
reason
and
seen
as
always
inexhaustiblesourceof all our thinking.It is the ancestorof the GreekInfinite that
is
instrument
It
destruction
for
the
the phenomenology
totality.
also
of
and
transcends
Same
Ever
Being
Ego.
the
totality
to
the
neutral
of
since
as
or
as
ontologysubjected
Platothe Westernmind hashada tendencyto placethe GoodbeyondBeing.For
is
this
Levinas movement not theologicalandis not an instanceof transcendence
it
instead
He
'excendence'.
It beginsfrom beingbut
calls
existence.
towarda superior
from
being
from
its42.
'departure
describe
the
and
categories
is
a
which
excendence
beginsasmetaTheterm 6excendence'namesthe site from which metaphysics
theology,meta-ontologyandmeta-phenomenology.

Lingis
Pittsburgh:1998,Trans.by Alphonso,
'Jacques Derrida:WMingandDifference:1997,p. 82
41DerekWalcott:CollectedNew 1948- 1984:Faber& Faber:London:1992,p. 66
42Jacques
Derrida:Writing andDifference:1997:p. 85

236
Levinastakesissuewith Husserl'spositionsasoutlinedin the Fifth
As Levinasreadsit this work givesa primal positionto the theoretical
Untersuchung.
being
is
by
If
This
the
the
the
create
access,
means which we
of
object.
consciousness.
,the existingworld, which is revealedto us,hasthe modeof existenceof the object
is
if
if
knowledge',
'the
the
theoretical
to
the
world
world
real
of
glance',
givenover
is not a modeof life to
'in his [Husserl's]philosophy..knowledgeandrepresentation
Levinas
is
degree
then
the
others,
a
secondary
mode'
nor
obligedto
as
the same
Levinasreads
departfrom this conceptionof understanding
or philoSophy43
.
Heideggerin the light of his oppositionto this placingof the centreof our beingas
by
does
by
Heidegger,
Husserl.
Levinas,
this
as
read
not
see
world as
consciousness
in
is,
but
Levinas
the
to
the
theoretical
glance, rather,
wordsof
primarily givenover
A4
field
like
'in its very Being
a centerof action,a
of activity or of solicitude . For
Levinasthereis in mana historicityandtemporalitythat arepredicatesfor, and
And it is 'this structure which
indeedare,the substantialityof his substance.
...
A5
in
important
Heidegger's
thought
place
an
such
occupies
.

Levinashoweverdoesnot let Heideggerawaytoo easilyeither.He directsalso

Heidegger's
Heidegger
fails
in
key
to
writings.
over
question
metaphors
a critical ray
for
thought,
tradition
Greco-Platonic
of
examplethe surveillanceof the agencyof
the
light.
is,
That
by
the spatialpair of inside-outside
the
metaphor
of
the glanceand
familiar
life
'Heideggerean
the
to
opposition
of
subject
care,
and
object.
which gives
is
(evenif comprehension
itself
illuminatedasit is by comprehension
as
care),
offers
by
"inside-outside"
light'46.
determined
the
that
structure
characterizes
already
43JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference:
44JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference:
45JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference:
4' JacquesDerrida: Wtiting and Difference:

1997,p. 87
1997,p. 87
1997,p. 87
1997,p. 88

237
Levinasdoesnot denyor pretendto erasethe existenceandpowerof the structure
layers
Levinas
As
the
'inside-outside'. such
of 'traditionaltruth' anddoesnot
respects
he
does
he
he
describes,
Rather
them.
to
seeks
the
nor
refute
philosophies
criticize
is
'a
dissimulated
founds
them,
them,
situationwhich
within
what
revealwhat
A7
is
into
inside
His
Being
division
to
aim
an
outside
the
an
and
of
precedes
.
inaugura!e a newmetaphysics
of radicalseparationandexteriority.Quitecorrectly
thatthis newdeparturewill find it difficult to createa languagein
Derridasuggests
logos
it
is,
by
'inside-outside',
traditional
the
the
governed,
as
structure
the mediumof
'interior-exterior'. Tradition illustrates how the Eleatic strangerand disciple of

language
its
due
for havingvanquishedhim: shapingnonhad
to
Parmenides
give
he
had
'farewell
Being,
to
to an unnameableopposite of
to
say
Being according

its
is
Being,
had
to
to
to
that
to the movement
non-Being
Being' and
confine
relativity
of alterity48.

The Origin of the Altedor Motive:

For Levinasmultiplicity andalterity areto be understoodasthe absolute

its
in
The
from
to
the
the
the
existence.
relationship
existent
other
arises
of
solitude
the secreton the basisof the unity of existence,
depthsof this solitude.To understand
is
it
it
'is
the
that
the
that
to confineoneself
secret
exists
or
of
existent
the
pretext
on
49
Levinas
difference.
To
towards
this
the
thought
moves
escape
of
to unity .
original

47JacquesDerrida: Wtiling and Difference: 1997,p. 88

48JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997,p. 89
49JacquesDerrida: Miting and Difference: 1997,p. 90

238
Levinasseeksa directandumnediatedencounterwith the face,usingphrases
like 'face to face without intermediary' and without 'communion'50.Having no

intermediary,havingno communion,withoutbeingmediate,or immediate,the truth

is
logos,
is
the
traditionally
the
truth
to
the
conceived,
which
other
of our relationwith
by definition inhospitable.Levinasseeksto persuadeus that this is a living of the
is
be
that
unthinkable,
and
cannot
which
encompassed
or
truth of experience
its
fractures
being
illuminated
by
by
that
speech
without
very
philosophical
contained
be
is
Metaphor
What
itself
to
to
solidity
really
appears
rigidity.
which
speech
key
junctures
is
illustration
is
for
this;
reduced
at
often
so
an
of
metaphors
philosophy
in
itself
is
We
through
and
which
experience
silently
revealed.
are
opening
provide an
dealing with a type of non-presenceand a non-phenomenality.It is the totally other
itself
illustrates
prior to the moment of sharedtruth, as a type of
manifests
or
that

implications
for
The
this
a
certain
absence.
or
as
of
philosophical
nonmanifestation
in
its
Traditional
Other
immense.
the
philosophy
of
absolute
overlooking
thoughtare
have
history.
Without
And
have
time
they
the absolutealterity of each
time.
no
cannot
instant,withoutwhich therewould be no time, cannotbe constitutedwithin the
identityof the subjector the existent.This canonly emergein time throughthe Other.
the Otheronebecomesenclosedwithin solitude,andit is the
If onerenounces
By
this
self-identity.
solidity
and
of
ethical
routeonesuppresses
solitude
negative
disregards
Levinas
irreducible
For
the
tradition
the
transcendence.,
solitudeof the
disregards
is
Its
the
to
the
that
thereby
relationship
of
other.
solitude
and
existent
There
its
in
light
emerges
a
soliloquy
of
totality andopacity.
reasonandof
all
Being
by
The
the
this
tradition
the
cannot
respect
and
and
meaning
of
other,
solitude.
become
Through
them
and
ontology
philosophies
of
violence.
meansphenomenology

50JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997,p. 90

239
is
bound
is
to the totalitarianismof
with
oppression
as
philosophy
communion made
the same.The otheris seized,possessed
andknownaswe attemptto conquerit in the
Under
light
is
the
this
that
control.
aegis
and
of
everything
of
power
given
name
from
be
to
myselfto myself.
given
appears

How doesLevinas envisagea way out or beyond the current impassein our

begin
We
with conceivingof metaphysics
thinking?
or ethicsasdesire.We see
beyondour disdainor disregardof the otherin a transcendental
movementthatbreaks
limits
from
that
free
the
constrainthe otheraswe attemptto understandand
us
desire
has
but
it.
For
Levinas
for
the otherasother,and
nothing
respect
possess
forbid
itself
knowledgeof it assuch,andconsciousness
the transgression
must
of this
is
inadequate
desire
before
is
This
it
the
the
always
claims
of
other,as
respect.
irreducible
by
No
to
the
the
totality canever
absolutely
exteriority
of
other.
appealed
desire
difference
it
by
is
the
drawn
this
to
and
vastness
of
which
and
encompass
is
There
between
is
defined.
it
desire
its
As
Derrida
a
great
gulf
and
other.
which
dealing
distance
Levinas
that
are
with
a
metaphysics
we
of
separation,
and
a
reads
freedoln
is
bom.
which
within
opening
an
creates

We havebeentrappedwithin our egos.Levinasarguesthat the apparent

interior
difference,
is
it
is
but
the
the
but
for
illusion,
of
ego,
or
negativity
an
alterity
itself
from
The
the
same. egoalters
the play of
within itself We arecaughtwithin a
finite
forms
that
the
a
moment
same,
of
a systemanda totality with the
moment
is
but
'progression'
History
the
tracing'out
this
of
aswe areblindedto the
ag,ent.,
laboriously
in
the
moves
same
as
procession.Derridaaskswhetherwe can
other,and
if
is
history
have
work not met with resistancethroughalterity.Doeshistorynot
truly

240
beginwith this relationshipto the otherthat Levinasplacesbeyondhistory?Derrida
itself
the
can
ego
engender
alterity
within
without encounteringthe
wonderswhether
Other?

For Levinasthe egoandthe otherdo not permitthemselvesto be dominatedor

by
is
into
Language
totalities
concept
a
of
relationship.
always given to the
made

includes
We
the
the
other
and
never
encompasses
other.
cannot,
other,never
is
it
by
then:
the otherthat
encounter
with
otherness
our
made
possible
conceptualise
is the unforeseeable'resistant to all categories'51.The infinitely-other is by definition
beyond our capacity for conceptualisation.The idea of horizon implies always a

horizonof the same.Within this conceptionof thingsthereis alwaysa unity as

by
are
welcomed
surprises
understanding
and
andrecognized.To escape
eruptions
Levinasconceivesof the presenceof the otherastrace.This
this conceptualisation
by
industry
the
time
only
possible
opening
achieve
of
can
not
any
of ours.And
other
it is foundat the heartof experienceasa presence.It is not wholly presentbut exists
thereasa trace.Beforeall systemsof thought,beforeall dogmaticsystemsof belief,
before theology and before philosophy, there exists this opening of experienceto an

is
its
beginning,
is
be
found
which
also
to
ending
and
which
or traced
eschatological
its
throughoutall varyingaspects.

We arecalledto recogniseasour primaryrelationrespectfor the other,and

Metaphysicsis bom at the point whentheoryis
therebyethicsprecedesmetaphysics.
forcedto criticiseitself asontology,'asthe dogmatismandspontaneityof the same,
in
departing
from
itself,
is
into
metaphysics,
when
put
questionby the otherin the
and

" JacquesDenida: Wridog and Difference: 1997, p. 95

241
for
Levinas
the primarynatureof metaphysics
argues
overthat of
movementof ethics.
in
Heidegger.
Heidegger,
He
to
thus
critique
proceeds
affinning the priority
ontology.
decision
Being
the
makes
a
aboutthe essenceof philosophy.As
over existent,
of
the relationWithsomeone,who is an
Levinasreadsthis move,Heideggersubordinates
impersonal
Being
The
the
to
ofthe existeW2natureof this
existent, a relationwith
domination
justice
the
the
to
or
allows,
of
existent
and
permits,
subordinates
relation
transcendence
freedom.Truemetaphysical
occurswhenwe conceiveof infinity
beyond the restraintsof totality. This is the infinity that is irreducible to the
infinity,
it
beyond,
ideation
thought
transcends,
of
the
exceeds,
or
goes
representations

in which it is thought.It is in truth that which cannotbe an objector a simple

tobjectivereality' of the idea.The expressionof this ideaof infinity is theface.This
faceis not only a visagethat mayonly be a surface,it is that which is seenbecauseit
is naked,but alsothat which sees.And it is not only that which seesthings,but also
its
that which exchanges glance.This visageonly becomesa facein the momentof
face-to-faceencounter.

This faceis presence,ousia.The facerepresents

the original unity of glance
The
face
the
primary
mouth.
and
eyes
unity
of
speech,
existsprior to the
and
dispersioninto the organsof sensibility:the eyes,earsandmouth.The otheris given
'in person',truly andcompletely,without allegory,in the face.It is the origin point of
is
through
face
face.
The
through
the
speech
and
glance,
space
orienting
not a
space,
itself
does
but
itself,
present
understand
or
not
as
a
chief
sign, expresses
signifier,
itself.
in
in
itself
in
itself
itself,
thing
the
Living speechin its
person,
expresses
offers
is
masteryandmagisteriality the only thing ableto assistitself; it is not a servilesign

52JacquesDerrida: Wtifing and Difference: 1997,p. 97

242
the only genuineexpression
but a genuineexpression,
that living speechcanbe.For
but signs.
Levinasthenthe written andthe work arenot expressions

Deffida pointsout how Levinasis keento preservethe living dimensionof

itself
Outside
horizon
becomes
itself
Writing
this
of
writing
nothing.
speech
original
is secondary.To be behind the sign that is in the world is afterward to remain

invisibleto the world within epiphany.In andthroughthe face,the otheris givenover

in personas other,that is, asthat which doesnot revealits very self,andasthat which
We
be
The
thematic.
to
the
can
only
speak
made
other.
other appearswithin
cannot
the
as
non-presence,
categories
or
present
nonas
absence,
appearing
as
missing
our

behind
its
its
dwelling
Lurking
--Isigns
and
works,
always
secret
within
phenomenal.
interior,foreverdiscreet,interruptingall historicaltotalitiesthroughits freedomof
is
be,
'of
face
is
Thought
this
to
the
and
cannot
the
not,
world'.
related
always
speech,
is
it
irreducible
the
However
to
relation
an
otherwho summonsme without
other.
from
is
It
through
this
without.
of
return
orderthat we arepresentedwith
possibility
infinity
forbids
that
thought
idea
the
no
can
enclose
and
which
all monologue.
the
of
Throughthis meanswe arriveat a cornerstoneof EmmanuelLevinas'sthinking:the
be
if
his
her
the
is
is
irreducible,
other
only
or
only
can
and
alterity
absolutely
other
infinitely
irreducible;
Other
infinitely
the
is
and
canonly be Infinity. As speech
that
does
belong
face
because
it
to
the
the
not
world,
opensandexceedsthe
andglance
it
limit
the
Due
beginnings
this
to
marks
of
all
power,
the
all
totality.
violence,and
or
the
ethical.
of
origin

Derridaaskssomeseriousquestionsof Levinas'sthesis.Levinasstresses
the
Other.
As suchit is not possibleto conceiveof the face
the
transcendence
of
invisible

243
is
is
What
termed
the
or
other,
revelation.
religious,
of
unrevealable
asa moment
beyond
beyond
thematization,
thereby
all
all constitutiveanalysisand
expressed
Philosophers,
theologiansandpoetsareall out of ajob. In
beyondall phenomenology.
Levinas'sschemathe infinitely-Otheris not an objectbecauseit is speech,speechas
is
By
the
this
and
world. meansof
schematicphenomenology
theorigin of meaning
by
for
justice.
We
to
which
account
means
a
ethics,
as
speech
and
witness
ruledout
Levinasexploretheseideasthroughthe themeof nudity.Speechis obligedto uncover
face,
have
the
without
which
no
nudity
of
would
anymeaning.All nudity,
thenudity
$eventhe nudity of the body experiencedin shame', is a 'figure of speech' in relation
faCe53
This
is
for
the
nudity
of
the
to
nudity
not
an
an
opening,
non-metaphorical
.

is
So
is
to
the
a
surrounding
relative
plenitude.
word
nudity
always
opening
it
indicate
is
beyond
itself
What
to
the
as
soon
serves
as
something
erased
effectively
by
is
face?
for
demand
The
to
this
to
the
exposure
and
response
nude
appropriate
itself
the
that
to
unity
unthinkable
of
as
a
speech
able
glance
assist
a
and
supplication,
in
its
for
to
summons
all
us
nakedness.
calls assistance

Deffida pointsout that for Levinasa basicpresuppositionis the ideaof a finite

infinity,
is
Levinas
infinitely other,he is always
When
speaks
of
what
totality.
is
This
different
his
to
reality.
a
non-violent
presumptionssurrounding
speakingof
God
for
figure
Levinas
insofar
the
The
redeems
of
world
totality.
asa world without
be
infinite
figure
othernesswould torn apartby strife of the worstkind
of
this
imaginable.A world without Godis unimaginable.We arenot ableto imaginethis
inescapable
immorality,
blood
lust
of
primary
violence,
a
world
all,
at
of pure
world
War
know
it
be
definable,
as
we
violence.
would
not
approachable,
anduninhibited

"Jacques Derrida: Wtiling and Difference: 1997,p. 106

244
face
God.
In
the
the
thought
network
of
or understanding
of
of
experience
our
without
in
is
implicated
figure
face
God
Derrida.
by
Levinas
then,
the
argues,
or
of
expounded
form
denial
God
War
implies
that
the
War
of
would
of
as
a
of
presence.
presence
war.
War,
God
the
the
be meaningless
as
reality of which we
presence
of
absence.
without
finite
face
between
difference
is
the
the
the
deny,
the
of
and
world
revelation
cannot
face.
withouta

Derrida points out that in Levinas' conceptionof things we are always too late
image
divine
We
We
beings.
the
human
are
an
after
of
already
primary
presence.
as
late,
Being.
the
too
emerging
or
on
plane
a
pre-existent,
primary
of
are godsarrived

face
being
drawn
but
in
to
the
the
existing
We canwalk upright, only after or
midst of
is
beyond
It
this originaryfacethat drawsus up from our knees
before,aboveand
us.
begins
Metaphysical
thought
to
recognise
we
upright
at
all.
when
walk
us
allows
and
We
basis.
mustreturnto our true selves,the point of recognition,
this a priori
between
the
acknowledge
or with our
we
resemblance
comparisonor similarity where
faceandthe faceof God.However,Levinasarguesthat we mustconversewith God,
in
God
in
are
not
we
as
co-equals
gods,
a conversationof
or
and not as a god

infinitely
Other.
is
We
into
God
the
all
after
enter
spaceof separation
participation.
is
dwells.
This
We
the
God
creatio
what
ex
means.
outside
nihilo
are
properly
where
in
dwellers
here.
We
God.
We
the
the
trace
are
presence
of
of
world of incarnation
that
distinctive
through
thought.
rings
of
post-modernity
note
such
the
a
note

In TotalityandInfinity then,the Face

As Godsfaceemerges,so it disappears.
in
different
locations.
in
is
We
the
Yahweh
many
guises
and
primary
evoked
are
of
be
I
'Thou
face:
for
Testament
Old
theology:
there
canst
not seemy
shal no man
siteof

245
live
it
thou
shalt
stand
a
upon
rock:
and
shall cometo pass,while my
seeme and ...
by,
I
in
thee
that
put
will
a clift of the rock, andwill covertheewith my
glorypasseth
handwhile I passby: And I will takeawaymine hand,andthou shaltseemy back
be
face
(Exodus
33:
but
20
23)54.
Edmond
has
Jabes
seed
shall
not
my
written
parts:
in theBookofQuestions:'All facesareI-Iis:this is why HE hasno face?'55The face
is
face
by
Levinas
God
then
face
the
it
is
the
not
their
of
or
of
man:
outlined
Derrida
face
is
though
be
that
this
that
points
out
a
resemblance
must
resemblance.
idea
Same,
before,
the
the
or
without,
of
thought
without its assistanceor as a means
its
is
This
to
possibility.
a strongbone of contention' for Derrida
or road, guarantee,
he
by
deconstructs,
the
which
or questionsthe premisesof Levinas'
means
and
thinking in Totality andInfinity.

Stubbornly Jacky:

Derridawill beginhis deconstruction

of Levinasby pointingout the linguistic
is
Levinas's
thought
encircled,caughtup, playedout andengaged.
gamewithin which
We arewithin 'thesystem'ofLevinas'sthoughtthat is self-referentialandselfdefined. It makessensewithin the terms defined by its own internal logic: 'the route
followed by Levinas'sthought is such that all our questionsalreadybelong to his own
interior dialogue, are displacedinto his discourseand only listen to it, ftom many
in
v56
many
ways
and
points
vantage

54Jacques
DerTida:Writingand Difference:1997,p. 108
55Jacques
Derrida:Writingand Difference:1997,p. 109
56Jacques
Derrida:Writingand Difference:1997,p. 109

246
Levinas hasarguedconsistentlyand thoroughly in Totality andInfinity that

thereis no interiordifference,no fundamentalandautochthonous

alterity within the
is
(Dcrrida
has
The
myself
not
asks:
who
evermaintainedthat it wasor is?)
other
cgo.
but it is an Ego,andhasto be if Levinasis to maintainhis own discourse.Thejourney
from Ego to other as an Ego is the passageto the essential,non-empirical egoity of
When
Soren
himself
Kierkegaard
it
is
in
general.
speaks
existence
of
not
subjective
just the Danish Protestantwriting of his own egotistical and 'self-centred'concernsfor

becomes
for
but
this
all
stand
name
a
within
which
we
salvation,
pseudonym
personal
he
Otherwise
be
else.
everybody
and
not
writing philosophy and we
would
ourselves

it.
be
be
It
with
concerned
reading
would
a self-containedandmeaningless
not
would
babble,the ravingsof a madmanandlunatic.For example,the'l'of Walt Whitman's
Song qf*sefcontains

individual
future,
it
'I's
otherwise
all of our
past,presentand

for
indeed
be
the
the
as
children
of
or
poem
us
all
a
nation,
a
of
new
poem
couldnot
humanspecies.Unlesswe couldenterinto or be containedby the 'subjectivity'that
it
in
for
this
to
at all.
poem,
we
would
converse
with
not
speaks us,or speaks us,
by the respect
Derridaasks:'is not this essence
of subjectiveexistencepresupposed
57'The
it
is
for the other,which canbe what
the
other- only assubjectiveexistence?
logic of Levinas'spositionDerridapointsout would seemto requirethe eliminationof
lies
Here
discussion
the radical
the
truth
subjective
of
or
existence.
of
essence
all
breakwith previousconceptionsof phenomenology
andontology.Derridapointsout
itself
in
do
discourse
the
Levinas,
this
that
cannot
without renouncingphilosophical
first instance.As suchthis cannotbe doneoutsideof the arenaof language.The
by
discourse,
beyond
from,
toward,
to
the
or
attempt attain,speak
of philosophical
discourse,
impossible
by definition,cannotpossiblysucceed
of
philosophical
means

57JacquesDerrida: Wiling and Difference: 1997,p. I 10

247
formally
language,
we,
and thematically posethe questionof the
unless
within

belonging
Are
between
the
the
of
closure.
we moving
and
opening,
question
relations
towardsthe beginningsof poetry?Derridaspeaksof departingfrom logic andwriting
from within an inscribeddescription,in an inscriptionof the relationsbetweenthe
in
kind
the
of unheardof graphics.
non-philosophical,
a
and
philosophical

Levinas attemptsto radically restructureour notions of exteriority in Totality

Previously
when we spokeof exteriority we spokeof a unity of space
andInfinity.
that neutralisedradical alterity: the relation to the other, the relation of instantsto each

death.
issues
Inside
All
to
to
these
the
of
an
around
notions
of
revolve
other, relation
Space
The
in
Blanchot's
We
this
Outside.
of
sense:read
areall post-Heidegger
an
Literature. Levinas writes in Totality and Infinity: 'the relation with the other is a

for
his
is
It
Mystery.
the
other'sexteriority,or rather alterity, exteriority
relationwith a
is a property of space,and brings the subjectback to himself through the light which
Essay
by
Levinas,
being58.
We
his
the
this
on
work
recall
subtitle of
constitutes entire
Exteriority, which abundantlyemploysthe notion of exteriority, but true exteriority,
is
Site
is
for
the
is
the
the
Levinas,
same;
space always
site of
not spatial
according to
Can
Same.
the
the
we truly speakof an exteriority outside of a
site
of
always
here
find
Levinas
to
Derrida
that
obliterate
attempting
we
argues
conceptionof space?
Can
but
that
we not avoid
altogether.
notion
without erasing
our notion of exteriority

itself?
Can
language
infinitys
totality
totality
the
we
of
excessover
within
speakingof
Same?
language
the
the
the
of
otherwithout using
possiblyconceiveor speakof
Derridaarguesthat we cannotavoidthe Inside-Outsidestructureandspatial
metaphors.We cannotbut speakfrom within the ruinedmetaphorandwe areobliged

" JacquesDenida: Wtiting and Difference: 1997,p. 112

248
to wearthe patchyclothesof the tradition.For Derrida,we mustbe deportedfrom our
Site,
locale
is
the
toward
towards
the
that
the metaphorcongenitalto
spatial
site
own
logos.
Is all thought therefore primarily poetic, insofar as its
the philosophical word or

is
beginning
dependent
from
the world of
concerned,
on andemerges
point of
is
Metaphor
language
itself, referringto itself within
the
emergence
of
metaphor?
itself prior to being a rhetorical procedurewithin language.For Derrida all philosophy
is
is,
do
a speakingof this metaphor,a stating of the metaphoritself, which
can
horizon
through
to
thinking
this
the
metaphor
within
silent
of the nonamounts
identify
that
we
as Being. Spaceis the primary wound without which we
metaphor

language,
open
without which onewould not havea trueor false
cannoteven
exteriorityto speakof

For Derridaonecanonly write by crossingout, by crossingout what hasbeen

for
alreadycrossedout: crossingout writes,still drawsin space.And thuswe find
Heaneygoingdownanddownfor the'goodturf in poemslikeDigging! or the bog in
'Bogland!'missing its last definition/ By millions of years'59.We can only re-write,

haveor operateour discoursewithin a tradition.And thuswe find poetsre-writingon

the words of previous poets.Thus is T. S. Eliot's The WasteLand a compendiumof the

bestlineswritten in the tradition of Western(andEastern)writing andpoetry.We can

USearcaigWs
Cathal
Open
Out
in
the
selected
read
poems
also
asa commentary,a
modemre-inscriptionof the classicalconventionsof Gaelicpoetry,or asa re-writing
Irish
in
Englise. For Derridawe cannotconceiveof
tradition
the
of
writing
of poets
languagewithoutthe ruptureof space.An aquaticor aeriallanguagewould be
in
Heidegger
it.
trace
Derrida
we
unless
could
meaningless,
alterity within
pursues
59SeamusHeaney:OpenedGround.- Poems1966 1996: 1998, 41
p.
-

249
arguingthatthemeaningsthat emergefrom, radiateoutwards,the conceptsInsideOutside,from Light-Night,inhabitproscribedwords,andareembeddedin personor
heart
itself.
how,
Why
be
the
temptedto
at
of
conceptuality
or
might
we
vicariously,

ask?

Derrida arguesthat the structuresInside-Outside,Night-Day do not signify an

immersion in space.Thesestructureshave no meaning in a pure spacegiven over to

It is becauseof an includedorigin thatthis structureemerges,

itself anddisorientated.
horizon
is
inscribed
that
eastern
neither within nor without space.The text of the
an
is
is
It
basis
it
text
this
the
that
speech.
of
on
we can speakof as Face.
glance

Languageriseswith the dayto facethe sun.

Languageandspaceareinseparable.
Surely what Levinas is attempting to do when he speaksof the infinite exteriority of

that
the otherasnon-spatial,asnon-exteriorityandnon-interiority,is to acknowledge
the infinite cannotbe stated?Is this not to saythat the structure'inside-outside'
which
is the very structureof languageitself is markedby the originalfinitude of speech?
Thereby,
Derridawrites:Thilosophicallanguagebelongsto a systemof language(s).
its nonspeculativeancestryalways brings a certain equivocality into speculation.

Sincethis equivocalityis originalandirreducible,perhapsphilosophymustadoptit,

duplicity anddifferencewithin
think it andbe thoughtin it, mustaccommodate
61
speculation,within the verypurity of philosophicalmeaning

For Derridathe infinitely other,the infinity of the other,is not the otheras a
positiveinfinity, asGod,or asresemblance
with God.The infinitely Otherwould not

60Cathal0' Searcaigh:
Out in the Open:Clo - lar Chonnachta:
Conamara:
1997,trans.by Frank
Sewell,especially
a poemEke'DearDark-HairedLove', p. 113
"' Jacques
Derrida:WritingandDifference:1997,p. 113

250
be what it is, other,if it wasa positiveinfinity, andif it did not maintainwithin itself
the negativityof the indefinite,of the apeiron.To speakof the 'infinitely otheeis to
talk aboutthatwhich doesnot enddespitemy endlesslaboursandcontinualand
Derrida,
Levinas,
tackles
on the groundsthatwe cannotexpel
continuousexperience.
labour,
from
'care'
the
as
work,
or
maybe
within
realmsof
negativity- understood
transcendence,for to do so would disrespectthe Other as Other. What we speakof as
the positive Infinity (God) cannot be infinitely Other. We can only understandinfinity
form
in-finite.
in
When
Infinity
Other
the
to
the
of
speak
of
as a
one
attempts
as
positive plenitude purely and absolutely then one banishesthe other as the

impossible
the
andthe unutterable.
unthinkable,

If we areto follow Levinasall the way downhis streetthenwe arerequiredto

in
liberate
description
thereby
to
the
the
positive
of
other
order
within
neutralisespace
infinity. Doesthis not requirethatwe neutralisethe essentialfinitude of the faceas
insists,
is
body,
Levinas
that
the
alwaysa
andnot, as
continually
speechandglance
body
When
thought?
the
and
we speakof
corporealmetaphorof etherealized.
in
literal
locale
body,
talking
the
about
exteriority
a
an
embedded
embodimentwe are
that is fully spatial and literally so. Thereby the point of origin is inseparablefrom the

inscription
is
inescapably
is
inscribed
The
it
It
and
orients.
space engenders
an
origin.
the written origin: tracedandinscribedwithin a system.Unlessthis inscriptionis
haveor be a bodyproperto ourselves.
written in, thenwe would no longerpossess,
its
face.
fall
literally
Face
but
The entiremetaphysics
the
on
of
would
collapse, not
Deffida arguesthat within philosophyandwithin language,within whathe terms
discourse
we cannotsimultaneouslymaintain,save,preserveor speak
philosophical
ideas
the
or themesof positiveinfinity andof the face.We canonly preserveor
of

251
hold
horizon
them
together
them
the
and
within
unify
of infinite andindefinitealterity
horizon
irreducibly
the
common
of Deathandthe Other.Whathe terms'the
as
horizonof finitudeor the finitude of the horizon".

If the faceis bodyit is mortal.Logic illustratesan infinite chiasmus,assuch,

for if we speakof infinite alterity as deaththen we cannot reconcile this with infinite
alterity as positivity and presence(God). What we are identifying as a metaphysical

transcendence
towardthe otherasDeathand
cannotbe at onceboth transcendence
transcendencetoward the other as God, unlessof coursethat God meansdeath.Can

he appear,or is he namedwithin the differencethat existsbetweenall andnothing?

CanGodbe both all andnothing?Is Godboth life anddeath?Is Godinscribedhere
within difference,asDifferenceitself?Negativetheologyis bom at this frontier.It
speaksa speechthat knowsitself doomedto failure, enmeshed
asit is in the finite.
Levinashaslandedhimselfin troublesomewaters.Whathappenswhenwithin your
conceptionof thingsmetaphysicalresponsibilityis responsibilityfor language,
becauseasLevinaswritesin TotalityandInfinity, 'thoughtconsistsof speaking',and
63
be
language
How doesone
God?
to
a
metaphysics
aims
of communicationwith
beginto think the other,if the othercanbe spokenonly asexteriorityandthrough
is,
that
nonalterity?How doesonedo this if the speechthatmust
exteriority,
inaugurateandmaintainabsoluteseparationis by its essence
in
rooted space,which
cannotconceiveof separationandabsolutealterity?

Wheredo we find peacethen?We recall whatLevinaswishedto achievein

TotalityandInfinity. He washopingto establisha modemethic,andthis wasandis a
62JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997, I IS
p.

252
All
Levinas
do
to
aim.
wished
wasre-situatethe ethicalquestion.
commendable
Havingcriticisedthe foundationsof Levinas!
s thoughtdoesDerridaattemptto
he
Levinas's
reclaim
redirect,
original aim when setout the arguments
recaptureor
is
Totality
Derrida
that
andInfinity?
argues peace a certainsilence,a
containedwithin
future
beyond
type
speech,
a
a
of
certain
possibility,
albeit
as
a
of
presence,
certain
horizon
of speech.As soon as discourseopenswar begins.Peaceand
certain silent

language
itself
itself
by
Finite
the
strange
vocation
of
a
called
outside
silenceare
it
is
We
What
Language
then?
of
medium
violence.
experience
as
can
a
such.
silence
justice
by
indefinitely
tend
toward
acknowledgingand practising the violence
only

it.
We
We
use
must
violence
of
violence.
within
violence
within
an
economy
within
light,
in
light
orderto avoidthe worstviolence,mainlythe violence
against
mustuse
discourse.
history
If
that
take
the
seriouslywe must
precedes
of
repression
we
night
of
be vigilant. Philosophymustbe awareof its historicalstature,its statureasan
is
did
first
Speech
the
not exist
against
and
yet
violence
victory
violence,
economy.
beforeour possibilitiesfor speech.

Vlolence and the Transcendental:

Levinashasarguedthat the Talse-infinity'(a Hegeliantenn not usedby

Levinas)is, or would be,the indefinite,negativeform of infinie.

Levinashimself

he
(non-negative
true
transcendence),
so
can
and
conceives altenty asnon-negativity
infinity,
the
true
the
andmakethe same(in a strangecomplicitywith
make other
false-infinity.
into
We aska basicquestionhere:how canyou separate
the
negativity)

63JacquesDerfida: Wtiting and Difference: 1997,p. 117

64JacquesDerfida: WHfing and Difference: 1997,p. 119

253
How
from
be
from
infinity'?
'false
To put
the
can
negativity?
alterity
separated
alterity
it simply, how can absolutesamenessnot be infinity?

If we follow Levinaswe areled to believethat the sameis a violent totality,

is
finite.
it
is
is
it
Again,
It
as
abstract.
moreotherthanthe other.He
such
andassuch
believe
finite
have
be
but
that
the
totality
the
same
as
us
would
not
same,
still
would

the other.He appearsto be speakingof the otherunderthe rubric of the same,andof

the sameunderthe rubric of the other.For, if the finite totality wasthe same,it could
becoming
itself
be
Failing
do
than
thought
to
or
posed
as
such,
without
other
so
not

it
into
(finite
that
totalities)andcouldnot
could
not
enter
mean
war
with
others
would
be violent.No longerbeingviolent it couldnot be the swnein Levinas'ssense,of
finite
is
in,
begin
When
totality.
to speakof the
war engaged we must
whatwe call a
it
At
this
then
to
thereby
the
point
other
self
access
as
an
other
other'sother,gaining
in
longer
Levinas'ssense.
totality
exists as a
no

How do we escapethis minotaufSmaze?We mightbeginby conceivingthe

false-infinityasirreducible.Wherecanwe find a tenableposition?Onepositionwe
found
in
is
live
the writingsof EdmundHussert.He setaboutdemonstrating
with
can
If
therefore
the irreduciblenatureof intentionalincompleteness,
alterity.
of
and
irreducible
it
In
become
then
is
cannever
consciousness
absoluteself-consciousness.
absolutely
somefutureparousiaof an absoluteknowledgeit cannotbe reassembled
its
itself
by
to
very self-definition.Canwe think of the Talse-infinity'without
close
the true infinity lurking too far behind,near,alongsideit, for we cannotconceiveof
the falsewithout thinking of the true?Husserlconsistentlyarguedthatvision always
into
questionthe necessity,utility, function,or adequatenatureof the divisionor
calls

254
inside-outside.
We
forced
by our vision to the point where
are
continually
structure,
horizons.
incompleteness
We
deal
the minutewe
constricting
our
with
we overflow
leads
Husserl'sposition
the
that
of
pursuit
path
us towardthe transcendent.
setout on
is that we arecreaturesof immanentperceptionthatareplacedor occurwithin the
infinite horizon of the flux of experience.

V-

in
Kantian
Idea
This
designates
the
the
we
can
speak
of
sense.
example,
For
the infinite overflowingof a horizon,which dueto an absoluteandessentialnecessity
be,
become,
itself
The horizon cannot becomean object
or
object
an
can never
becauseit is the unobjectiflable wellspring of every object in general.The conceptof

horizonturnseveryconstitutiveact into an object,andin thatvery moveopensthe

infinity.
in
We
to
that
must
objectification
reverse
our
perspective
and
realise
work of
do
horizon
horizons
but
the
the
rather
not
speak
of
of
we
constitution
phenomenology
is
in
debate
Levinas.
This
Derrida!
This
the
valuable
of
s
with
context
of constitution.
is becausetheHusserlianhorizontakesthe form of an indefiniteopeningandthus
itself,
without anypossibleendto the negativityof constitution.
offers
ceaselessly,
This project,role or task,Derridaimplies,keepsit from all totalizationwhile at the
it
from
illusion
the
time
preserves
of the immediatepresenceof a plenitudinous
same
infinity in whichthe otheris absolutelyanduntraceablyswallowed.We respect
infinitely
but
be
thereby,
that
realising
exteriority,
our consciousness
cannot
inadequatein its approachto the infinite (andindeedthe finite). We dwell within the
thoughtof the eternalirreducibility of the otherto the same,but of the otherappearing
it
is
for
And
that
the
same.
at this point within the world of phenomenology
asother
its
freedom
finds
true
andits absoluteradicality.
ethics

255
Whatarethe implicationsof Husserl'sconceptof horizon?It meansthatthe
is
infinitely
jurisdiction
is
for
truths
of
evident
open,
open
everytypeof
ultimate
is,
for
for
in
that
object,
every
conceivable
sense
present
consciousness
possible
in
discourse
by
(for
Levinas
Derrida
that
the
posits
no
example,
one
offered
general.
TotalityandInfinity) canbe meaningful,canevenbe thoughtor understood,without
drawing upon the layer of phenomenologicaltruth proposedby the writings of

Husserl.Whenwe beginto speakof the possibilitiesof essence;

that which guidesall
is
presupposedor assumedwhen one proceedsto speakof ethics,
what
concepts;
transcendence, of infinity, et al, we have to be in the domain of ideas accessible to

concreteconsciousnessat the most generallevel, for, if not no human discourseor

thoughtwouldbe possibleat all. We arein the domainof a transcendental

from
truths,
and
prior
which a phenomenologyof ethics must take
phenomenology

beginnings
before
We
the
thought,
truth,
of
concretepositionsare
at
value,
root.
are
arguedfor, created,begin,or areheld,evenactedupon.

Derridanotesthe surpriseof readingin Levinas'swork TotalityandInfinity

the phrase:Trombeyondthe totality or

hiStorY65

in the
Thereis a presupposition

is
finite
history
finally
finite
be
that
totality
that
the
totality,
that
and
and
phrase
can a

thereis no historybeyondthe finite totality. Deffida will arguefor the positionthat

it
is
historyis impossible,actuallymeaningless
finite
that
totality,
within a
and
impossibleandmeaningless
within the positiveandactualinfinity. Derrida.elaborates
ideasherethat will preoccupyhim for the restof his writing life: the ideaof
differancedevelopedin OfGrammatologyandthe aporeticdevelopedin Khora, Sauf

63JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997, 122

p.

256
66Derrida
4porias.
le Nom,and.
arguesthat historykeepsto the differencebetween
totality andinfinity, historybeingpreciselythat whichLevinascallstranscendence
is
finite
that
system
a
neither
nor infinite, but a structuraltotality that
andeschatology,
in
functioning,
its
this
escapingthe archaeological
andthe
escapes alternative
itself
by
inscribing
them
within
eschatological

Levinas's tussle with Husserk

Levinas has a disagreementwith Husserl, with positions developedand

in
his
Cartesian
by
by
Meditations.
Husserl
According
Levinas,
to
making
outlined

the otherthe ego!s phenomenon

on the basis
constitutedby analogicalappresentation
infinite
belonging
Husserl
to
the
the
ego's
own
sphere,
allegedlymissed
alterity of
of
the otherandultimatelyreducedit to the same.Levinasreiteratesoftenthat assoonas
its
the
then
other
an
alter
one
ego
neutralises absolutealterity.
onemakesof

in
in
Cartesian
is
involved
different
Derrida.
Husserl
the
a
strategy
For
'V-

Husserlaccordingto
MeditationsthanLevinasis preparedto admit.Whatpreoccupies
Deffida is how the otherasother,in its irreduciblealterity,is presented
to me.Husserl
is
is
it
The
to
originary
phenomenon
non-presence. ego's
will argue presented me as
is
irreducible
that
the otherasother:the phenomenon
of a certainnon-phenomenality
for the egoasegoin general.We cannotencounterthe alter ego(in thevery form of
the encountersetup by Levinas'sthought),it is impossibleto meetandknow it, with
in
language
for
if
in
its
does
this
or
appear
experience,
an
respect,
not
other,
alterity,
ego(in general).To quoteDeffida: 'onecouldneitherspeak,nor haveanysenseof the
" Jacques
Derrida:On theName:StanfordUniv. Press:California:1995,ThomasDutoit (ed.);

257

totally other,if therewasnot a phenomenon

of the totally other,or evidenceof the
And to allow Husserl speakof his dilemma in his own voice:
totally other as SUCh67
-

They, (theotheregos)however,arenot simplerepresentations

or objectsrepresented
but
"within
taking
me",
place
within me,syntheticunitiesof a processof verification
for
.......
"others
this sameworld subjectswho perceivethe
subjects
precisely
...
just
it,
in
I
thereby
the
experience
and
who
me,
as
experience
world
and
world ...

"others"'(CartesianMeditationS)68.

Here we meet a core issue for Husserl in the fifth of the Cartesian

Meditations.His mostcentralaffirmationconcernsthe irreduciblymediatenatureof

the intentionalityaimingat the otherasother.The otherastranscendental
other(other
in
be
the
the
other
point
can
origin
and
zero
orientation
of
world),
never
absolute
in
in
but
to
only throughanalogical
an
original
way
and
person,
me
given
is
begins
here.
The
The
of metaphor a respect
essence
presentation. world of poetry
does
not reducethe otherto the same.We can
andconfirmationof separationand
by
for,
if
did
I
the
the
through
other
way of
not approach
analogy,
only approach other
immediately,
in
but
and
communionwith the other's
originally
silently,
analogy,
immediately
the
other
would
ceaseto be the other.Husserl'sthemeof
experience,
transpositionindicates,preserves,
the radicalseparationof
appresentative
recognises,
the absoluteorigins.

for
Bodies,transcendent
in
things,
andnatural
areothers general my
is
They
the signof
transcendence
thereby
their
consciousness. arealwaysoutside,and
irreducible
alterity.We alsohavesomethinghiddenwithin us.We canonly
an already
Apotias: StanfordUniv. Press:California: 1993,Trans. by ThomasDutoit

258
hidden
"somethingness'
is,
by
this
through
that
poetry,
approach
meansof analogy,
Derrida
in
that
appresentation.
and
argues
relationto the otheras
anticipation
thing,in principle,it is alwaysopento a presentation
transcendent
of the originary
hidden
is
In
Levinas'thought
We
this
visage.
never
possible.
aretalking
andoriginal
incompleteness
distant
is
It
be
that
and
absolute
a
unapproachable.
would
about
impossible
from
The
to
things
the
go
around
and
see
other
side.
radically
strangerwill

because,
infinitely
in
be
his
her
other
essence,
no
enrichment
of
or
profile can
always
face
his
her
his
herperspective
the
subjective
of
or
me
experiencefirom
or
such
give
it.
lived
has
he
as or she

Derridapointsout the key differencebetweenHusserl'sconceptionof things

For
he
infinitely
Levinas.
Husserl
the
that
of
when speaksof
other what appears
and

to us assuch,Husserllegitimates,foundsandauthoriseshis discussion,through
intentional
the
modificationof the ego.However,Levinasspeaksof the
speakingof
infinitely otherwithout speakingof the intentionalmodificationof the egowhich
for
himself
his
for
depriving
foundation
be
him,
thereby
of a
would a violent act
discussion.How canhe beginto speakof the infinitely otherif it doesnot appearin
the zoneof the same?If to follow Husserlis indeedviolentthena primarylevel of
transcendental
violenceis inescapable
andexistsprior to everyethicalchoice.
Levinashaswritten in TotalityandInfinity: 'Theother,asother,is not only an alter
is
life'
I
It
has
He
ego.
what myselfam not.
alsowritten that'decency'and'everyday
incorrectlyleadusto believethat'the otheris knownthroughsympathy,asan other
like myself,asalter ego69.Husserladoptsa totally differentstance.He stresses
the
otherasOtheronly in its fonn asego,in its form of alterity,which cannotbe that of
67JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997,p. 123

259
thingsin the world.If the otherwerenot recognizedasa transcendental
alter ego,it
in
be
the world andnot, asego,the origin of the world.Husserl
entirely
would
the point thatthe otherasalter egosignifiesthe otherasother,irreducibleto
stresses
because
it
is
because
it
has
form
is
This
the
the
an
ego,
precisely
of
my ego,
ego.
why
he is face,canspeakto me andunderstand
me.Dissymmetryitself would be
impossible without this symmetry,which is not of the world, and which, having no

imposes
limit
no
uponalterity anddissymmetry- in fact, probablymakes
real aspect
them, on the contrary, possible.

A basic position of Derri(las againstLevinas is crystal clear at this point: we

in
transcendentally
toward
the
move
other,
unless, my ipseityI know myselfto
cannot
be otherfor the other.Unlessthis wasthe caseviolencewould haveno victim or
is
for
It
when
only
all
egos
are
others
author.
othersthat we canlegitimatelyspeakof
its
violenceand victims andthe authorsof violence.The infinitely othercanbe what
it is only if it is other,otherthan.Otherthanmustalwaysbe otherthanmyself It
be
infinitely,
longer
be
it
it
If
to
cannot absolvedof a relation an ego.
were would no
absolutelyother.It couldno longerbe what it is. Deffida arguesthatthis is not some
form of self-enclosed
gameavailableto language.If it werethenthe expression
'infinitely otheeor'absolutelyotheecouldnot be statedandthoughtsimultaneously.
The othercannotbe absolutelyexteriorto the samewithout ceasingto be other.The
sameis not andcannotbe a totality closedin uponitself, an identityplayingwith
itself, possessing
only the appearance
of alterity in whatLevinascallseconomy,work
andhistory.Therecouldnot be a'play of the same'if alterity itself wasnot alreadyin

68JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997, 123

p.
6' JacquesDerrida: Wtiting and Difference: 1997, 125
p.

260
the same.Unlesstherewasalterity the play of the Samecouldnot occurin the sense
dislocation.
activity,
or
of
of playful

WhatdoesDerridaachievewith thesethoughts?Derrida!s basicpositionis

that:the otheris absolutelyotheronly if sheor he is an ego,that is in a certainway if
he or sheis the sameas 1. Simultaneouslyless other and less 'the same'than 1.Are we
form
'irrationality?
find
It
it
difficult
that
to translatemy
a
of
appears
encountering
we

into
Other
the
the rationalcoherenceof language.Whatdoesthis suggest?
to
relation
Deffida bravely venturesto suggestthat we can no longer draw inspiration from

of the Logos,but thatthoughtis stifled in the regionof the origin

within the coherence
dialogue
difference.
dealing
is
language
We
that
as
and
are
an
of
with origin
an
inscribedinscriptionandwith the 'irrational'concreteconditionof rationality,that
be'included!
language.
which cannot
within

For Derridato accessthe egoityof the alter egoasif to its alterity itself canbe
the existenceof a transcendental
andprea peacefulgesture.He hasacknowledged
ethicalviolence.This exists,though,asa generaldissymmetrywhosearchiais the
sameand permits, actually, the inverse dissymmetry,that is, the very ethical non-

violence,
violencethatLevinas'sthoughtattemptsto approach.This transcendental
institutes
Levinas
is
the
the
that
what
might call an ethicalviolence
originalpoint
relationshipbetweentwo finite ipseitiesaccordingto Derrida.To gainaccessto the
otherasothermaywell be a violent act.To understandandapproachthe other
involvesan approachto their territory.We arein the domainof paradox,for, as
Derridawrites:'thistranscendental
origin, asthe irreducibleviolenceof the relationto

261
it
is
time
the
the other, at
same
nonviolence,since opensthe relationto the other70.
we arewithin an economy.It is the natureof the economyitself, which,by this
in
freedom
be
determined
to
the
to
asmoral
access
ethical
other
opening,will permit
violenceor nonviolence.

For Derrida.violence is the origin of meaningand of discourseduring the reign

is
difference
between
difference
The
the
finitude.
the
other,
which
not
a
same
and
of
Hegel
infinite,
in
has
to
the
speak
as
except
others,
no
meaning
or a relation among
doesof the anxiety of the infinite that determinesand negatesitself So violence

idea
infinite.
horizon
idea
What
the
the
the
of
of an
of
necessarilyappearswithin
in
disappearance.
We
is
third
search
of
a
are
not
as
phenomenality
means
otherness
birth
Rather
the
the
the
trace,
of
word asmetaphor
witness
we
or
route.
path
elusive
in
the explorationof contradictions.
result
whosephilosophicalelucidationwill
Withoutthis metaphoror word its originality would not emergeor appear.It mustbe
by
itself
the
And
the
contamination
to
an original
supposes
phenomenon
made appear.
it
We
the
is
War
within
seems,
are
the
of
appearing.
and
speech
of
emergence
sign.
by
Heidegger.
first
Martin
suggested
as
realmof strife

Discoursedoesitself violence,negatesitself in orderto affirm itself andwages

institutes
it
being
this
to
that
the
able
ever
re-appropriate
war
without
war against
in
We
the
of purenonmust
utter
word orderto avoidthe nothingness
negativity.
discourse
is
to choose
It
task
the
the
task
of
philosophy
against
nihilism,
of
sense.
or
Derrida's
We
itself violently in oppositionto nothingness
witness
or purenon-sense.
interesting,
is
here.
And,
the
contemporaryphilosophicalscene
of
awareness
what

JacquesDerrida: Wtiling and Difference: 1997,p. 128 - 129

262
for
least
it.
it,
Derrida
Levinas
to
task
takes
creatively countering
writing against or at

implications
his
for
the
terms
taking
responsibility
of
philosophical
and
proper
not
discourse.Levinasspokein TotalityandInfinity of the horizonwhich'overflowsits
1.
frameworle7By this meansLevinaswishesto suggestthe abolitionof violenceby
between
However
difference
the
the
this also
the
and
other.
same
the suspension
of
leadsto the banishmentof any possibility for peace.Levinas'sgoal can only be

is
know
As
the
through
through
violence
what
we
as
violence. such, passage
achieved
history. Levinas is harshly rebukedby Derrida at this point in so far as Derrida reits
for
language
his
thatno
can renounce
philosophy
responsible
asserts position
ipseity in general,and the philosophy or eschatologyof separationmay do so lessthan

72.
discourse
between
Philosophy
the
originaltragedyand
existsas
anyothe?
is
Through
triumph.
philosophyviolence returnedagainstviolencewithin
messianic
knowledge,in which original finitudeappearsandin which the otheris respected
-,
3

is
by,
Why
the
same.
an experienceOutsideof my own unthinkableand
within, and
impossible?We areat the limits of reasonin general.We canonly answerin
language,andlanguageitself is only openedby the question.Philosophyopensitself
to the questionwithin it andby it. It canonly let itself be questioned.

Whenwe free absolutealterity in the absolute

Violencemight be inescapable.
its
liberating
to
the
temporality
to
access
movement
so
and
we
open
we
are
same
living present.This living presentmight be the absoluteform of egologicallife insofar
is
If
form
in
itself
is
the
it
the
time
the
to
the
egoity
of
openingof
other
absolute
as
form
of experience,thenthe present,the presenceof thepresent,andthe
absolute
is
forever
Our
living
present always
presentof presence,areall originally and
violent.
71JacquesDerrida: Miling and Difference: 1997,p. 130

263
death.
form
in
We
by
the
the
of
speak
of
presence
as
a
of
absence
violence
marked
finitude
history.
Derrida
being
the
the
meaning
of
and
meaning
of
meaning
as
senseof
begin
'transcendental
to
the
that
question
grounds
of
we
very
suggests when
logos,
in
the
that
phenomenoloes
encounter
origin
and
end
of
we
phenomenoloe
its
the
of
question,
silent opening always escapesphenomenology.
the naked opening
Yet the silent openingof the questionabout history as finitude and violence permits

in
history
We
as
such.
are pursuitof the originsof the strange
of
the appearance
dialoguebetweenspeechandsilence.

Ontology and Violence:

Derridaarguesthat afterHeideggerwe havea tendencyto hold the position

is
it
is
the
than
the existenfs
Being
a
predicate
of
existent,anymore
that
not simply
he
is
inclined
Being,
do
Levinas,
When
take
to
and
we
contra
asessence
so,
subject.
if
Being-there),
it
is
Being-such
focal
(as
taken
the
or
unitary
as
copula
or
or existence
Being
belong
does
then
the
to
the
the
these
possibilities,
of
existent
not
all
of
point
it
is
because
implied
in
in
already
all
predication
generaland
predication
of
realm
The
Being
becomes
for
basis
the
question
possible.
of
every
predication
makes
beyond
judgement,
it
being
exists
genre
and
category,
as
well
as
syntheticor analytic
andexistence,
the mostconcretethoughtof all thoughts,the commonroot of essence
judgement
language
itself
for
We
and
every
areat the centreof a new
allows
what
basis
Can
from
the strange
of
metaphysics.
we
or
speak
of and
understanding
differencethat existsbetweenBeingandthe existent?Doesthis haveanymeaning?
Canwe talk aboutthe 'prioriW of Beingin relationto the existent?This is where

I JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference: 1997,p. 131

264
Levinasbeginshis caseagainstcorepresumptionsof Westernthoughtandis the
impetusbehindmuchof TotalityandInfinity. Levinashadsoughtto questionthe
enslavingof ethicsto'ontology.

Derrida.states:'therecanbe an orderof priority only betweentwo detennined

As Heideggerhas made clear though, Being is nothing outside
things, two existentst73.
in
the
and
no way precedesthe existent in terms of time or dignity. One
existent
of
cannot legitimately speakof the 'subordination'of the existent to Being or of the
ethical relation to the ontological relation. There is no violent subordinationhere for
Being is but alwaysthe Being-of this existent. As explicated by HeideggerBeing is

is
in
form
Being
the
and
not
a
principal
existent
of an archia that
not a principle
insert
face
faceless
Levinas,
to
the
tyrantunderthe nameof Being.
of
a
would permit
Thethoughtof Beingis aliento the searchfor a primaryprinciple,asit existsbeyond
theoryandoutsideall hierarchies.As Derridawrites:'if every"philosophy",every
"metaphysics",hasalwayssoughtto determinethe first existent,the excellentand
truly existentexistent,thenthe thoughtof the Beingof the existentis not this
is
first
It
metaphyicsor
philosophy. not evenontology,if ontologyis anothernamefor
first philosophyt74
The thoughtof Beingis not concernedwith anddoesnot yield any
.
power,for powerrelationshipsonly existbetweenexistents.Levinashaswritten in
TotalityandInfinity: 'Ontology,asfirst philosophy,is a philosophyof power75.This
maywell be true,but, asdevelopedby Heidegger,the thoughtof Beingis not an
ontology,a first philosophy,andneitheris it a philosophyof power.If it is true, as
Heideggersuggests,
that the Logos'is the Logosof no one',he doesnot meanthe
the impersonalityof the State,or the neutralityof 'one
anonymityof oppression,
73JacquesDerrida: Wtiting and Difference: 1997, 136
p.

265
is
It
anonymousonly as the possibility of the name and of responsibility. In
says06.
his Letter on HumanismHeideggerhas written: 'But if man must one day arrive in the

he
first
learn
in
Being,
has
to
that
of
must
exist
which
no name'77
neighbourhood
.

For Derridatherecanbe no ethicswithout this thoughtof Being.Moreover

this thought of Being conditions our respectfor the other as what it is: other. Being is
itself
The
the
of
existent.
opening
amountsto the ontic-ontological
nothing outside

difference,andit is impossibleto avoidthe ontic metaphorin orderto articulateBeing

in language,in order to let Being circulate in language.Languageboth illuminates and
hides Being itself Being is alone though in its absoluteresistanceto every metaphor.

Thoughtreachesa point wheremetaphoritself mustbe thoughtof asmetaphor,and

that is the momentwhenit hasbeenrippedapartasthe momentwhenit is lifted asthe
is
discloses
hides
Being.
The
momentof metaphoricity the moment
or
veil which
itself
This
Being
the
thought
occursalwaysunderor
of
emerges.
emergence
when
beneaththe emergence
of anothermetaphor.We canonly think throughandwith
in
involved
level,
a poeticworld.
always
are
we
metaphor,andso,at some

To treat Being and the sameas categories,or to treat the relationship to Being

itself
be
to a
to
could
posedafterward,or subordinated
asa relation a categorywhich
determinedrelation(an ethicalrelation,for example),Derridaasks,is this not to
forbid oneselfeverydeterminationfrom the outset?Followinga classical
Heideggerianline Derridaarguesthat everydeterminationin effectpresupposes
the
thoughtof Being.It is only throughthis thoughtthat we cangroundor give meaning
74JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference:
75JacquesDerrida: Wtiting and Difference:
76JacquesDerrida: Writing and Difference:
' JacquesDertida: Witing and Difference:

1997,p. 137
1997,p. 137
1997,p. 137
1997,p. 137

266
to Being asother,asotherself,to the irreducibility of the existenceandthe essence
of
the other,andto consequent
responsibility.If Beingis alwaysto be let be, andif to
think is to let Beingbe,thenBeingis indeedthe otherof thought.But sinceit is what
it is only by theletting-beof thought,andsincethe latter is thoughtonly by virtue of
the presenceof theBeingwhich it lets be,thenthoughtandBeing,thoughtandthe
other are the'same;which doesnot mean identical, or one, or equal.

Like the OtherBeingis not at all the accompliceof the totality, whetherof the
finite totality, the violent totality of which Levinas speaks,or of an infinite totality.

Beingcannotandcouldnot oppressor enclosethe existentandits differencesand

therebyis foreignto the ideaof the finite totality, to the infinity of existents,foreign
withoutbeinganotherexistentor anothertotality of existents.If, asLevinaswould
haveit, the glanceof the otheris to commandme,thenI mustbe ableto let be the
otherin his freedomasOther.Beingitself, however,commandsnothingor no one.
Beingdoesnot lord it overthe existentandit is not, in its priority (an inescapably
ontic metaphor)is not an archia. In orderto be liberatedwe mustsetthe questionfree
that will makeour searchfor the archia tremble.Thethoughtof Beingis the best,
doing
For
Derrida
this.
the pre-conceptualunity of Being, and
of
maybe only, means

is the only roadthat canbreakopenthe possibilityof relationbetween

pre-analogical,
manandGod,possiblythe mostancientof metaphysicalpreoccupations.

Could we possiblyspeakof the face,without referenceto the questionof

Being?Eyesandmouthcanonly makea faceif they'let be',if theycanreachthe
Beingof whatis. SinceBeingis, we do not produceit, but respectit throughthe
glanceandspeech.Therecanbe no speechwithout the statementof Being.However,

267
determined
is
it
Being
the
outside
nothing
existent
couldnot appearoutsideof the
as
is
dominated
by the themeof unveiling.Derrida
And
Being
possibilityof speech. so
history
in
birth
detenninations
the
the
the
of
and
of
world
ontic
speaksof
unveiled,
'epochs'
in
history
Historical
the
aremetaphysicalor ontoof
metaphysics.
uttered,
theologicaldeterminations
of theBeingthat thusbracketsandreservesitself beneath
metaphysicalconcepts.

Thereforethe Siteis not an empiricalHerebut alwaysanIffic: for Heidegger,

Irishman
for
Jew,
the
the
and the Poet. This site is never a given proximity but a
as
it
in
Sacred
belongs
The
to
of
speaks
religion
which
not
general,nor to
promised one.

history
is
first
determined
by
be
It
theology,
of
religion.
any
andcannot
a particular
the essentialexperienceof divinity or of deity.It precedeseveryrelationshipto God
God!
BeingDeity,
It
the
s
the
of
of
somepre-comprehension
gods. presupposes
or
it
is
in
his
Humanism
Letter
Heidegger
the'only
Sacred.
that
the
on
writes
god,of
for
in
dimension
divinity
the godsandthe
turn
opensonly a
which
essentialspaceof
78v

it: 'it is only on the

This spaceis within faith andatheismfor both presuppose
is
It
be
basisof the truth of Beingthat the essence
Sacred
the
thought.
only on
of
can
be
It
Sacred
Divinity
thought.
the
the basisof the essence
the
that
must
essence
of
of
is only in the light of the essenceof Divinity that onecanthink andsaywhatthe word
79.
"God" mustdesignate',
writesHeidegger,againin theLetter on Humanism m
Derridawrites:'thatthe godsor Godcannotbe indicatedexceptin the Spaceof the
Sacredandin the light of the deity,is at oncethe limit andthe wellspringof finite78JacquesDerrida: Wiling and Difference: 1997, 145
p.

268
Being as history'80.We cannot graspGod but we can seehim coming. The sacred

appearsbut Godremainsdistant.And so we areat the beginningsof a negative

theology,a thoughtconcernedwith liberatingandacknowledgingthe ineffable
infinite
transcendence
of an
existent.And "'ontological" anticipation,transcendence
towardBeing,permits,then,an understanding
of the term "God", for example,evenif
this understandingis but the ether in which dissonancecan resonate.This

inhabitsandfoundslanguage,andalongwith it the possibilityof all

transcendence
81

Being-together'

Derrida dwells in the paradoxical by arguing that only a face can arrest

violence,andcando so only becauseit is a facealonewhich canprovokeit. It is the

thoughtof Beingitself which opensthe face,without it therewould be only pure
violenceor non-violence.Thethoughtof Beingin its unveilingis neverfar removed
from the ideaof violence.Beingdissimulatesitself in orderto appearanddoes
violenceto itself in orderto be stated.A speechproducedwithoutviolencewould
offer nothingto the other;it would not be history,andit would shownothing.Sucha
languagewouldbe without the verbto be andonewondershypotheticallywhat sortof
languageit wouldbe.It would be a languageof pureadorationandpureinvocation,
Levinassuggests.
It appearsthat violenceemergeswith articulation.And sothe
Levinas
unhistoricityof meaningat its origin, therefore,is whatprofoundlyseparates
from Heidegger.For HeideggerBeingis history,andso it is not outsidedifference,
andthusit originally occursas(non-ethical)violence,asdissimulationof itself in its
own unveiling.

79JacquesDerrida: Writing
and Difference: 1997,p. 146
0 JacquesDerrida: Writing
and Difference: 1997,p. 146
'Jacques Derrida: Writing
and Difference: 1997,p. 146

269
Derridaconcludesby payinghomageto Greekthoughtandthe birthplaceof
his own philosophizing.He acknowledges
the site of philosophicalencounterasa
placethat doesnot offerjust occasionalhospitalityto a thoughtthat remainsforeign
to it. TheGreekis not absentwhenthe Jewandthe Christianmeetin his home.
Greececanneverbe a neutral,provisionalsite.Why?The Greeklogoscanhouse
does
prophecy
and
not remain outside and accidental for any thought.
eschatological

AS!SaintJohnChrysostomnotedno onecantreatthe Greeksagesas'sagesof the

has
Greek
thought
to circulate at the origin of
that
recognizes
alterity
outside'.
meaning,and by this welcoming of alterity into the heart of the logos, the Greek
thought of Being has forever protecteditself againstany and every absolutely
surprising convocation.

270

Conclusion:
FVF.

Play:
Some
State
Useful
Tipsfrom
Hans-Georg
of
I ne
Gadamerand Paul Ricoeur, with illustrationsfrom
Seamus Hean ey and Mich ael L ongley

in the previous chapterwe noted the line from Angelus Silesius' poem in

he
'God
We
observes:
scandalously
plays
creation".
with
re-callJacques
which
Derrida'sreferenceto the significanceof play in his work OfGrammatology.There
Deffida wrote: 'one could call play the absenceof the transcendentalsignified as

limitlessnessof play,that is to sayasthe destructionof onto-theologyandthe

but
hope
illustrate,
theendof all
to
notnecessarily
presence',
wewill
metaphysics
of
theologybut maybeeventhe placeof a new anddifferentbeginning.Whatcanwe
it
in
Has
language
for
any
andart?
say this themeof playfulnessasexpressed
for
relevance the noble,seriousandsublimesubjectsof philosophyandtheology,as
In orderto clarify our thought,andin fact, asan
theyaretraditionallyunderstood?
Gadamer,
Hans-Georg
to
the
thought
call
subject,
we
our
aid
on
elaborationof
in
he
devotes
his
Truth
amountof
which
andMethod
a considerable
especially work
time andspaceto the themeandact of play.

1JacquesDerrida: On the Name: StanfordUniv. Press:California: 1995,Ed. ThomasDutoit

2 JacquesDerrida: Of Grammatology: 1998,p. 50

271
Hans-Georg Gadameron Play

Thefirst thingthat Gadamerwishesto makeclearis that whenwe speakof the

'play'
of
or
activity,
we arenot referringto a stateof mind of the creatoror
event,
evenof the spectatorwho is caughtup in andenjoyingthe world of the art object.
Whenwe speakof 'play' we arenot evenreferringto the freedomof subjectivity
engagedin play,but ratherwe arereferringto the modeof beingof the work of art
3
itself.

Firstly we canmakea valid distinctionbetweenthe activity of play andthe

behaviourof the player.We notethat for the playerplay is not serious,for that is the
in
instance.
he
first
However,play existsin a specialrelation
the
plays
reasonwhy
indeed
is
has
its
serious,
and
with what
own sacredauraof seriousness
aboutit. In the
momentof playthe usualpurposiverelationsthat pertainto humanactivity are
Gadamernotesthat 'play fulfils its purposeonly if the player
curiouslysuspended.
loseshimselfin play. Seriousness
is not merelysomethingthat calls us awayfrom
in playingis necessary
to makethe play wholly play.
play, rather,seriousness
Someonewho doesn'ttakethe gameseriouslyis a spoilsport.The modeof beingof
objeCt'4.
does
behave
if
to
toward
the
toward
play
not allow
player
play as
an

Our aim is to discovermoreaboutthe natureof play itself Whatthe concept

forces
of play
usto recogniseis that the work of art is not an objectthat standsover
for
itself,
but instead,the work of art's true beingresidesin the fact
againsta subject

3 Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth
and Method- Continuum:New York: 1998,trans.by Joel Weinsheimer
andDonald G. Marshall: p. 101
4 Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth andMdhod. 1998, 102
p.

272
that it becomesan experienceor eventthat altersthe personwho hasundergoneit, or
it. If we cansaythat the 'subject' of the experienceof art is not
hasexperienced
it
itself,
but
the
the
thenwe
the
of
person
work
who experiences
actually subjectivity
has
its
independent
that
of
of the consciousness
play
own
essence,
mustrecognise
those who engagein the act of play.

Let us focusbriefly on commonusagesof the word play. In commonspeech

light
forces;
the
there again we note the play of
the
of
and
play
of
play
of
we speak
the waves,and we note somebody'sdeft use of wordplay. What such colloquial usage

is
happening
is
to-and-fro
that
not tied to a
or
of
a
movement
suggests an event
has
it
bring
So,
the
to
that
of
no goalthat
event play
an end.
would
particulargoal
bringsit to an end,but ratherit is an activity that renewsitself throughthe meansof
is
The
play the occurrenceof the movementandthusa play of
constantrepetition.
but
happening
does
the
of onecolourplayingagainstanother, rather
not mean
colours
in
is
displayed
there
to
a changingvarietyof colours.
sight
which
a processunderway
,5

Gadamernotes:'the primordialsenseof playingis the medialone . Onecanthen

speakof 'the primacy ofplay over the consciousnessofthe player,

6 (Gadamer's

italics).

We canall relateto the view that a vital part of the play is t at its movement

happen
by
be
but
It
must
mustnotonly withoutgoalor purpose, alsowithouteffort.
Real
itself, andhavethe appearance
is
that
overflowing.
of something
spontaneously
play, ironically enough,mustexistwithout strain,andis mostoftenexperiencedasa
her
is
The
it
thereby
that
rids
structureof play such
relaxation.
absorbsthe playerand
5Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth and Method. 1998,p. 103
6 Hans-GeorgGadarner:Truth andMethod: 1998,p. 104

273
burden
initiatives,
him
the
taking
of
of
or
which is a typical burdenof everyday,
Real
existence.
play artlesslytendstowardsa refreshingrepetitionand
mundane
Could
legitimately
we
constantself-renewal.
andironically speakof it asa typeof
spirit at work?

Can we saythat nature itself is without purposeand intention, in fact is

is
and
a very model of constantly self-renewingplay? Is it through
without exertion,
this fact that it can appearas a very model for art? Are we beginning to come close to
a senseof how the Godheadmight play with creation, in a way that is joyous,

liberating?
and
refreshing,

Gadamerobserves'the movementto-and-froobviouslybelongsso essentially

to the gamethatthereis an ultimatesensein which you cannothavea gameby
does
is
This
there
that
not
mean
yourselfv7.
always, necessarilyand literally another

player.Rather,theremustbe somethingelsewith which the playerplays,responding

Allied to this is the notionof risk. For the gameitself is a
to her or his countermove.
risk for the player.Onecanonly play with seriouspossibilities,andsothroughthe
play of the gamewe enjoya freedomof decisionthat is endangered
andlimited.

Whatis reflectedhereis the ideathat all play is a being-played.

For whoever
tries a gameis in fact the onewho is beingtried. Whenwe startto play the gameonce
again,we gamblewith the fact that this time aroundthe gamemaynot succeed,it may
not work out, andwe might fail. Fromthis we canascertainthat the real subjectof the

7Hans-Georg
Gadamer:Truth andMethod. 1998,p. Jo5

274
be
itself,
for
it
is
is
the
that alonewhich drawsin, seduces
can
only
game
and
game
its
in
in
thereby
the there.
spell,
us
and
retains
us
engages
and

The empiricalfact of their beingmanygamesin our world makesobviousthat

thereis notjust onegameplayedwithin the onespirit. Rathertherearemanygames
that differ widely with eachother in terms of the spirit with which each is played, and

The
lies
each
engenders.
more
properly,
particular
nature
of
a
game
properly
which,
in the rulesandregulationsthatprescribethe way the field of the gameis filled.
interestingly the playing field in which the game is played is set by the nature of the

defined
is
by
itself
determines
the
that
the movementof the
most
structure
and
game
by
it
from
than
confronts.
what
within
game

The gamedoesplay something.We wantto play, andwe chooseonegame

is
for
this
the movementof that gameoveranother.Themovement
overanother,and
is
the
of
game especiallymarkedout andreservedfor that particulargame.Whenwe
Within
field
the
this
set
sphere
we
off
of
a
closed
play
as
world.
setoff a playing
in
Gadamer
'every
themselves
the
comport
a
players
particular
writes:
sphere
way.
it
freedom
He
task.
the
the
man
a
who
plays
with
cannotenjoy
gamepresents
of
behaviour
himself
his
into
the
transforming
without
aims
out
of
purposive
playing
Thus
itself
in
ball,
the
the
tasks
task
game.
child
of
gives
a
mere
a
and
playingwith
because
the purposeof the gameis not really solvingthe
tasks
ones
areplayful
such
task,but orderingandshapingthe movementof the gameitself 8.

8Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth and Method. 1998, 107

p.

275
The Benefit of One ExanWle

Let us look at an examplefrom SeamusHeaney'sbodyof poetry.

Markings
We marked the pitch: fourjackets for four goalposts,

That wasall. The comersandthe squares

Weretherelike longitudeandlatitude
Under the bumpy ground, to be

Agreedaboutor disagreedabout
Whenthe time came.And thenwe pickedthe teams
And crossedthe line our callednamesdrewbetweenus.

Youngstersshoutingtheir headsoff in a field

As the light diedandthey kept on playing
Becauseby thentheywereplayingin their heads
And the actualkickedball cameto them
Like a dreamheaviness,
andtheir own hard
Breathingin the darkandskidson grass
Soundedlike effort in anotherworld
It wasquick andconstant,a gamethat neverneed
Be playedout. Somelimit hadbeenpassed,
Therewasfleetness,furtherance,untiredness
In time that wasextra,unforeseenandfree.

276
II
You alsolovedlines peggedout in the garden,
The spadenicking the first straightedgealong
Thetight white string.Or stringstretchedperfectly
To makethe outline of a housefoundation,
Pale timber battensset at right angles

For everycomer,eachfreshlysawnnewboard
Spickandspanin the oddly passivegrass.
Or the imaginary line straight down
A field of grazing, to be ploughed open

Fromthe rod struckin oneheadrigto the rod

Stuckin the other.

III

All thesethingsenteredyou
As if theywereboth the doorandwhat camethroughit.
Theymarkedthe spot,markedtime andheld it open.
A mowerpartedthe bronzeseaof corn.
A windlasshauledthe centreout of water.
Two menwith a cross-cutkept it swimming
Into a felled beechbackwardsandforwards
Sothat they seemedto row the steadyearth.9

SeamusHeaney:Seeing 77tings:Faber& Faber:London: 1991,p. 8-9

277
Heaneycaptureswell the senseof the role of the imaginationin this world of
the invisible
the game.It mightbe clearerto speakof his obliquelysuggesting
boundariesdefinedby the rulesof the game.This is suggested
by the lack of
definition conveyedby a field of play hintedat by the fourjacket goalpostswithin
is
is
left
field
the
the
the
played;
game
what
open are
exact parametersof
of
which
be
later
by
boys
in
the
the courseof the game.Then
argued
about
play which will

thereis the imaginaryline drawnbetweenthe playerson oneteamasopposedto

but
hinted
is
It
The
the
to
arbitrary
allows
game
sense
of
otherness
proceed.
another.
in
direction
by
Heaney
the
of which we are invited or lifted up to in the playing of
at

the game,is foundin the phrases'dreamheaviness'andthe 'anotherworld' towards

is
What
the effect of this activity?It altersthe world
the
which playersareplaying.
boys
lifted
is
They
to
transformedand
the
time
are
exist.
a
place
where
within which
their movementwithin it. Theyarebroughtto a placewherea nimblenessof activity
is
into
heaviness
is experienced
they
time's
move
an extratemporal
removedas
and
is
dimension.Understandably
this
experiencedasa liberation.
enough

Heaneyextendsthe field of referenceof his own poemin the secondpart.He

refersthereto a gardener'sactivity of markingout partsof the gardendesign.
Buildersusea similar methodto constructon the groundthe foundationplansof a
house.Thereis somethingethereal,unreal,unrealisedaboutthe builder'splansas
sketchedout on the ground,but beforetoo long theywill becomesomethingsolid,
foundedandvery real andtangible.The hint of the poemis thatbothrealitiesdepend
for
on eachother their existence.Themomentof unity of thesetwo separatedomains
is containedwithin the line: 'all thesethingsenteredyou/ As if theywereboth the
doorandwhatcamethroughit". It is worth notingthatHeaney'spoemcontainstwo

278
in
diction,
the
that
theyclashagainsteachother
unusual
and
striking
sense
of
sets
odd
by
last
The
the
this
poem.
sentencequoted
world of
whenplacedside sidewithin
football.
the
tenns
concrete
of
gardening
and
playing
with
ploughing,
abovecontrasts
Its referenceis to an abstraction:asarethe referencepointsof termslike 'dream
heaviness'and 'somelimit'. Phraseslike thesecontrastwith the concreteness
of
'the
kicked
ball'.
is
imagined
behind
The
actual
of
opposite
actual
or unreal,
reference

has
if
kicked
in
be
is
'actual
ball
to
this
the
that
strangely
enough,
and
also
poem,
and
kicked ball' line is to make any sense.That is part of Heaney's magical achievement

in the poem.

Thepoem'smovementis containedin its paradoxicalfinal image.We have

the two menrowingthe steadyearth.The key verb is 'seeming'andthe argumentof
influential
important,
is
imagined,
is
the
that
significantand
the poem
virtual world as
is
defined.
key
And
this
'real'.
to
one
way enteror access world
narrowly
asthe
throughthe play of the game.

Let us returnto Gadamer.Gadamerarguesthat performinga tasksuccessfully

rpresentsit'. Playis limited to presentingitself It, like the world of nature,is a form
in
him
herself
draws
the courseof
This
the
to
player present
on
or
of self-presentation.
is
human
because
is
Gadamer
'only
too.
the game
play alwayspresentation
writes:
10.
is
itself
And
this
the
task
to
representation
of a game"
play able makerepresentation
for
in
especially
someone,
so
we
always
when are the realmof art or the religiousrite.

10Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth and Method. 1998,p. i o8

279
We notethe 'in between'natureof the game.We havesaidthat a gamedoes
his
her
its
being
have
the
the
consciousness
playeror within
or
attitude,
within
of
not
but ratherthatthe play drawseitherher or him into its dominionandfills themwith
the gameasa reality that surpasses
its spirit. In this activity the playerexperiences
him or her.In a senseartisticpresentation
existsalwaysfor someoneevenif thereis
listening
of
someone
or watching.
no evident presence

Gadamercallsthe changein which humanplay comesto its true

being
italics).
'transformation
(Gadamer's
into
art
a
in
structure"'
consummation
The word transformationmeansthat somethingis suddenlyandasa whole something
its
being.
being
In
it
has
become
the
true
too
thing
that
ftansformed
the
play
else, with

become
be
in
to
themselves
the
a
utterly
the playwrightand playerscease
way and
is
The
the
they
of
play anotherworld, maybea closed
world
areplaying.
only what
itself
itself
by
The
of
outside
nothing
world, andis its own measureandmeasures
longer
itself
Gadamer
'it
drama
the
no
notes:
permits
existsentirelywithin
actionof
is
It
the
raised
of anycomparisonwith reality as secretmeasureof all verisimilitude.
it
is
hence
the
alsoabove questionof whether
all
aboveall suchcomparisons
- and
12
from
it'
real- becausea superiortruth speaks
.

Whathappensin art in this instance?What is emerges.Whatis producedand

broughtto the light is what hasbeenconstantlyhiddenandwithdrawn.And so what
it
is
how
in
invites
we experience a work of art andwhat
our attentionandsustains
truethe work of art is. Within the work of art we know andrecognisesomethingand
is
joy
is
The
discovery
knowing
than
the
of recognition
more
ourselves. real
of
11Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth and Method. 1998, I 10
p.
12Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth andMethod. 1998, 112
p.

280
We
familiar.
And
has
touch
the
things.
the
upon
essence
of
so
play
a
already
it.
being
dimension
We
define
to
then
the
cannot
of art asof somethingthat
revelatory
for the aestheticattitudeis morethanit
is an objectfor aestheticconsciousness,
And
knowsof itself For art is a part of the eventof beingthat occursin presentation.
'what
have
is
insofar
it
Gadamer
we
can
write:
called
structure
one
a
as presents
so
itself as a meaningful whole. It doesnot exist in itself, nor is it encounteredin a

it;
it
its
being
in
(Vermittlung)
being
to
accidental
acquires
proper
rather,
mediation
13
is
There
primarily the eventor fact of its beingembodied.And yet the
mediated' .
from
itself
its
open
up
own possibilities of being. We are in a situation
work can only

bound
both
free.
and
wherewe are

Play in the ConcreteInstance

Let ustestour analysisby lookingcloselyat somepoems.We will look at a

his
from
by
Longley
Belfast
Michael
collection
contemporary
poet
clutch of poems
GorseFires.

The Velocipede

He walkspastmy bedroomwindow carryinga spade.

That JosephMurphy,fatherof four setsof twins,
Jockey,lover of horses,the gunclub's secretary,
Shouldhide in his cottagea ledgerfull of poems
Is hardlysurprising:considerhis grandfather
Who beachcombed
from the strandbarrelsandspars

13Hans-GeorgGadamer:Truth andMethod. 1998, 117

p.

281
And built the first velocipedein Thallabaun.
Out of an umbrellaandold sheetshe improvised
A parachute,launchedhimselffrom the byreroof
And after a brief flight wastakento hospital.
On home-made
crutchesandslippingall the tethers
JosephMurphy's grandfatherswings past my window. 14

This poem tells the story of JosephMurphy, and at one level it is a

straightforward narrative poem. Longley presentsus with a picture of a man solidly

in
in
he
born
loves
horses
He
the
communal
world
which
and
rooted
was
raised.
and
is
in
involved
his
being
'real'
life;
the
poempresents
shootingandso well grounded
in whataretherespectable
pursuitsof the averageindividualof thoseparts.The
is
he
is
the
that
revelation
a closetpoet.Longleytracesa genealogyof oddity
surprise
for him, his grandfatherwasa bit of an innovator,a manwho followedhis own star,
let his creativitylift him out of the ordinaryworld to which he customarilybelonged.
JosephMurphy'sgrandfatherriskedsocialridicule by beingchildishandindulginga
typeof play normallyreservedfor naivechildren,aswell aseventuallyenduring
injury,
by
building
the first velocipedein Thallabaun.He aimedfor freedom
physical
but foundhe wasboundto the world in a way that he couldnot ultimatelyescape.He
desire
by
to fly, to moveabovethe ordinaryandseeit from a new
wasmotivated a
from
within a new anddifferentelement.Longleyusesthe telling phrase
perspective,
4slippingall the tethers'.

14Mchael Longley: GorseFires: Secker& Warburg: London: 1992, 14

p.

282
WasJosephMurphyandhis grandfatherin searchof whata conventional
theologymightcall 'elevatinggrace'?In termsof Gadamer'sanalysisthereis an
for
desire
by
transformation,
to
of
of
needing
escape
one
element
moving
expression
it
One
for
throughpoetryandthe otherthroughthe act of
throughanother.
sought
flying. Weretheypursuingan intuition that therewasmoreto their humanitythan
their mundaneworld and social networks allowed or grasped?The poet hints at his

in
desire
image
in
final
he
Longley
the
this
the
and
world
of
poem.
says
participation
his
level
Murphy's
literal
At
Joseph
grandfather
swinging
outside
window.
a
can see
be
lie.
he
has
For
imagined
it
this
must
a
only
say
after watching Joseph
we could

Murphypassby his windowwith a spadeandhis subsequent

reflectionson his
his
family's
full
ledger
then
the
on
past.
of poemsand
meditation
a
possessing
However,the storyof the grandfatherwasonly recollected;yet Longleyhints at the
imagery
his
through
the
truth andsubstance
of the grandfather
concrete
of
recollection
its
has
his
Within
the
the
poemsucha statement
world of
swayingoutside window.
own truth andvalidity. Realart doesnot andcannotlie.

The secondpoemwe look at from GorseFires dealswith Longley'smother.

TheBalloon
You area child in the dreamandnot my mother.
I float aboveyour aheadasin a hot air balloon
That castsno shadowon you looking up at me
Acrossthe shallowstreamsandfields of shinygrass
As thoughtherewereneithermalformationnor pain.
This is the first time everI haveseenyou running.

283
You area child in the dreamandnot my mother
Which maybe why I call out from the balloonto you:
'Jumpoverthe hedges,Connie,jump overthe trees'.13

Fromthe circumstances
revealedin the poemwe gatherthat Longley'smotherwas
disabledin 'real' life, certainly shecould not walk 'properly', for shehas suffered

from 'malformation'and'pain' andthe poethasneverseenher running.The scenario

imagined by Longley in the world of his poem is his having a vision of his mother
jumping
being
fit
and
and
so
agile,
and able, to an almost superhumandegree,
running

that shecanspringoverhedgesandtrees.Longleyimagineshimselfasif in a balloon

floatingabovethe world in which this is happening.Onceagainwe seehim develop
the imageof flight asa typeof transcendental
metaphorthat symbolizesthe
itself.
idea
flight
The
of
of
poetry
allowsoneto rise abovethe mundane,
possibilities
the real,andthe ordinaryinto the world of the imaginedandopen-ended
possibility.
Thushe looksat the world of his mother'sreal sufferinganddisabilityby
dissatisfaction
This
constructinga counter-world.
suggests
a
with the givenanda
dual
identity
for
be
'other'.
We
to
something
more,
an
a
yearning
appear
peopleof
too. Thereis anotherpart of ourselvesthat canthink againof otherpossibilitiesapart
from the concretefactsof our beingin the world. Whatis this strangecapacity?
Again,is the poetin pursingthe possibilitiesof his imaginationandthe mediumin
language
he
which works
andmetaphormovingtowardsa world of 'other-ness'?So
that moveshim to an-otherplaceof betterthings.
we seethe poetentera dreamscape

15Mchael Longley: GorseFires: 1992,p. 34

284
The lastpoemis a fascinatingobservationof the ritual life of a rural Irish
how
Longley
Watch
the
the
the
of
narrator
of
poem:
constructs
role
village.

Detour
I wantmy funeralto includethis detour
Down the single street of a small market town,

On eithersideof the processionsuchnames

As Philbin, O'Malley, MacNamara,Keane.
A reverentpauseto let a herd of milkers pass

Will bring me faceto facewith grubbyparsnips,

Cauliflowersthat glitter after a sunshower,
Thenhayrakes,broomhandles,gascylinders.
Reflectedin the slow sequence
of shopwindows
I shallbe part of the actionwhenhis wife
Drainingthe potatoesinto a steamysink
Callsto the butcherto get readyfor dinner
And the publicandescends
to changea baffel.
Frombehindthe onelockeddoor for miles around
I shallprolonga detailedconversation
With the manin the concretetelephonekiosk
16
About wheremy funeralmight be goingnext.

Ostensiblymarkingthe passingof a hearsedowna village street,whatthe poet

individual
is
description
life
in
the
the
actuallyachieves a
of
of the village which

16Mchael Longley: GorseFires: 1992,p. 7

285
beingburiedoncepartook.Throughthe ritual of deathwe areforcedinto observing
the daily ritualsof living. And in asking,maybepraying,that his funeralwill be like
the onebeingenactedbeforehim, the poetis in fact elevatingthe life he witnesses.It
into the everydayLongleyfinds somethingto
is worthyof emulation.In disappearing
We
daily
dinner
for
to
the
the
the butcher,
praise.
notice
rituals:
wife
cooking
elevate,
the changingof the barrels. Longley castsa loving eye over the debris of the village,

for
it
last,
if
first
hay
broom
handles,
the
time:
the
the
the gas
maybe
seeing
rakes,
as
cylinders.

The really striking achievementof the poem is Longley's construction though

dead
he
in
T
While
the
the
also
a
of
poem.
maintains
presence
and
effectiveness
of
the world, for it is he who watchesandparticipatesin the eventof his own funeral.He
is conversingwith, playingagainstthe othercharactersin the poem'sworld. His
identity,his concreteplaceandlocationareconstantlycalledinto question,or are
in
shiftingandchanging a fluid movement.He will movethroughthe streetobserving
the everydaygoingson of village life, but he will alsobe conductinga conversation
with the personat the otherendof the telephoneline aboutthis funeral.Is that what
he is actuallydoingin this poem?Becausethe poemis abouta hypotheticaleventthat
will onedaybe real, for he will havea funeralat somepoint in the future.The whole
is
know
We
the
this
poemis an inventionandso canconsider possibility.
what poet
talking about,we canunderstandhim andvalidatehis desires.

286
Within the Playground of Philosophy

Whatarethebenefitsof suchan understanding

of 'play' andits importancefor
by
in
Gadamer?
As
John
Caputo
Radical
thought
as
outlined
writes
philosophical
Hermeneutics:'the "principle of reason7is all around us today. As a principle, reason
is an arche, aprinceps, a prince, which like all royalty makes its presencefelt
has
influence
(Machtbereich),
It
leaving nothing
an
enormous
sphere
of
everywhere.

by
it
demands
It
the
claim
entity
untouched
makes.
no
reasons,sufficiency,the
out,
for
sufficient
reason,
of
a
everything. So how can we speakof the play of
rendering
17
is
if
deadly
seriousprincipleT Poetry as a manifestation of play can
reason reason a

rescueus from the deathlyefficiencyof reason.

Martin Heideggerwasawareof this, especiallyashe lived throughthe

dawningof the nuclearage,andin his later writings setaboutde-limitingthe sphere
of influenceenj oyedby reason.This is part of Heidegger'swell-notedturn towards
the poets.Heideggerspokeof theAb-grund,the Abyss,with which the poetis an
intimatefamiliar, a sphereof groundlessness.
It is a regionwhereplay is to be found
andwhich is outsidethe reachof principle.Heideggerwasin searchof a sphereof
poeticisingandthinking which eludedrationalization,especiallywhenhe arrivedat
the point in his thoughtwherehe discoveredthat the principleof reasoncanoffer no

its
for
reasonableness.
reason

17JohnD. Caputo:RadicalHermeneutics:Repetition,Deconstruction, theHermeneuticProject:

and
IndianaUniv. Press:Bloomington:1987,p. 222

287
Play 's Importfor Theology

Jean-LucMarion notesin God WithoutBeingthat the real challengeof

theologylies in the Eucharistand'the theologianmustgo heyondthe text to the Word,
interpreting itfrom thepoint ofview ofthe Word'18(Marion's italics). Yet we accept

as Christiantheologiansthat we cannotthroughany hermeneuticreacha view that

couldopenour eyesto seethe exegeteof the Father(John1:18).However,we can
reacha shiningthroughan absence,whenwe realisethat oncethe Word hasbeen
it
disappears
in
favour,
or towardsthe benefitof the eucharisticmoment
announced
(Luke24: 28 - 33). The Word intervenesin personin the Eucharistto accomplishin
this waythe hermeneutic.Thereis a profoundimplicationfor theology:the text,
in
is
fixed
Word's
the
where
effect of meaning
verbalsigns,consignsthe
limits
the
incommensurability
Scriptures
Word:
the
thus
world
the
of
the
exceed
of
(John19:30,21: 35).Potentiallythenwe havean infinite reserveof meaning.Do we
for
implication
in
The
this
the
this
of
witnessan expressionof
poeticword?
interpretationis immediatelyobvious;theremustalsobe an infinite responseon the
in
Word,
interpreters,
back
leading
fragment
the
to
the
text
partof
with eachone
of
a
takingthe point of view of the Word; so,we musthavethenan infinite amountof
eucharistichermeneuticactivity.Marion writes: 'in orderto give an (infinite)
hernieneuticof the (finite) text in view of the (infinite) Word,an infinity of situations
aremobilizedfrom the point of view of the Word,hencean infinity of Eucharists,
infinity
by
celebrated an
of differentcommunities,eachof which leadsa fragmentof

18Jean-LucMarion: God Without Being: Hors-Texte: Univ. ChicagoPress:Chicago: 1995,Trans.

of
by ThomasA. Carlson:p. 149

288
thewordsbackto the Word,to the exactdegreethateachonerepeatsandwelcomes
the Word in
eucharistically

19
person' .

This opensup someroomfor play.Theologycanlearnfrom the achievements

of playin poetryaswe haveexaminedthemabove.The flexibility of play asa mode
of comprehendingaestheticactivity and interpretation lends itself quite readily as a

for
model activity in theologicalthought.Maybetheyprovidethe basemodelthat
theologyshouldbe following?We canlearnfrom the newhorizonsopenedup by the
poet,andcanlearnsomethingaboutthe natureof communionaspursuedthroughthe
poet'snaturalrelianceon metaphoricstrandsof thought.We seethis in the examples
givenabove.MichaelLongleyin the poemsexaminedaboveillustratesa community
orientationworth emulating;in the poem'The Velocipede'thereis a senseof familial
ancestry,of communalactivity betweenfatherandson,but alsoindirectlythe poet
who sharesa similar activity to the sonin the poem.In 'Detour' a communityandits
is
ritual observedandthe poetaimsto participatein that ritual in a centrallyimportant
way.Thepoetoffersto theologya way of opening
up new horizonsof thoughtand
connection,andhis or her exuberance
of thoughtasevidencedby the manyexamples
providedcountersnihilistic conceptionsof the world, througha radicalre-thinkingof
the humansituation,anda continuallystriking representation
of humanwaysof being
within newcontexts.

Paul Ricoeur and 10nesey'asAnother'

To help us pursueour strainof thoughtwe turn to philosophyonceagain.in
his book OneselfAsAnotherPaulRicoeuris interestedin pursuingthe question:what
19Jean-LucMarion: God Without Being. Hors-Texte: 1995, 157
p.
*

289
belongs
being
to the self, andwhat sortof beingandentity is it? He is also
modeof
interestedin the relationof the self to others,or the relationof selfhoodto otherness.
He writesthat 'only a beingthat is a self is in the world; correlatively,the world in
is,
being
is
beings
this
the
not
sum
of
composingthe universeof subsisting
which
Thebeingof the self presupposes
the totality of a
thingsor thingsready-to-hand.
20.
is
horizon
its
feeling
in
its
the
that
Again
thinking,
of
world
acting,
short,
of
care
-

he notes:'thereis no world without a self who finds itself in it andactsin it; thereis
is
that
a
world
without
practicablein somefashion'21
no self
.

In whatwaysdo we noteour activity ashumanbeings?Oneexampleis our

to adequateideasaboutthe world, at leastaboutourselvesand
movefrom inadequate
thingswithin the world. This signalsthe possibilityof our beingtruly active.It also
constitutesan ethicalactivity.Herebywe notea closeconnectionbetweenthe internal
dynamismthat is life andthe powerof humanintelligencethat presidesoverthe
movementfrom inadequateto adequateideas.We becomepowerfulashumanbeings
'
horizontal
dependence
things,
aswell asour
whenwe noteour
andexternal
uponall
verticalandimmanentdependence
with regardto theprimordialpowerthat motivates
us ashumanbeings.

How do we accountfor the work of othernessthat we experienceat the heart

Firstly
have
of self-hood?
we
an experienceof our own bodyasa mediatorbetween
degrees
the self andthe world that is itself takenin, in accordance
of
with variable
foreignness.
The self finds itself in relationto the foreign,in the
and
practicability
very precisesenseof otherthanself, which implies an othernessat the very heartof
20Paul Ricoeur: OneseyAs Another: Univ. ChicagoPress:Chicago: 1994, 3 10
of
p.
21Paul Ricoeur: OneseyAs Another: 1994,p. 311

290
inter-subjectivity.Thenthereis the relationof the self to itself Soour senseof
indicates
high
degree
a
of complexityandrelationaldensity.
otherness

Let uslook a little closerat Ricoeur'sunderstanding

of the importanceof our
bodiesandof the flesh in anyanalysisof the self andotherness.We notethat if others
is
because
it
bodies,
have
body
so
we
a
ourselvesor area body.I am for myself
are
body.
And
thuswe canascribementalandphysicalpredicatesto oneandthe
my own
sameentitybecausethe humanbodyis at oneandthe sametime a bodyamongothers
andmy body.We notealsothe twofold adherence
of our bodiesto the domainof
thingsandto that of the self dueto our observingthat humanactionconstitutesan
in
designating
its
in
because
the
the
world,
author a self-referentialmanner,
event
latterbelongsto the world in a modein which the self is constitutiveof thevery sense
body
is
belonging.
belonging.
Our
this
the
this
of
very placeof
-

Ricoeurnotes'this globalphenomenon
of anchoring'.In anyontologyof the
fleshwe mustemphasizeoneimportantdimensionof the body,andthat is its
passivityin thepresenceof sufferingwhich is undergoneandendured.Ricoeur
in
'most
the
of
writes:
evil the world comesfrom violenceamonghumanbeings.
Here,the passivitybelongingto the metacategory
of one'sown bodyoverlapswith
the passivitybelongingto the categoryof otherpeople;the passivityof the suffering
self becomesindistinguishablefrom the passivityof beingthe victim of the other
(than) self 22.This alerts us to the body as a place where resistancegives way to

effort. We areawareof our bodyandits intimatediversity,aswell asits extension

irreducibleto anyimaginedor represented
extension,its massaswell asits gravity.

22Paul Ricoeur: OnesetfAs Another. 1994,p. 320

291
Throughactivetouchthingsattestto their existenceasindubitablyasour own.
Existenceis a form of resistance,attestingto our existenceandthat of the world.

Ricoeurwill alsorecognisethe othernessof our own flesh.We canreignover

in
bodies.
But
they
resist
us their strangeness.And so Ricoeur will write:
our
6ontologically,the flesh precedesthe distinction betweenthe voluntary and the
involuntary'23 Thereby selffiood implies its own proper ownnessfor which the flesh
.

is the support.And so,evenif the othernessof the strangercanby someimpossibility

be derivedfrom the sphereof ownness,the othernessof the fleshwill alwaysprecede
it. Husserlnotedthat I mustmakethe fleshpart of the world if it is to appearasa
bodyamongbodies.

We notein this contextHeidegger'sconceptof thrownness.This phrase

itself,
in
becomes
for
burden
Dasein
the
the
suggests way which
a
andsuggests
being
for
burden
the
to
suchas constitutea
characterof
weightof existence
oneself,
being
being
delivered
thereandselfto
a certain
over oneself,which suggests
of
intimacy.And so we touchuponwhatRicoeurwill describeas 'the strangeness
of
humanfiniteness,insofarasit is sealedby embodiment,hencewhatwe call here
in
it
distinguish
from
foreign
v24
the
to
the
primaryotherness, order
othernessof
.

We will examinenow the othernessof otherpeople.We will realizethat the

Otheris not only the counterpartof the Samebut belongsto the intimateconstitution
its
fact
In
the sefis differentiatedfrom the egoby the degreeto which it is
of sense.

23Paul Ricoeur: Onesey'AsAnother. 1994, 324

p.
24Paul Ricoeur: OnesetfAs Another. 1994, 327
p.

292
by
One
is
in
the
the
activities
of
others.
obvious
example
way which we are
affected
in
by
Ricoeur
is
the
to
that
this
the premise
address
of
others
us
speech.
notes
affected
fiction
Rather
distracting
than
operates.
us with the unreal,the receptionof
on which
fictional workswidensour experienceandmakesa vital contributionto the imaginary
of wordsandactions.Ricoeurnotes
andsymbolicconstitutionof the actualexchanges
that in any given moment of ethical decision there is both an agentand a patient, with

the possibilitythatat anypoint in the futuretheserolesmaybe reversed,andso,we

in
for
beings
in
thinking,
the
a
necessary
plurality
our
acting
must retain
any ethical
by
forces
affected
are
each
operating reciprocally. And so we are enjoined to
moment
justice
'two-pronged
does
in turn to
'that
a
conception
of otherness',one
conceiveof

justice
to
the
the
to
the primacyof self-esteem
andalso
primacyof
convocation
from
the other25.
coming

Ricoeurnotesthat we canonly really speakof a 'world' whenwe have

established
a 'commonnature'.And we canonly build an analogywhenwe recognise
thatmy bodyis alreadyheld to be a bodyamongbodies.'Only a flesh(for me) that is
a body(for others)canplay the role of first analogonin the analogicaltransferfrom
fleshto flesh926We mustalsoacknowledgethe other'sgivenness,
do when
which
we
.
is,
intentionalities
foreign,
directed
that
that
that
to
the
as
we recognise
are
otheras
beyond
than
the sphereof ownnessin which theyarenevertheless
me,go
other
rooted.We canneverlive the experienceof othersalthoughwe cancommutebetween
our separateselveson the basisof an analogisingapprehension
wherebywe gatherthe
body
like
otherpossesses
a
my own. It canonly be analogicalasI canneverconvert
the other"sexperienceinto an eventof originarypresentation.We bearin mind that
25Paul Ricoeur: OnesetfAs Another. 1994,p. 331
26Paul Ricoeur: OneseyAs Another. 1994,p. 333

293
therewill alwaysbe a gapboth implied andreal in this procedure,for the notionof
analogisinggraspsuggeststhe assimilation of one term to another,and what is

impliedin thenecessityof the useof analogues

is the notionor fact of a fundamental
dissymmetry.

For Ricoeur, Immanuel Levinas' criticism of Husserl touchesuPOnthis fact.

Husserl,if onerepresents
As Levinasunderstood
somethingto oneselfoneassimilates
it to oneself,andthusincludesit in oneself,andhenceyou denyit therebyof its
face
Levinas
For
the
of the otherwhenraisedbeforeme is not an
otherness.
include
I
but is
that
can
within the sphereof my own representations
appearance
kill'.
'Thou
In methe movement
tells
that
me
shaltnot
rathera spectacle,a voice
from the Othercompletesits trajectory,with the otherconstitutingme asresponsible.
In Levinasthereis a desireto avoidthe Sameasit speaksa languageof totalization.
With Levinasthereis a desireto protectthe exteriorityof the other which cannever
be expressed
in the languageof relation.However,Ricoeurpointsout we areleft with
the questionof 'how arewe to think the iffelation impliedby this othernessin its
'27Ricoeuralsonotesthat Levinas'conceptionof the self is
movementof absolution?
suchthat it rendersselfhooddevoidof any openness
discovery.
for
andcapacity

Ricoeurthenproceedsto
emphasizethe importanceof the consciencein any
considerationof the senseof the self, andconscienceis implicitly connectedto
For, underthe impetus
notionsof otherness.
of consciencethe self is capableof taking
hold of itself in the anonymityof the 'they'. We experienceconscienceasa sort of

27PaulRicoeur:Onesey'AsAnother: 1994,p. 336 337

-

294
call or appealindicatedby the metaphorof thevoice.In this interior, intimate
the self appearsto be calleduponandto be affectedin
conversation
a uniqueway.It
is Heideggerwho notes that consciencedoesnot sayanythfng,defivers no messageA7
the midst of a commotion but rather is completely immanent: 'the call undoubtedly
doesnot come from someoneelse who is with me in the world. The call comesfrom
28
heyond
me and yetfrom
me and over me . Ricoeur seesthis as a moment of

for listeningto the voiceof

othernessproperto the phenomenon
of conscience,
by the Other.And, afterHegel,Ricoeurwill
consciencesignifiesthe being-enjoined
ask:is this Othernot, in oneway or another,otherpeople?

In the concludingpagesof the last chapterof Onese(As

Another,'What
Ontologyin View?', PaulRicoeurnotesSigmundFreud'snotionsaboutmoral
For Freudmoral conscienceis anothernamefor the superego.
The
conscience.
identifications
superegoitself is madeup of sedimented
andforgotten,oftenrepressed
with parentalandancestralfigures.Freud'snotionsalthoughdressedup in the
garmentsof sciencereally concurwith populistnotionsthat the voicesof our
ancestorscontinueto makethemselvesheardamongthe living, therebyensuringthe
transmissionof wisdom,but alsoits intimatepersonalreceptioneachstepalongthe
way.An interestingthought,althoughRicoeurpointsout that the generationalmodel
of conscience
runsinto problemswhenwe considerthat thereis an unavoidable
movementof infinite regressin which the Otherprogressivelylosesfrom generation
to generationits initial, presumedfamiliarity. And whencedoesthe ancestordrawthe
authorityof their voice,if not from their privilegedtie to the Law, immemorialjust as
they are?

28Paul Ricoeur: OneseyAs Another. 1994, 348

349
p.
-

295
coeuris cn ica oe

re uc ion

resu s rom e wor o

mmanue

Levinasasa whole.With Levinasall we arefinally left with is the reductionof the

left
Heidegger
With
to
the
are
we
otherness
of conscience
otherness
of otherpeople.
facticity
being-in-debt
tied
to
the
the
the
to
of our
with
reductionof
strange(r)ness
being-in-the-world.
Writing continuallyagainstthebackdropof Heidegger'sthought
ImmanuelLevinas is left only with the modality of othernessderived from reflection

is
face.
In
for
'the
Levinas,
the
the
externality
upon
of
short,
modelof all otherness
the other person'. Ricoeur seesthat as restrictive, and seeksto retain a third modality
(italics Ricoeur's). For
of otherness,'being enjoined as the structure ofsetMood-29
him if the injunction coming from the other is not part and parcel of self-attestation,it
losesits characterof injunction, for lack of the existenceof a being-enjoinedstanding
before it as its respondent.Ricoeur
concludeshis reflection humbly: 'Perhapsthe
-I.philosopher
asphilosopherhas

to admit that onedoesnot know andcannotsay

Other,
this
the sourceof the injunction,is
whether
in
look
I
anotherpersonwhom can
the faceor who canstareat me,or my ancestorsfor whomthereis no representation,
to so greatan extentdoesmy debtto themconstitutemy very self, or God living
God,absentGod- or an emptyplace.With this aporiaof the Other,philosophical
M.
discoursecomesto an end

29PaulRicoeur:Onesey'AsAnother:
1994,p. 354
30PaulRicoeur:Onesey'AsAnother:
1994,p. 355

296

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