Questions from a Young Mind

[catchYOYO22]

Part Five: The Single Hound

XIII


IF what we could were what we would—
Criterion be small;
It is the Ultimate of talk
The impotence to tell.

What are your takes?

[Drkshadow03]

Reading # 1: The Positive "Carpe Diem" Reading

"If what we could were what would --/Criterion be small;"

Basically, if what we were capable of doing is what we desired or hoped to do, if our abilities matched what we would like to accomplish, then there would be little room for self-criticism or judgements of ourselves by others. Kind of a Carpe Diem statement. A statement hinting at untapped human potential.

"It is the Ultimate of talk/The impotence to tell."

Words are incapable of communicating our true selves, our real hopes, dreams, aspirations, talents, and abilities, to another human being. It's "impotent" and therefore stale versus other methods of communication. People go on and on about what they would like to do, but then never actually do it and fail to achieve their dreams.

In this reading we have a poem about failing to achieve our dream and reach our full capabilities because we are afraid others will judge and scrutinize those dreams. It is a poem about the failure of a person to embrace the phrase, "Carpe Diem." We should seize the day, but often do not at the expense of proving that our capabilities are limited only by our desires. This reading situates the poem as a kind of inspiring self-help similar to the type of stuff Paulo Coehlo's write, except written with Emily Dickinson's talent with words and enigmatic statements.

Reading # 2: Cynical and Ironic Reading.

"If what we could were what would --/Criterion be small;"

If you only had the ability to do whatever you dreamed of you'd be an NBA player, a rock star, a famous actor, too bad most people don't. The second line should be read in a mocking ironic tone. The key word in the first sentence is "if." If you could what you would then there would be little room for criticism and judgement, but most people can't do what they would like to do; they simply don't have the ability. So this transforms the second line into an ironic statement. Criterion would be small if you could do whatever you liked to do, but you can't.

"It is the Ultimate of talk/The impotence to tell."

People are all talk. Words prove nothing as they are impotent and do not prove anything. Only actions prove your ability.

Most people are all talk and do not have the ability to live up to their dreams and deserve the criticism they get when the pathetic reality of their self doesn't align with the illusion of what they hope to be in front of other people.

Reading # 3: The Morality Anarchist Reading.

"If what we could were what would --/Criterion be small;"
"It is the Ultimate of talk/The impotence to tell."

If our actions always matched up with our ideals there would be little room for judgement. Or, if our there were no ideals and our ideals (what we would) were replaced with what we were actually capable of doing behavior-wise (what we could), there will be little room for moral judgement since morality is based on an ideal that most people will fall short from achieving.