Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Waiting for the Barbarians" is a poem by the Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy, originally written in 1904 and translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. The poem explores the idea of the Other, and the fear and fascination that people feel towards those who are different from themselves.

Explanation:

"Waiting for the Barbarians" is a poem that describes a city on the edge of an empire, waiting for the arrival of a barbarian horde. The citizens of the city are filled with a mix of fear and fascination towards the barbarians, imagining them as powerful and exotic, yet also dangerous and threatening.

As the poem progresses, the citizens of the city become more and more obsessed with the idea of the barbarians, fantasizing about them and their supposed power. They become convinced that the barbarians will bring a sense of purpose and meaning to their lives, and eagerly await their arrival.

In the end, however, the barbarians never come, and the citizens are left to confront the emptiness and meaninglessness of their own lives. The poem suggests that the fear and fascination that people feel towards the Other is often more about their own internal struggles and insecurities than anything external.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: "Waiting for the Barbarians" is a free verse poem with no set rhyme or meter.
• Imagery: The poem uses vivid and evocative imagery to create a sense of anticipation and anxiety.
• Metaphor: The barbarians are used as a metaphor for the Other, representing the fears and insecurities that people feel towards those who are different from themselves.
• Symbolism: The city on the edge of the empire is used as a symbol for the larger world, suggesting that the themes of the poem are universal and timeless.

Poem Snippet:

"Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly,

everyone going home lost in thought?

Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven't come.

And some who have just returned from the border say

there are no barbarians any longer.

And now, what's going to happen to us without barbarians?

They were, those people, a kind of solution."

Conclusion:

"Waiting for the Barbarians" is a poem that explores the complex relationship between the Self and the Other, and the fear and fascination that people feel towards those who are different from themselves. Through its use of metaphor, imagery, and symbolism, the poem suggests that these feelings are often more about our own internal struggles and insecurities than anything external. Ultimately, "Waiting for the Barbarians" is a reminder that our fears and desires are often more powerful than the reality of the world around us.

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