Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Charles Baudelaire's "Les Hiboux" ("The Owls"), the enigmatic and haunting image of owls perched under a yew tree serves as a vehicle to explore themes of melancholy, wisdom, and the human condition. Baudelaire immediately casts these nocturnal birds as figures of dark introspection, likening them to "Pagan gods of Pagan passions." The reference to Paganism serves to underscore their primordial, almost archetypal nature. These owls are not merely birds but symbols of deeper, older wisdom, as they "dart their eyes and meditate."

The owls, ensconced under the yew-tree, a tree often associated with death and mourning in various cultures, stare "with living flame" as they witness the setting sun. The sun's "oblique" descent is said to end in "folly," a word choice that casts the natural event as an almost pointless or absurd endeavor. Darkness falls, adding "shades of shame," further intensifying the somber tone of the poem. The cyclical, eternal aspect of day and night here becomes a backdrop against which the owls' immobile contemplation takes on significant weight.

For Baudelaire, the owls serve as teachers, their unchanging vigilance offering lessons in wisdom for those capable of perceiving it. The wisdom they impart is of "tumult and change and discontent," revealing the unsettling aspects of life and the unending restlessness of the human soul. However, this is not a counsel of despair but a presentation of life's complex, ambiguous realities.

The poem ends with the intriguing image of a man "drunk of a shadow that passes," suggesting the ephemeral nature of human concerns and desires. Yet, this transient experience leaves behind an "imperishable scent." Just as the wind and grasses change, influenced by this scent, so too does the transient contribute to the lasting, the ephemeral moment leaving an indelible impact that shapes future states of being.

"Les Hiboux" serves as a condensed yet expansive examination of the complexities of existence. The owls are emblematic of an old, almost eternal, wisdom that embraces life's inherent restlessness and change. It acknowledges the unsettling but inescapable aspects of human experience, suggesting that there is a form of wisdom in embracing them. It elegantly navigates the tension between the transient and the eternal, reminding the reader that even in the fleeting moments of life, there lies a lasting, ineffable significance. As such, the poem stands as an intricate tapestry, woven with threads of melancholy, introspection, and insight into the human condition.

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