Ash Wednesday (poem)
Encyclopedia
"Ash Wednesday" is the first long poem written by T. S. Eliot
after his 1927 conversion to Anglicanism
. Published in 1930 (see 1930 in poetry
), this poem deals with the struggle that ensues when one who has lacked faith in the past strives to move towards God.
Sometimes referred to as Eliot's "conversion poem", Ash-Wednesday, with a base of Dante
's Purgatorio
, is richly but ambiguously allusive and deals with the aspiration to move from spiritual barrenness to hope for human salvation
. The style is different from his poetry which predates his conversion
. Ash-Wednesday and the poems that followed had a more casual, melodic, and contemplative
method.
Many critics were "particularly enthusiastic concerning Ash-Wednesday", while in other quarters it was not well received. Among many of the more secular literati its groundwork of orthodox Christianity was discomfiting. Edwin Muir
maintained that “Ash Wednesday is one of the most moving poems he [Eliot] has written, and perhaps the most perfect.”
Eliot is known to have collected poems and fragments of poems to produce new works. This is most clearly seen in his poems "The Hollow Men
" and "Ash-Wednesday" where he incorporated previously published poems to become sections
of a larger work. Three of the five sections comprising Ash-Wednesday had already been published earlier as separate poems (years link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles):
(Publication information from Gallup)
, with whom he had a strained relationship, and from whom he initiated a legal separation
in 1933. The dedication does not appear in subsequent editions.
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
after his 1927 conversion to Anglicanism
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Published in 1930 (see 1930 in poetry
1930 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Canada:*Alfred Bailey, Tao: A Ryerson Poetry Chap Book, ....
), this poem deals with the struggle that ensues when one who has lacked faith in the past strives to move towards God.
Sometimes referred to as Eliot's "conversion poem", Ash-Wednesday, with a base of Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Purgatorio
Purgatorio
Purgatorio is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno, and preceding the Paradiso. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Dante up the Mount of Purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil...
, is richly but ambiguously allusive and deals with the aspiration to move from spiritual barrenness to hope for human salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
. The style is different from his poetry which predates his conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
. Ash-Wednesday and the poems that followed had a more casual, melodic, and contemplative
Contemplation
The word contemplation comes from the Latin word contemplatio. Its root is also that of the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship, derived either from Proto-Indo-European base *tem- "to cut", and so a "place reserved or cut out" or...
method.
Many critics were "particularly enthusiastic concerning Ash-Wednesday", while in other quarters it was not well received. Among many of the more secular literati its groundwork of orthodox Christianity was discomfiting. Edwin Muir
Edwin Muir
Edwin Muir was an Orcadian poet, novelist and translator born on a farm in Deerness on the Orkney Islands. He was remembered for his deeply felt and vivid poetry in plain language with few stylistic preoccupations....
maintained that “Ash Wednesday is one of the most moving poems he [Eliot] has written, and perhaps the most perfect.”
Publication information
The poem was first published as now known in April, 1930 as a small book limited to 600 numbered and signed copies. Later that month an ordinary run of 2000 copies was published in the UK and in September another 2000 published in the US.Eliot is known to have collected poems and fragments of poems to produce new works. This is most clearly seen in his poems "The Hollow Men
The Hollow Men
The Hollow Men is a major poem by T. S. Eliot. Its themes are, like many of Eliot's poems, overlapping and fragmentary, but it is recognised to be concerned most with post-World War I Europe under the Treaty of Versailles , the difficulty of hope and religious conversion, and, as some critics...
" and "Ash-Wednesday" where he incorporated previously published poems to become sections
of a larger work. Three of the five sections comprising Ash-Wednesday had already been published earlier as separate poems (years link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles):
- "Perch' Io non Spero" (part I of Ash-Wednesday) was published in the Spring, 19281928 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Russian poets Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvedensky found OBERIU , an avant-garde grouping of Russian post-Futurist poets in the 1920s-1930s* American poets Charles Reznikoff, George Oppen and Louis...
issue of Commerce along with a French translation.
- "Salutation" (now part II of Ash-Wednesday) was published in December, 19271927 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* T. S. Eliot enters the Church of England and assumes British citizenship-Canada:...
in Saturday Review of Literature. It was also published in January, 1928 in Eliot's own CriterionThe Criterion (magazine)The Criterion was a British literary magazine published from October 1922 to January 1939. The Criterion was, for most of its run, a quarterly journal, although for a period in 1927-28 it was published monthly. It was created by the poet, dramatist, and literary critic T. S...
magazine.
- "Som de l'escalina" (part III of Ash-Wednesday) was published in the Autumn, 19291929 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Little Review, edited by Margaret Caroline Anderson and Jane Heap, ceases publication* The Dial ceases publication...
issue of Commerce along with a French translation.
(Publication information from Gallup)
Dedication
When first published, the poem bore the dedication "To my wife," referring to Eliot's first wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood EliotVivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot
Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot was an English governess and writer who became notable as the first wife of the American poet, T.S. Eliot . Her legacy, and the extent to which she influenced Eliot's work, has been the subject of much debate...
, with whom he had a strained relationship, and from whom he initiated a legal separation
Legal separation
Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...
in 1933. The dedication does not appear in subsequent editions.