In Malouf's poem "Eternal Moment at Poggio Madonna," what do you note about the paradox contained in the title? What "particularity" is he focusing on? Stanza 2: What might have happened "centuries back" to attract the cat? How does this illustrate one of Malouf’s central concerns about "presence"?

"Eternal" and "moment" are words in the title that seem to have conflicting meanings; they are a paradox in that, in the Western scientific concept of linear time, "eternal" means to stretch infinitely in both directions, and a moment is an intangibly small piece of time. This paradox is reflected in the poem when Malouf shows us that all time is happening simultaneously: the cat is sleeping and dreaming at the same time as the young god is shaking the pebble from his shoe, at the same time as the sun is bursting through and "danced there." Malouf tells us that the sun's "presence can still be felt" by the cat, implying that she has access to knowledge that exists outside of linear time.
In terms of "particularity," there are a couple of different ways we can interpret this word. The first is to refer to a detail or quirk; in this sense, Malouf seems to be commenting on cats' ability to find a special spot to sleep. The particularity could also be what the cat sees or feels, that ephemeral "glow": a detail that is imperceptible to humans but that the cat notices and which makes her choose the exact spot to sleep.
So this detail, this glow, is a timeless presence, an "aura." It's something the cat recognizes while, at the same time, still doing all the little day-to-day activities like snoozing and being petted.
Below, I have linked to a review of the collection in which this poem appears, which includes critical analysis of the poem.
https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/david-malouf-earth-hour-first-place/