Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Marco Polo" by Marvin Bell is a richly textured and imaginative exploration of the legendary Venetian explorer's journey to Asia. Through a series of vivid and symbolic vignettes, Bell captures the essence of Marco Polo's adventures, blending historical elements with poetic interpretation to delve into themes of discovery, transformation, and the inevitable passage of time.

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The first section introduces Marco Polo as a figure who embodies the spirit of exploration, both heroic and fugitive, with a deep affinity for the sea. Bell's use of contrasting imagery, such as a "golden" smile and a "skeleton's grimace," highlights the transient nature of human endeavors and emotions. The notion that "every smile ends up in a grimace" suggests the inevitability of decay and death, underscoring the poem's meditation on mortality. The capacity of Polo's hands to make a chisel "whistle" and an insect "sing" symbolizes the transformative power of human creativity and the ability to find beauty and music in the mundane.

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The second section focuses on Polo's quest for riches and knowledge, setting his compass toward the exotic and the unknown. Bell emphasizes the physical and conceptual tools of Polo's journey—a chisel, a dictionary, a compass—each representing different aspects of exploration: craftsmanship, communication, and direction. The description of Polo's ship as a "scrawny machine" in a "fugitive corner / of the globe" conveys both the fragility and the daring of his voyage. The crew's ashen faces and the rigging's grimace echo the earlier imagery of mortality, while the caged insects' song upon landing symbolizes the triumphant discovery and the wonder of new lands.

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The final section weaves together the elements introduced earlier—gold, ivory, machinery, and the chisel—into a tapestry of Polo's achievements and their legacy. The repetition of "With machinery" underscores the role of technology and innovation in Polo's explorations and the broader human endeavor to understand and manipulate the world. Bell portrays Polo as the "Marco Polo of tea and gunpowder," alluding to the cultural and commercial exchanges between East and West that his journeys facilitated. The poem closes with the image of Polo being "devoured by the Oriental machinery of the silkworm," a metaphor for his complete immersion in and transformation by the cultures he encountered, as well as a reflection on the consuming nature of obsession and ambition.

"Marco Polo" is a lyrical and contemplative portrayal of one of history's most iconic explorers, inviting readers to ponder the complexities of exploration, the beauty found in the journey, and the impermanence of human endeavors against the backdrop of time. Through Marvin Bell's poetic lens, Marco Polo's expeditions become a canvas for exploring the depths of human curiosity, creativity, and the eternal quest for understanding.

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