Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Shelley's Arethusa Set to New Measures" by Robert Duncan is a vivid reinterpretation and expansion of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Arethusa." Duncan's poem elaborates on the mythical narrative of Arethusa, a nymph pursued by the river god Alpheus, using rich, evocative imagery to explore themes of pursuit, transformation, and the confluence of elemental forces.

The poem opens with Arethusa arising from her "snow couches" and leaping down from her mountainous heights. Duncan captures the dynamic motion and elemental force of Arethusa as she transforms from snow to water, cascading through the landscape. This transformation is not just physical but symbolic, representing the fluidity and evasive nature of the nymph as she travels through the natural world. The imagery of her "uncombed rainbows of hair" and the path paved in green underscores her connection to nature and the vivid, life-affirming force she embodies.

Alpheus, introduced as bold and striking, is depicted with equal vigor. His emergence from his glacier, his forceful interaction with the mountains, and the subsequent unleashing of natural forces like earthquakes and winds, illustrate his powerful and unstoppable nature. Duncan's description of Alpheus emphasizes the raw, primordial energy of the river god as he pursues Arethusa across the landscape.

The pursuit leads to a dramatic encounter where Arethusa calls for help to escape Alpheus's grasp. The ocean itself responds, stirred by her plea, and she is taken into its depths, suggesting a transformation from one form of water to another, highlighting her fluid and adaptable nature. Duncan's portrayal of this scene is charged with tension and movement, as Arethusa remains pure and untainted, even as she merges with the ocean's brackish waters.

The imagery of the chase continues under the ocean, in a realm where sea creatures and coral woods frame the ongoing pursuit. Duncan uses this underwater chase to further develop the themes of transformation and integration, as Arethusa and Alpheus navigate through this mysterious and otherworldly environment. The description of them moving through "colored lights" and past "green as the forest’s night" enhances the dreamlike, surreal quality of their journey.

The poem concludes with the reemergence of Arethusa and Alpheus from the depths, transformed and united. They awaken "into one morning" and rejoin the cycle of life, symbolizing renewal and the endless flow of nature. This final transformation from individual entities to a united flow reflects a resolution of their earlier conflict and a harmonious blending of their distinct essences.

Duncan's reinterpretation of Shelley’s myth is rich with lyrical beauty and deep ecological and existential insights. Through this mythical narrative, Duncan explores the profound connections between human emotions, mythological themes, and natural processes. The poem is a celebration of nature's cycles and transformations, reflecting on how these forces mirror the inner lives and struggles of individuals. In Duncan's hands, the myth of Arethusa and Alpheus becomes a larger allegory for the eternal processes of nature and the human spirit's quest for harmony and renewal within it.

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