The Communist's
First Christmas
by Michael S.
Collins
It’s
often argued that the supreme heights of genius
and incomprehensibility are so intertwined that
many esteemed writers of our time seem merrily
capable of diverting between the two adeptly,
often in the same line!. Take Edwin Morgan, who
with his cryptic “Computers First Christmas
Card” creates a binary code that even Alan
Turing couldn’t decipher!
It gives the
impression of being a binary example of a
“Magic Eye” poster, and is possibly the
longest tongue twister in the world. Morgan runs
off many variations on his opening line of
“jolly merry”. Concretely structured
poem takes on ladder puzzle similarities: a
transitory structure by which each line slowly
changes until the end result. The poet may have
got a bit stuck as the closest the computer gets
to “Merry Christmas” is “as Merry
Chrysanthemum.” A blooming poem perhaps, but
what does it all mean?
A crusade
against modern technology! Rather than Merry
Christmas, it’s assertive that in that
ending we get the message Morgan was portraying -
a melodramatic point about the usefulness of
computers. Warning against such occurrences would
seem slightly hypocritical of Morgan, using a
computer to perfect the technique! This poem is a
startling commentary: on the over reliance on
modern technology, the effects of what may happen
should our over reliance allow for errors, a call
against conformity, and therefore following the
same lines (on a less subtle level) a criticism
of Communism. Communism as it existed in Russia
and other places seen as the ultimate in
conformity against the greater flow of
individuality that is maintained in the West and,
incidentally in the majority of Edwin Morgan's
other poetry which irrepressibly experimental in
imagery, subject, style and tone (see for example,
The Vision of Cathkin Braes). It is indeed a
complex poem which can be seen to have many
subtexts.
How is this
possible? Well, the one thing you could never say
about Morgan’s poetry was that it was
conventional. You see, on initial glimpses of the
text it seems that in his verse Morgan is for
conformity (as would be represented at the time
by the threat of Communism). However, if we look
at the words we see a computer trying to say
Merry Christmas. Unfortunately the closest it
gets to the phrase is “Merry
Chrysanthemum”. Now the flowers
Chrysanthemums are associated with a November
bloom, so it is possible the computer got so
close at the date. And yet therein lies the
message of the poet! The trouble with computers
is that they are very sophisticated idiots. They
do exactly what you tell them to do at amazing
speed, even if you order them to kill you, so if
you do happen to change your mind it is very
difficult to stop them obeying the original order.
In his slight poking of fun at the computer who
can not get the words “merry Christmas”
out of its processor, Morgan is giving his
warning of what happens if we place our trust in
technology. And with technology being the
ultimate base for power (especially during the
Cold War with nuclear technology - another
computer ran service!) it can be seen that
Morgan’s poetry is strictly anti-conformist.
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