Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James Harrison's "Return to Yesenin" offers an introspective dialogue with the deceased Russian poet Sergey Yesenin, continuing the emotional and thematic dialogue started in earlier poems. Borrowing an epigraph from Rilke's "The Sonnets to Orpheus," the poem echoes the complexities of self-examination, despair, and the creative impulse.

Theme: Self-Examination, Mortality, and Creative Impulse

The recurring theme of the poem revolves around the struggle between life's negations and affirmations. Harrison uses the metaphor of mining oneself "too deeply," cautioning against delving into despair. He contrasts Yesenin's morbid fascination with the rope against his own desire to "live to feed my dogs," a grounded connection to the living world. Harrison hints at the vanity of art, deriding the notion of "weeping Jesus on the cross of Art" as an unnecessary martyrdom.

Style: Realism and Mythic Imagery

Harrison employs a blend of realistic, colloquial language and mythic imagery. This combination mirrors the poem's own complex relationship with the real and the symbolic. The mention of "Jimi Hendrix at an AIDS benefit" stands next to mythic "snakes in her hair," uniting the contemporary with the archetypal.

Context: Political and Cultural References

The poem is peppered with contemporary references such as Nixon and Jimi Hendrix, juxtaposing these against the timeless agony of artistic struggle and despair. The lines about Argentina and Mexico introduce geopolitics, subtly implying that the despair Yesenin felt was not bound by nationality or time.

Emotional Resonance: A Balanced Act

While the poem delves into despair, it also speaks of living despite the odds, "knowing the world says no in ten thousand ways and yes in only a few." This suggests that while Harrison engages with Yesenin's despair, he does not fully embrace it.

Structure: Conversational Free Verse

Written in free verse, the poem's structure enhances its conversational tone. The absence of a fixed form complements the poem's thematic flexibility, allowing the narrative to flow as naturally as the thought processes it represents.

Conclusion: A Tribute and a Lesson

"Return to Yesenin" serves both as an homage to Sergey Yesenin and a lesson on the perils of artistic martyrdom. Harrison reconciles with the Russian poet not through imitation but through understanding, articulating the nuanced emotions and complexities that often accompany the creative process. Thus, the poem transcends mere tribute, becoming a meditation on the balances one must strike in life-between despair and hope, art and reality, self-exploration and self-preservation.

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