Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "Being as I Was, How Could I Help" immerses readers in a narrative that transcends the boundaries of human and animal, blending myth with raw natural instinct. The speaker, a wolf, recounts an unexpected encounter with two human infants and the instinctual nurturing that follows. This tale, deeply rooted in mythological archetypes, explores themes of maternal instinct, transformation, and the collision between the natural world and human encroachment.

The poem begins with the wolf being drawn to a sound and a scent, leading her to a pod brought by a flooding river. The description of the cubs as "hairless" and "pink as summer oleander" contrasts starkly with the wolf's natural environment, signaling the intrusion of the human into the wild. The imagery of the "worm-like things" they have instead of paws emphasizes their vulnerability and difference from the wolf's own kind. This initial encounter stirs the wolf's maternal instincts, and she tips the pod, allowing the infants to slide into the ferns where she nuzzles and nurses them.

Wilner's language here is tender and evocative, capturing the primal bond that forms as the cubs "found my side, they suckled there and drank their fill." The poem then shifts to a dream sequence, marked by the bright red star in the sky, "a vulture's eye that waits with a patience that I hardly understand." This dream foreshadows a grim future where nature is violently disrupted by human actions. Trees fall, mountains are split, and stone pillars replace the natural landscape, creating an oppressive environment where even the birds are trapped by the sky.

The dream intensifies with the image of teeth chewing the earth, symbolizing industrial destruction, and the den collapsing under added weight, signifying the fragility of the natural world under human pressure. The cubs' howling and the flesh falling from bones depict a stark struggle for survival. The dream culminates in fratricide, one brother killing the other, an echo of the foundational myth of Romulus and Remus. This violent vision is starkly contrasted with the wolf's nurturing reality, highlighting the tension between nature's care and humanity's destruction.

Upon waking, the wolf forgets the nightmare, focusing instead on the present warmth and the twins' joy. The river, personified as a friend, runs beside them, and the twins' laughter in the morning light represents a fleeting harmony. The wolf's plea for forgiveness underscores her struggle between her inherent nature and the love she cannot help but feel for the human cubs. This love, described as "the thin sweet river of milk," is both a literal and metaphorical lifeline, connecting the wolf to the infants and symbolizing a bridge between the natural and human worlds.

The poem's conclusion reflects on the wolf's experience and the inevitable march of the dream's prophecy into reality. Despite the world transforming to match the grim vision of her dream, the wolf expresses a poignant willingness to give her love again. This final sentiment underscores the enduring power of maternal instinct and love, even in the face of overwhelming destruction.

"Being as I Was, How Could I Help" is a rich, multilayered narrative that draws on mythological and natural imagery to explore deep themes of love, loss, and the intersection of human and natural worlds. Wilner's vivid and poignant language brings the wolf's internal conflict and nurturing instincts to life, creating a powerful meditation on the bonds that transcend species and the persistent, if tragic, beauty of unconditional love.

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