The three sphinxes, and other poems — A Closer Reading

Lyric Complexes and Self-Analysis

Viereck's preface explicitly adopts the language of psychoanalysis, describing 'clusters of thought and emotions' or 'complexes' that recur in his poetry. He names four fundamental types: Eros, Jesus, Lilith, and Eve, though he concedes 'no symbol is entirely adequate.' This framework suggests a deliberate attempt to categorize his own creative impulses, treating each poem as a 'confession' of the 'Life Force.' The preface warns that 'wherever we touch a book, we touch a man,' implying that the poems are keys to the author's psyche. However, the excerpts show that these categories are not rigid; for instance, 'Jesus in New England' blends religious and erotic imagery, with Jesus defending Mary Magdalene's 'smooth satin of her hair' against a 'weazened parson.' The poet's self-analysis thus becomes part of the reading experience, inviting scrutiny of how the poems embody or complicate these archetypes.

Sacred and Profane in 'Jesus in New England'

The excerpt from 'Jesus in New England' presents a stark contrast between a joyless church and the figure of Christ who rebukes its hypocrisy. The church is described as 'the House Unbeautiful,' with 'windows bare like sightless eyes,' and its minister curses 'all things that men hold fair: / The pearls, the satin and the flowers.' Jesus intervenes, identifying himself as the one who 'suffered her of Magdala / With the smooth satin of her hair / To dry His consecrated feet.' The poem uses direct dialogue and vivid sensory details—'no incense,' 'no organ,' 'no gleam of hope'—to critique a faith that denies beauty. The parson's 'words of grace' are undercut by his actions: 'he drove a nail into His flesh, / And praying ... spat into His face.' This tension between asceticism and sensuality recurs throughout the collection, as suggested by the preface's mention of 'Eros and Jesus' as opposing yet intertwined forces.

Structure and Selection Across Volumes

The editor's note indicates that this volume, like its predecessor The Haunted House, and Other Poems (No. 578), draws from multiple earlier books: Nineveh and Other Poems, The Candle and the Flame, and Songs of Armageddon. The second volume is described as 'less intensely personal, if no less intensely passionate' than the first, with a greater number of 'lyric ballads.' The table of contents lists 30 poems, including 'The Three Sphinxes,' 'The Ghost of Oscar Wilde,' 'A Ballad of King David,' and 'Dr. Faust's Descent from Heaven.' This range suggests a deliberate juxtaposition of mythological, biblical, and contemporary figures. The preface's claim that 'such differences are superficial' hints at an underlying unity, but the excerpts do not reveal how the poems are ordered or whether the 'complexes' are grouped explicitly. Readers may observe how the poet moves between voices and registers, from the intimate 'Psycho-Analyzes Himself' to the narrative 'Jesus in New England.'

Viereck's collection rewards attention to its framing devices: the self-analytical preface, the selection across multiple earlier volumes, and the recurring motifs of beauty versus austerity. Readers may find it useful to compare the treatment of religious figures in poems like 'Jesus in New England' with those in 'A Ballad of King David' or 'The Ghost of Oscar Wilde,' noting how the poet's declared 'complexes' manifest in different contexts. The Little Blue Book format, with its compact size and affordable price, made such experimental verse accessible to a broad audience, inviting engagement with Viereck's provocative blend of the sacred and the sensual.

I found myself thinking of how Viereck's Jesus in New England carries such a cold, brittle winter light. But then my mind wandered to a softer season, that older comfort in The little grey lamb, and other Christmas poems — Reading Companion, where the same sacred loneliness feels gentler, almost like a hearth remembered.