Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Allen Ginsberg’s poem "To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore" serves as a contemporary echo of Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic themes, juxtaposing them against the modern backdrop of industrial America. The poem begins with a vivid image of Albany, "throned in snow," evoking a wintry, desolate landscape that mirrors Poe’s melancholic tone. Ginsberg’s portrayal of upstate New York is stark, describing "flat arbors & hairy woods scattered in Pubic mounds twittering w/ birds," a blend of natural beauty and unsettling imagery that sets the stage for the poem’s exploration of urban decay and industrialization.

The poem transitions to a more chaotic scene as Ginsberg describes the "Maelstrom roar of air-boats to Baltimore," suggesting a sense of tumult and impending doom. The "mechanic apocalypse" he references speaks to the destructive power of industrialization, transforming "farmland" into a "mechanic apocalypse on Iron Tides." This transformation is further emphasized as the plane descends, with "New York’s ice agleam in a dying world," symbolizing the stark contrast between the natural world and the mechanized, polluted environment.

Ginsberg invokes the spirit of Poe, addressing him directly: "Poe! D’jya prophesy this Smogland, this Inferno, Didja Dream Baltimore’d Be Seen From Heaven by Man Poet’s eyes Astounded in the Fire Haze." This direct address serves as a bridge between the two poets, connecting Poe’s gothic visions with Ginsberg’s contemporary critique. The mention of "carbon Gas aghast!" highlights the environmental degradation and the sense of horror that permeates the poem, much like Poe’s tales of terror.

The poem’s imagery continues to evoke a sense of decay and pollution as Ginsberg describes Philadelphia "smoking in Gold Sunlight," with "pink blue green Cyanide tanks sitting on hell’s floor." This hellish vision is compounded by the industrial wasteland stretching from Manhattan to Washington, D.C., characterized by "iron habitations endless" and a landscape marred by pollution. The references to chemical munitions factories at Edgewood and Aberdeen underscore the military-industrial complex’s role in this environmental devastation.

Ginsberg’s invocation of Poe and Shelley, "Poe! Frankenstein! Shelley thy Prophecy," serves to underscore the prophetic nature of their works, which forewarned of the consequences of unchecked industrial and scientific advancements. The poem’s climax depicts a world where "Split atoms & Polarize Consciousness" lead to an apocalyptic vision, with the "eternal Void" threatening to engulf the symbols of political power, such as the Pentagon and the White House.

The poem concludes with a descent into Baltimore, where Ginsberg vividly captures the city’s industrial landscape: "Red smoke, Black water, gray sulphur clouds over Sparrows Point." The imagery of yachts in the harbor juxtaposed with the industrial pollution highlights the stark contrasts within the city. Ginsberg’s final lines, referencing Poe’s death in Baltimore, tie the poem’s themes of urban decay and industrialization back to the personal and historical, suggesting that the phantoms of Poe’s time continue to haunt the modern world.

In "To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore," Ginsberg masterfully weaves together themes of environmental destruction, industrialization, and literary prophecy. By invoking Poe and Shelley, he situates his contemporary critique within a broader literary tradition, creating a powerful meditation on the enduring relevance of their gothic visions in the face of modern-day horrors.

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