The word, in its most primary sense, refers to a sudden manifestation of the divine. In that context, the most famous epiphany is perhaps that of St. Paul (then known as Saul) when, on the road to Damascus, he saw the figure of the risen Jesus and became a convert to Christianity.
But as we now know it, an epiphany can be a sudden insight into almost anything. It doesn't have to be religious in nature.
In literature, James Joyce is probably the author most identified with epiphanies and "Dubliners," his book of short stories is supposed to be based upon them. But Joyce's notion of an epiphany was anything but sudden. Rather, he took pains to make sure every detail of a particular situation or series of events was correct. To him, an epiphany was a certain truth about the nature of ordinary society as revealed by the actions and attitudes of individuals, generally toward each other.
Trying to figure out exactly what Joyce had in mind when he referred to epiphanies isn't easy and when one reads "Dubliners," the particular truths Joyce apparently had in mind are not always obvious. Having recently re-read the book with considerable more attention than the first time around, the word has been on my mind.
So, when shopping at our local farmer's market last Saturday and encountering William Curtis seated at a typewriter, offering to write a poem on any topic for whatever price one wanted to pay, I handed him a five dollar bill and requested a poem "on the topic of epiphany, but not of the religious variety."
He requested 15 minutes, allowing me to purchase a few more farm stand items, such as rhubarb, than I had originally intended. What follows is his poem:
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