"Plutonian Ode" is a

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

written by American

Beat poet The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatione ...

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

in 1978 against the arms race and nuclear armament of the superpowers. It is heavily inspired by

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

which Ginsberg came to know after reading Hans Jonas's book on the subject. Philip Glass' Symphony No. 6 is based on and includes parts of this poem. It was first published in ''The CoEvolution Quarterly / Journal for the Protection of All Beings'' co-issue, Fall 1978.

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External links

Plutonian Ode"Plutonian Ode" read by author
Poetry by Allen Ginsberg 1978 poems Anti-war works Nuclear war and weapons in popular culture {{1970s-poem-stub