Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Lamantia’s poem “Fading Letters” is an intricate exploration of time, memory, and the intersection of the sacred and the mundane. Through his characteristic surreal and vivid imagery, Lamantia creates a tapestry that weaves together references to mythology, nature, and human history, reflecting on the transient nature of existence and the enduring quest for meaning.

The poem opens with a focus on detail: “a certain attention to detail / sight of forgotten life on the wheel.” This immediately sets the tone for a meditation on the overlooked and the forgotten, suggesting a cyclical nature to life and history. The “Ebony finger tip” and the “water the lip of Osirian dinner” invoke Egyptian mythology, specifically Osiris, the god of the afterlife, resurrection, and agriculture. This reference to Osirian rituals emphasizes themes of death and rebirth.

Lamantia then shifts to an image of excess and opulence: “China of the ten thousand dishes,” contrasting with the frenetic activity of writing: “To write frantically madly fanatically / like those idols the old men sold in the ancient turn of the Age.” This juxtaposition highlights the tension between material wealth and spiritual or artistic fervor.

The poem continues with evocative natural imagery: “harmony winters the octaves of the shell seduced by mineral salts / glinting from spores of being.” This suggests a deep connection between nature and harmony, where even the smallest elements, like mineral salts and spores, contribute to the greater symphony of existence.

As Lamantia navigates between the personal and the universal, he touches on themes of despair and hope: “shadows of despair coil in every urban eye / rural congresses retire.” This line reflects a dichotomy between the despair found in urban settings and the retreat or solace found in rural environments.

The poet's journey is described with a sense of revelation and discovery: “When I took off I was going to the land of poetry but I didn’t know it / for a few moments I saw the enigmatic castles suited without a tie / the glow of sight / never to fade.” These lines capture the moment of realization and the timeless beauty that poetry and artistic vision can offer.

The poem then delves into a mix of historical and natural imagery: “Porous lava / no one says ‘boiled’ with sweet vengeance the forestation of Tübingen / On the arthritic river / swallows are languorous divinities.” The reference to Tübingen, a town in Germany known for its university and natural beauty, combined with the image of an “arthritic river” and “languorous divinities,” creates a rich, layered landscape where history and nature intersect.

Lamantia’s use of mythological and animal imagery continues with: “Ave caesar / pure bird / Swainson’s Thrush last movements of sensorial freedom / Werewolf or not / meat must be eaten.” Here, the invocation of “Ave caesar” contrasts with the purity of the bird, and the mention of Swainson’s Thrush, a migratory bird, symbolizes fleeting freedom and beauty.

The poem weaves through various landscapes and epochs, touching on the mystical and the everyday: “shiva / suture on a flyway / dampening the peppers dancing at Half Moon Bay / copper hills eating crabs eating microscopic fungi.” The imagery suggests a world where the divine and the mundane coexist and influence each other.

As the poem draws to a close, Lamantia reflects on the nature of poetic inspiration and existential reflection: “the task at hand I can barely burrow but the hyacinth of the season / A Poetic Instant / in Hegel’s bacchanalian revery / back there in the old spleen chamber / modest or not Death maudlin with spring clothes.” The reference to Hegel, a German philosopher, and his concept of the bacchanalian revelry, signifies a moment of philosophical and poetic insight amidst the cycles of life and death.

“Fading Letters” concludes with a powerful invocation of myth and nature: “all was Ra in the West / from the reeds in the transient room Mid-Earth black orbs the oars of the fishing boats / swarming the insects craven with red streams of ornithic talk / the Sombers were blazing lights Hummingbird octangulates summer with all its / chiaroscuro doublets of dew / in the morning of Ra.” The repetition of “Ra,” the Egyptian sun god, emphasizes the cyclical nature of existence and the constant interplay between light and darkness, life and death.

Through “Fading Letters,” Philip Lamantia crafts a rich and intricate narrative that invites readers to contemplate the connections between the past and present, the sacred and the mundane, and the eternal quest for understanding and meaning. The poem’s vivid imagery and esoteric references create a tapestry that reflects the complexity and beauty of the human experience.

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