Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Azure" by Stephane Mallarme wrestles with the tension between the ideal and the actual, the ethereal and the material, through its portrayal of a disillusioned poet. Right from the outset, the poem introduces the "infinite azure" as a paradox-serenely ironic and languidly lovely. This is the poetic symbol of an insurmountable ideal that haunts the poet, a mirage of transcendent beauty that shatters him with its unreachable splendor. The azure sky stands as a formidable adversary to the poet's genius, which feels "impotent" in contrast.

The idea of the sky being "ironic" is intriguing. It suggests that the sky's vastness and beauty seem to mock the poet's inability to encapsulate its grandeur. While the sky is a realm of endless possibilities, full of light and life, it only brings the poet sorrow and a sense of inadequacy. His genius, far from liberating him, seems to have become a burden. This theme of artistic impotence is further emphasized by the image of an "empty soul" probed by remorse and a "barren wilderness of Sorrows."

The poet's existential crisis is not just an artistic one but also a moral and spiritual one. This is evident when he speaks of "remorse," "Sin," and being a "martyr." The poet's struggle is not only with artistic creation but also with the very notions of good and evil, sin and virtue, that govern human life. The sky, the epitome of the Ideal, becomes almost oppressive in its perfection, echoing perhaps the unreachable standards set by religious or moral law.

What adds depth to this poem is the longing for oblivion-for a dissolution into matter, into the physical and the mundane. The poet wishes to abandon his pursuit of the Ideal and find comfort in the tangible world, symbolized by "men's contented cattle" lying in straw. There is an existential exhaustion conveyed through images like "smoke," "soot," and "mists," which become motifs for the obscurity and uncertainty that plague the human condition.

However, the call for oblivion is thwarted by the triumphant azure. Even as the poet tries to escape it, the azure finds a way back into his consciousness. It turns into a voice, singing in the bells, infusing the "Angelus" with celestial hues. This is not a comforting realization but an agonizing one. The azure, for the poet, is both an ideal and a tormentor, an entity that cleaves through his "intrinsic agony" like a "resolute sword."

The phrase "The Azure! The Azure! The Azure! The Azure!" as the concluding line captures the repetitive, haunting quality of the poet's obsession. The ideal is both awe-inspiring and oppressive, a beauty that captivates but also crushes. Thus, "The Azure" serves as an eloquent testament to the struggles inherent in the human condition-struggles with art, morality, spirituality, and the enduring tension between the Ideal and the real. It is a study in contrasts: of light and darkness, aspiration and despair, expanse and confinement. The poem encapsulates the anguish of existence itself, framed against the backdrop of an azure sky that is as enigmatic as it is eternal.

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