Transcendence downward : a study in selected animal poems by Galway Kinnell

الملخص EN

Galway Kinnell (1927-2014) is one of the major American poets whose concern is with the effect of modern civilization on instinct.

From the world of nature, Kinnell is mainly concerned with animals that he uses as agents to empower man so as to restore his equilibrium.

Using animals to probe human consciousness can be seen in such poems as “The Bear”, “The Porcupine” and “Saint Francis and the Sow”.

“The Bear” narrates the story of the speaker hunting a bear and chases its trails of blood.

He sleeps in the skin of the dead animal and experiences visionary moments not only of vitality but of the process of poetic creativity.

“The Porcupine” is a sequel to “The Bear”.

Meeting this animal leads the poet to self-awareness of his instinctive side.

“Saint Francis and the Sow” invokes the legendary saint who was said to have reverence for animals.

In this poem, Kinnell uses the sow and the saint to show the deep connection between spirit and body, raising it to a mystical and divine level.