The Imperfect Paradise

If landscape were the genius of creation

And neither man nor serpent played a role

And God must look to wind for lamentation

And not to picture postcards of the soul,

The Imperfect Paradise

If God had stopped work after the fifth day

With Eden full of vegetables and fruits,

If oak and lilac held exclusive sway

Over a kingdom made of stems and roots,

Would he have rested on his bank of cloud

With nothing in the universe to lose,

Or would he hunger for a human crowd?

Which would a wise and just creator choose:

Paraphrase

If God had stopped work after the fifth day with Eden full of vegetables and fruits, if oak and lilac had sole power over a kingdom of stems and roots, if landscape were the genius of creation and neither man nor serpent played a role and God must look to wind for woe and not to picture postcards of the soul, would he have rested on his cloud with nothing in the universe to lose, or would he hunger for human company? Which would a wise and just creator choose: the green praises of a budding leaf or the strict deal between love and grief?

By Linda Pastan

The green hosannas of a budding leaf

Or the strict contract between love and grief?

Tone

• Point of View: Third-person limited

• Diction: Eloquent yet simplistic with many biblical allusions such as Eden and Hosannas

• Images:
• “With Eden full of vegetables and fruits, if oak and lilac held exclusive sway over a kingdom made of stems and roots” (Pastan Ln 2) –depicts paradise without humanity

• “Would he have rested on his bank of cloud with nothing in the universe to lose…” (Pastan Ln 9-10) –illustrates God’s predicament

• Allusion and personification add to the imagery of paradise and God's contemplation/regret

Title

The poem refers to a utopian façade where there is no such thing as perfection, creating a setting of bleakness and hopelessness. The title is ironic and a paradox.

Tone

• Details: God’s final decision and his inner thoughts about having to choose between loneliness and perfection. Leaves out any positives of people.

• Language: Colloquial and emotional—stresses the pressure of God’s choice with questions.

• Sentence Structure: The poem is structured in two questions that flow to demonstrate God’s situation and the significance of his decision.

Tone: Inquisitive, dreary, and cynical

Background

The poem alludes to Genesis I (the creation of the world) and the fall of Adam and Eve.

Shifts

God’s conflict -> → God's choice

Hypothetical question →-> Decisive question

Title

The title refers to God’s universe without humanity who inflict pain upon him by their mortality yet he questions if he could withstand the loneliness that accompanies this choice. With no one to enjoy life with, no one to love, God wonders if his paradise is truly paradise.

Biography

Theme

• Born in New York on May 27, 1932
• She was born Jewish
• She won the Mademoiselle magazine poetry prize in her senior year.
• Got an MA from Brandeis University
• After she graduated, she gave up poetry for ten years to raise a family then started writing again after being encouraged by her husband.
• Today, she is a physician and researcher
• Known for short poems about families, domesticity, motherhood, being a woman, aging, death, life, fear of loss, and relationships.
• “The Imperfect Paradise” was a finalist in the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

Although the poet utilizes God and creation to emphasize the impact humanity has in paradise, it also alludes to one’s capacity to withstand solitude as one requires love though it may bring suffering. Thus, Pastan affirms that loss is worth it in the end as existence without love is fruitless.

Questions

What is the significance of the poem being divided into two questions?

Why does Pastan employ God and Creation to convey loss?

Why did the author never capitalize “he” even when referencing God?