Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Claude McKay's poem "To O.A.E." is a tender and evocative tribute to an ethereal and enchanting figure, whose presence and voice deeply affect the speaker. Through vivid imagery and lyrical language, McKay captures the delicate beauty and otherworldliness of this person, weaving together elements of nature and fantasy to express an admiration that transcends ordinary human emotion.

The poem opens with a comparison between the addressee's voice and "the color of a robin’s breast," immediately linking the person to the natural world and imbuing their voice with a sense of warmth and vibrancy. The robin, often associated with spring and renewal, suggests that the voice brings life and comfort, much like the arrival of spring after a long winter. The description of the voice containing "a sweet sob in it like rain—still rain in the night" adds a layer of poignancy, as if the voice carries a quiet, reflective sadness that resonates with the speaker. The idea of "still rain in the night" evokes a sense of calm and introspection, setting the tone for the emotional depth that follows.

The imagery continues with the "pea-dove" singing among the leaves of the "trumpet-tree," whose song "thrills" the speaker with "strange delight." The connection between the dove's song and the words that "well from your trembling throat" suggests that the addressee's voice has a similar effect on the speaker, filling them with a profound, almost mystical joy. The use of the word "trembling" conveys both the delicacy and intensity of the emotion that the addressee's voice evokes.

The speaker's feelings of awe and admiration are further complicated by a sense of fear: "I’m afraid of your eyes, they’re so bold, / Searching me through, reading my thoughts, shining like gold." The eyes are described as penetrating and perceptive, able to see into the speaker's innermost thoughts. The comparison of the eyes to gold highlights their brightness and value, but also suggests that they possess a certain power that can be both alluring and intimidating. Yet, these eyes are not always bold; sometimes they are "gentle and soft like the dew on the lips of the eucharis / Before the sun comes warm with his lover’s kiss." Here, the dew on the eucharis—a flower associated with purity and beauty—symbolizes a tender, almost sacred gentleness, which contrasts with the earlier boldness. The sun's "lover’s kiss" introduces a subtle sensuality, implying a natural, inevitable warmth and affection.

McKay elevates the addressee to an almost divine status, describing them as "sea-foam, pure with the star’s love-lines, / Not mortal, a flower, a fairy, too fair for the beauty-shorn earth." This imagery draws from mythological and natural sources, painting the addressee as a being of pure, celestial origin, whose beauty and essence are too exquisite for the mundane world. The mention of "sea-foam" recalls the birth of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, from the sea, further emphasizing the addressee's connection to the divine and the ethereal.

The speaker's admiration reaches a climax with the declaration that "All wonderful things, all beautiful things, gave of their wealth to your birth." This line suggests that the addressee is a culmination of all that is beautiful and good in the world, a creation so perfect that it embodies the best aspects of nature and the cosmos. However, this admiration is tinged with a sense of wrongness, as the speaker admits, "Oh I love you so much, not recking of passion, that I feel it is wrong!" The love expressed here is not rooted in physical desire but in a deep, almost reverential appreciation, which the speaker finds overwhelming and perhaps inappropriate given the addressee's near-divine nature.

The poem concludes with a poignant acknowledgment of the addressee's fate: "But men will love you, flower, fairy, non-mortal spirit burdened with flesh, / Forever, life-long." This final line reflects the inevitability of others falling in love with the addressee, whose beauty and spirit transcend the physical realm. The phrase "burdened with flesh" suggests that the addressee's human form is almost an encumbrance, as it limits the full expression of their otherworldly essence. The love that the speaker feels, and that others will undoubtedly feel, is portrayed as both a blessing and a curse, as it is directed toward a being who is not fully of this world.

"To O.A.E." is a richly layered poem that explores the intersection of beauty, admiration, and the tension between the physical and the spiritual. McKay's use of nature and mythology to describe the addressee creates a sense of wonder and reverence, while the speaker's introspection reveals the complexities of loving someone who seems too perfect for the earthly realm. Through his delicate and evocative language, McKay captures the deep emotional impact that such a figure can have, leaving the reader with a sense of awe and melancholy.

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