An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow

An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow
This poem, written by Les Murray, reflects upon all aspects of the human condition, from the fear of change to the need for conformity, uncovering the ultimate truth of the universal desire to belong. Set in a society which significantly resembles today’s world, where feelings and emotions are kept hidden and people are caught up in their busy lives, it explores the realms of acceptance and the ways in which societal norms shape a sense of self. Although not quite an easy read, with obscure meanings, the poem is capable of touching many hearts and evoking self-realisation.
Starting off in an eventful world full of greed and gossip, the poet, through vivid imagery of different people in ‘sheets of numbers’ and streets ‘baked up for almost half a mile’, paints a picture in the readers’ mind of a busy city skidding to a halt at the mere mention of an unconventional occurrence. The sight of a ‘weeping man’ on the streets is unheard of, a strange phenomenon that garners ‘edgy talk’ and ‘pointing’ – depicting the man’s exclusion from society for being different, for pouring out emotion in public. Yet, his weeping attracts attention, at first in a negative way; the people who ‘surround’ him nevertheless keep their distance, warily observing him. The juxtaposition of the ‘crowds’ and the ‘man that no-one approaches’, further highlights his isolation from society. However, in my opinion, this seclusion is not wholly negative; it seems almost desired in a way as he creates a peaceful ‘hollow’ around him by his weeping. In contrast, in Dickinson’s poems is described a sense of sorrow accompanying separation – in Poem 82 the persona craves social ‘wealth’ but is unable to ‘hope’ for it. However, the end of the same poem sees the persona finding peace with not belonging – an idea that Murray’s poem also shares.
As the poem progresses, it can be seen that the weeping man grows to be respected and even admired. Within the ordinary act of crying lies the extraordinary act of standing up to society; he is soon elevated to a high status, seen as possessing supernatural ‘force’ or as a messenger from ‘Paradise’. However, this is juxtaposed with the very next line, ‘there is no such thing’, portraying the ambivalence of the persona as they question the existence of the man.
Nevertheless, the crowd evidently gets drawn in by the man, in my opinion, not solely by emotion but because of their desire to belong with him. While many embrace the ‘gift of weeping’ out of ‘sheer acceptance’, wishing to express their approval of his actions and their desire to blend in, others ‘refuse to weep’, fearing rejection from society. This portrays how people, anxious to be accepted, are afraid to deviate from societal norms and unlock their true nature. The ‘uniforms’ in the crowd who earlier try to stop the man, could be symbolic of conformity – as we all attempt to wear the same ‘uniform’ or be replicas of each other in order to fit in, we lose individuality. According to me, the contagion of crying depicted in the poem portrays the final realisation of internal belonging, a concept that is also present in Dickinson’s poetry. While the persona in Poem 82 discovers satisfaction within themselves after searching for wealth outside, the crowd in Murray’s poem finds it in the free expression of emotion.
In my opinion, as the title suggests, the poem is an extended metaphor, as the weeping man is in fact a rainbow. Although it is ‘ordinary’ knowledge, it is extraordinary in that it succeeds to awe us each time it occurs. The man’s tears are the water droplets that make up a rainbow; though far away from us, it envelops us with ‘amazement’, with the power of the sublime helping us find our place in the world.
On the whole, I feel that this poem is a beautiful representation of the belonging felt from within and the community.
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Written by Les Murray in 1969.
Published in ‘Selected Poems: The Vernacular Republic’, 1970.