Moreover, Stevenson uses enjambment to explain how even the small things have a great significance in our bodies. She illustrates this in the line, “the shell-like complexity of the ear, with its firm involutions concentric in miniature to minute ossicles.” the fact that the poet speaks about the ‘ossicles’, which are the smallest bones in the body located in our ear, is just another fantastic way the speaker has explored creation and its flawlessness. Especially as these bones are commonly overlooked, yet so significant as they play an essential role in our hearing. The use of enjambment here gives the reader a second to appreciate this usually unnoticed feature of the body and to exemplify the poet’s awe and wonder of creation. The reader will again feel enthralled as they ponder more about other features of the body that seem to go unnoticed yet play crucial roles in our daily lives.
Furthermore, the poet uses an oxymoron to again, highlight the theme of creation. This is displayed in the line, “No, no desire or affection could have done with practice what habit has done perfectly, indifferently, through the body's ignorant precision.” The poet is saying that the ability to create doesn’t come from the spirit, instead, it comes from “habit”. The instinct of the body is why it is perfect- not from human passions. ‘Human passions’ is depicted as almost useless in this poem as she describes that they are incapable of creating something as excellent as the human body. She also talks about “the body’s ignorant precision”. This line really stands out from the other’s as it has a bit of a negative connotation, and the use of the oxymoron; ‘ignorant precision’ makes it even more eye-catching. This line essentially sums up what Stevenson is saying about life and creation in this poem. She is exhibiting the body to us as an unthinking yet efficient machine, the mechanics of our body work perfectly and we never think twice about it. The reader is therefore made to feel fascinated as they themselves realize that we are ignorant towards the perfect creation.
Finally, Stevenson presents the theme of life in the last stanza, through emotive language. This is shown in the line, ‘It is left to the vagaries of the mind to invent love and despair and anxiety and their pain.” This final line is quite blunt compared to the other lines in the poem. The poet is basically saying that after all these flawless intricacies, the human mind will create adversities like despair, anxiety, and pain. This is an interesting way for the author to present life; after using so much positive imagery about the creation. She is saying that the baby is perfect until the mind becomes conscious; it will inherit the flaws devised by the mind. The words, ‘despair’ and ‘hate’ leave the poem on a negative note, as the reader contemplates about life and how our mind really does find things to be miserable about.
To conclude, this poem is extremely thought-provoking, and its words will be embedded into your brain once you read them. The writing style is so unique, with its detail about the inner workings of the body and the medical, scientific language that is so rarely found in poetry, it will be impossible to forget it. Overall, this poem is a remarkable depiction of creation and the miracle of life.
