Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Title: Pan: Double Villanelle Author: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde, the famed Irish writer and poet, was known for his wit, flamboyance, and advocacy for the Aesthetic movement during the late Victorian era. "Pan: Double Villanelle" is a captivating poem that reflects Wilde's mastery of the villanelle form, invoking the Greek god Pan as a symbol of nature, joy, and freedom, in contrast to the perceived drabness and restriction of the modern world.

Provenance and Context:

Wilde was a proponent of the Aesthetic movement which believed in "art for art's sake" and heavily featured Hellenistic themes and figures, such as Pan, the Greek god of nature, shepherds, and rustic music.

Content

The poem is divided into two parts. In the first part, Wilde laments the loss of the spirit of Pan - and by extension, the loss of nature, freedom, and joy - in the modern world, which is described as "grey and old". The speaker mourns the absence of Pan's "soft brown limbs" and "beard of gold", along with the joyous environment that surrounded him. The tone is one of loss and sorrow.

In the second part, the speaker urges Pan to leave Arcady and come to the modern world, which is in dire need of his vibrant energy. The speaker acknowledges that the modern world lacks the mythic beings - nymphs and Fauns - associated with Pan, and the tone shifts to one of yearning and desire.

Poetic Devices

The poem is a double villanelle, a form characterized by its strict structure of five tercets and a concluding quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and both appearing at the close of the concluding quatrain. Wilde adheres to this form, showcasing his mastery of structure and rhythm.

Wilde's use of imagery paints a vivid picture of the natural world associated with Pan, helping to contrast this with the "grey and old" modern world.

Symbolism plays a crucial role in the poem. Pan is a symbol of nature, freedom, and joy, while the modern world symbolizes constraint and a lack of vitality. The images of Pan's "wattled fold", "soft brown limbs", and "beard of gold" enhance this symbolism.

Repetition, a feature of the villanelle form, is used effectively by Wilde to underline the sense of loss in the first part and the desperate call for Pan's return in the second.

Conclusion

"Pan: Double Villanelle" by Oscar Wilde is a beautifully crafted lament for the loss of nature, joy, and freedom in the modern world, symbolized by the Greek god Pan. Through its skilled use of the villanelle form, potent symbolism, and striking imagery, the poem offers a poignant critique of the modern world's perceived drabness and constriction. It's a powerful call for a return to nature, to joy, and to freedom, encapsulated in the plea for the Goat-foot God of Arcady to abandon his hills and grace the modern world with his presence.

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