Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

ANTIQUE, by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography


"Antique" by Arthur Rimbaud presents an evocative and highly sensory tableau of a Pan-like figure, saturated in mythological allusions and natural imagery. The character seems to emerge from a primordial landscape, a living representation of nature's dualities: beauty and terror, male and female, grace and savagery. With a vivid tableau that captures the imagination, Rimbaud delivers an exploration of themes of androgyny, natural instincts, and the untamable force of nature embodied in a single figure.

In describing the figure as the "graceful son of Pan," Rimbaud immediately roots the subject within the mythic traditions of Ancient Greece, where Pan represents the god of the natural world, often depicted as half-human and half-goat. The epithet 'graceful' serves as an intriguing contradiction to the often crude and fearsome descriptions of Pan, setting the tone for the rest of the poem where oppositions collide and coalesce.

The imagery used to depict the figure is arresting in its sensuality and exoticism. Rimbaud describes "eyes, precious balls, are in motion," evoking the idea that this figure is not static but animated by some primal life force. This notion is heightened by the mention of the "fangs" that "flash," juxtaposed against a "chest" likened to a "zither," an ancient stringed instrument. This simultaneous representation of musicality and menace captures the essence of wildness, resonating with the chaotic harmonies found in nature itself.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing lines in the poem is "your heart is beating in that belly where the double sex sleeps." This androgynous image adds complexity to the character, suggesting that the figure embodies both male and female qualities, and, by extension, the full range of human and natural experiences. It brings to mind the ancient idea of the hermaphrodite, a symbol of cosmic unity and completeness.

The poem concludes with an intimate observation of the figure's motion, focusing on the thighs and legs, describing their movement as soft. It's a moment that captures the corporeal essence of the figure, emphasizing the tangible, earthy nature that is at the same time graceful. It's as if the figure is inviting us to join in a dance as old as time, a dance of nature where each step is an act of creation and destruction, of giving life and taking it away.

With "Antique," Rimbaud offers us a nuanced portrait of an archetypical figure that incorporates the multiplicities of nature and humanity. Through lush, vivid imagery and mythological references, he has created a figure that is both relatable and mystifying, both of this world and not. It stands as an exploration of natural dualities, presenting a character that can be viewed as an embodiment of Rimbaud's own poetic aspirations: to capture the sublime and the grotesque, the graceful and the savage, in a single, magnificent sweep of the pen.


Copyright (c) 2024 PoetryExplorer





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net