Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Il Bacio," or "The Kiss," by Paul Verlaine serves as an ode to a seemingly simple yet profoundly affecting act of love-the kiss. Throughout the poem, the kiss is personified and elevated to the status of an almost divine entity, suggesting its transformative and intoxicating power.

The poem commences with a musical quality, as the kiss is likened to "brisk music played on pearly little keys," blending the sensory experiences of touch and sound. The poem describes the act as "in tempo with the witching melodies / Love in the ardent heart repeating goes." This rhythmic harmony represents the alignment of two souls, the perfect synchrony achieved through a kiss, something far more than a mere physical interaction. It's a concord that resounds deep within the "ardent heart," signifying the emotional and even spiritual dimensions of the act.

In the line "Sonorous, graceful Kiss, hail! Kiss divine!" the speaker exclaims the kiss's almost celestial quality. The kiss is heralded as a "boon," a blessing so intoxicating that "Man...Grows drunken with a rapture only thine!" This intoxication elevates the kiss to a transformative experience. Verlaine is drawing attention to how the act can shift one's state of being, filling them with a joy or 'rapture' that is unique to the kiss alone.

The comparison of a kiss to comfort "as music does, and wine," is poignant. It's not just a momentary ecstasy, but also a form of solace, offering emotional refuge. "And grief dies smothered in thy purple fold," suggests a deeper healing quality, an ability to drown sorrow or loneliness, to subsume and replace them with something richer and more joyful. This makes the kiss not just an act of love but also an act of redemption.

Towards the end, Verlaire reflects on the monumental power of the kiss and states, "Let one greater than I, Kiss, and more bold, / Rear thee a classic, monumental line." It's an acknowledgment that the subject perhaps deserves an even loftier tribute, something beyond his "infantile / Bouquet of rhymes." Yet, in the very act of admitting his limitations, Verlaire captures the ineffable beauty and transformative power of a kiss.

Finally, the poem closes on a personal note. The "humble Parisian bard" asks for a reciprocal gift-a "light and smile" on the "Red lips of One I know." Here, the abstract becomes tangible; the poetic ideal converges with the human and the specific. Verlaine seems to say that while the kiss may be universally transformative, its true magic lies in its ability to affect individuals deeply, in ways only they can comprehend.

"Il Bacio" is a testament to Verlaine's extraordinary capacity to elevate the simple to the divine. Through intricate imagery and evocative language, he paints a portrait of a kiss as a source of music and magic, comfort and transformation-a small yet powerful manifestation of love's larger, more complicated tapestry.

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