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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
Muriel Rukeyser's poem "After Melville" is a rich tapestry of imagery and reflection that draws on the legacy of Herman Melville and other literary figures to explore themes of creation, transformation, and the profound connection between human experience and the natural world. The poem is divided into three sections, each delving into different aspects of Melville's influence and the broader implications of his work. The first section opens with a vivid description of the relationship between the sea and the land: "The sea-coast looks at the sea, and the cities pour. / The sea pours embassies of music: murder-sonata, birth-sonata, / the seashore celebrates the deep ocean." These lines establish the sea as a source of profound and varied experiences, capable of both creation and destruction. The sea's "embassies of music" suggest a natural symphony, with each wave carrying its own story. Rukeyser then introduces the image of a young man lying by the sea, "one young man lying out over configurations of water / never two wave-patterns the same, never two same dreamings." This young man, presumably a stand-in for Melville or a kindred spirit, is both a witness to and a part of the sea's endless variability. He transforms these experiences into his work: "He writes these actualities, these dreamings, / transformed into themselves, his acts, his islands, / his animals ourselves within his full man’s hand." The poem acknowledges the struggles and depths of human experience, describing "Bitter contempt and bitter poverty, / Judaean desert of our life, being locked / in white in black, a lock of essences." Here, Rukeyser suggests that human existence is fraught with stark contrasts and harsh realities, yet these are the very elements that Melville's writing seeks to unlock and explore. In the second section, Rukeyser brings other literary figures into the fold: "They come into our lives, Melville and Whitman who / ran contradictions of cities and the one-sparing sea / held in the long male arms—Identify." The inclusion of Whitman, Crane, Dickinson, and Hawthorne connects Melville's work to a broader literary tradition that grapples with the complexities of American life and the natural world. Rukeyser highlights the transformative power of these writers: "tearing the live man open till we wake. Emily Dickinson, Melville in our breathing, / isolate among powers, telling us the sea / and the slow dance of the absence of the sea." This passage underscores the intimate and often solitary nature of their revelations, which force readers to confront their deepest selves and the vast, often overwhelming, world around them. The third section shifts focus to a more personal and intimate view of the sea: "A woman looks at the sea. / Woman in whose waiting is held ocean / faces the other sea where his life drowns and is saved." This woman's perspective introduces a nurturing, almost maternal element to the contemplation of the sea, suggesting a deep connection to life, death, and rebirth. The imagery of "A man looking into the sea. / He sails, he swims among the opposites, / diving, making a life among many unknowns" presents the sea as a metaphor for life's uncertainties and the search for knowledge. The man "takes for his knowledge the future wake of stars," highlighting the quest for understanding and the endless pursuit of meaning. Rukeyser concludes with a powerful image of human connection: "A man and a woman look into each other. / One man giving us forever the grapes of the sea." This line symbolizes the enduring legacy of Melville and his ability to reveal the depths of human experience, offering insights into love, creation, and the fundamental forces of life. "After Melville" is a meditation on the enduring power of literature to explore and illuminate the human condition. Through vivid imagery and references to other literary giants, Rukeyser celebrates Melville's legacy and the ways in which his work continues to resonate, inviting readers to delve into the profound connections between self, nature, and the broader universe.
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