Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Frederick Louis MacNeice’s poem "Homage to Wren" is a vivid and imaginative reflection on the resilience of London during the Blitz of World War II, particularly through the lens of St. Paul’s Cathedral and its architect, Sir Christopher Wren. The poem, steeped in historical and nautical imagery, captures the intensity of the bombings and the surreal experience of witnessing a city under siege.

The poem begins with the speaker envisioning St. Paul’s Cathedral as a ship at sea, navigating through a "firefull night." The image of the cathedral "riding" through the flames transforms it from a stationary structure into a vessel braving a storm, symbolizing the city's struggle to survive the devastation of war. The "fountains of sparks like a funfair" juxtapose the terrifying bombardment with a more playful, almost festive image, highlighting the surreal nature of the experience. This contrast between the deadly and the carnival-like underlines the disorientation of living through such chaotic and destructive times.

As the speaker and others "patrolled between the inner and outer walls" of St. Paul’s, ensuring "all hatches were screwed down tight," there is a palpable sense of duty and vigilance. The mention of Sir Christopher Wren, who "had made everything shipshape," serves as a tribute to the architect’s enduring legacy. Wren’s design, built after the Great Fire of London, now stands as a fortress against a new kind of fire, a symbol of the city’s resilience and preparedness in the face of disaster.

The poem’s tone shifts as the speaker goes "on deck with the spray / Of bombs in our ears," watching the destruction unfold. The metaphor of London as a ship continues, with "fire clouds caught in our rigging" and "gaudy signals" reminiscent of naval communication. The phrase "London Expects" evokes Admiral Nelson’s famous signal before the Battle of Trafalgar, but here, the message is incomplete, "vague" and "ambiguous," reflecting the uncertainty and confusion of war. The city, in this moment, is seen as "rolling away / Three hundred years to the aftermath of the plague," suggesting a historical regression, as if the current devastation is bringing London back to a time of great suffering and death.

The imagery of "flames whippeting, dolphining, over the streets" further intensifies the surreal, almost animalistic portrayal of the fire, which takes on a life of its own, uncontrollable and wild. The "red whale spouting out of submerged Londinium" connects the current destruction with the ancient history of the city, drawing on the mythic and the maritime to depict London as an ancient creature, enduring yet vulnerable.

In the chaos, "Davy Jones’s locker" bursts open, spilling out the remnants of the city—"ledgers and lavatory seats / And all the bric-a-brac of warehouses and churches." This image of everyday objects, along with "bones and ghosts and half-forgotten quotations," rising to the surface, underscores the way war disrupts normal life, bringing the past into the present in haunting and unexpected ways.

As the storm of bombs subsides and dawn breaks, the speaker climbs to the "crow’s nest" for a final view of the city. The "league upon league of scarlet and gold" paints a picture of a city both ravaged and strangely beautiful in its destruction. The colors, typically associated with royalty and grandeur, here suggest both the nobility of London and the fire that has engulfed it.

In the poem’s conclusion, the speaker, cold from the night’s ordeal, "stretched out my hands from the drunken mast / And warmed my hands at London and went home." This final image of warming one’s hands at the burning city is striking—it conveys both the comfort found in the familiar, enduring spirit of London and the unsettling reality of finding warmth in destruction.

"Homage to Wren" is a powerful tribute to London’s resilience during one of its darkest hours. MacNeice masterfully blends historical allusion, maritime metaphor, and vivid imagery to capture the surreal experience of the Blitz, celebrating the city’s ability to endure through the architecture that has long symbolized its strength. The poem is both a homage to Sir Christopher Wren and a reflection on the enduring, yet fragile, nature of civilization in the face of overwhelming adversity.