Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Ischia in October" by Joseph Brodsky, written in 1993, is an exploration of place, time, and memory set in the Italian island of Ischia. The poem engages in intricate dialogues with history, mythology, and personal experience to construct a vivid landscape that seems both temporal and eternal.

The poem opens with references to a "bubbling volcano" and the legendary poet Virgil who "lived nearby," immediately situating the island in a long lineage of geological and cultural history. The mention of a "breast pelican pecked himself" adds another layer of symbolism, often linked to self-sacrifice and care. These early lines evoke a sense of timelessness and ancient narratives, contrasting sharply with the present situation where the narrator finds himself "deploying tarnished Rtsy" (possibly a metaphor for worn-out words or ideas).

The contemporary reality of Ischia, with its "plaster palaces" and "wrong account," seems a far cry from its mythological grandeur. Yet, the poem suggests that the island's potency remains. The "Fisherman swims in ultramarine" and the "mountain range" that overlooks a "deserted beach" are reminders that despite modern trappings, the island's natural essence endures. The image of "posted from the balcony featherbeds" signals the domesticity that accompanies the historical and mythological facets of the island.

The poem takes an intimate turn when the narrator mentions his "wife and daughter" who are "away from the balustrade" looking for a "piano" or "balloon" in the sky. Their actions represent the search for beauty, adventure, or perhaps escape. The "hushed bells" that strike might suggest an atmosphere of reverence or indicate the passage of time, another recurring theme in the poem.

The narrator then makes a compelling observation about "distance" and "fate." Here, "island" is described as a "variant of fate," and this fate "arranges a sirocco" (a wind coming from the Sahara). This natural phenomenon is not "prohibited," emphasizing the uncontrollable aspects of life and destiny that individuals must navigate.

Brodsky incorporates sensory details to accentuate the raw, tactile experience of the place - "Lime bonded shell," "salt, loose hammer," and "at dusk three yolk." These elements ground the poem in a vivid physicality. In contrast, the "twisting bougainvilleas" and "vegetation space revenge" offer a more ethereal, symbolic understanding of the island, perhaps representing the intertwined complexities of human emotions and actions.

By the end, the narrator considers himself and his companions as part of a larger, universal experience. He alludes to Aeneas, the Trojan hero who is also a central figure in Virgil's "Aeneid." The narrator and his family, like Aeneas, are witnesses to a world that is both "collapsing and growing."

The poem adopts a contemplative, almost meditative tone and adheres to a free-verse structure, allowing Brodsky to move seamlessly through varied topics and temporalities. The lack of a fixed rhyme scheme or meter perhaps signifies the fluid, changeable nature of human experience and perception.

"Ischia in October" serves as a poetic lens through which Joseph Brodsky views the complexities of existence. Through its allusions to historical figures, its juxtaposition of the ancient and modern, and its intricate interplay of the personal and universal, the poem creates a multi-dimensional experience that resonates on both intellectual and emotional levels.

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