Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "A Curse Against Elegies" is a powerful rejection of the traditional lamentation of the dead, offering a critique of the ways in which mourning can become both self-indulgent and futile. The poem’s tone is simultaneously weary and defiant, as Sexton expresses frustration with the cycle of grief and the tendency to dwell on the past, urging the living to move on from the dead.

The poem opens with a direct address: "Oh, love, why do we argue like this? / I am tired of all your pious talk." The speaker immediately sets a confrontational tone, indicating a deep weariness with the conventional, almost ritualistic ways in which death and mourning are often discussed. The use of "pious talk" suggests that the conversations about death have become sanctimonious, lacking genuine emotion or meaning, and instead are filled with empty platitudes.

Sexton then shifts her focus to the dead themselves: "Also, I am tired of all the dead. / They refuse to listen, / so leave them alone. / Take your foot out of the graveyard, / they are busy being dead." These lines encapsulate the poem’s central argument—that the dead are beyond the reach of the living and that continuing to speak to or about them is both pointless and obsessive. The command to "leave them alone" is almost a plea for the living to free themselves from the burden of mourning, to recognize that the dead are "busy being dead" and have no need for the endless remembrances that the living impose on them.

The middle section of the poem delves into the blame and guilt often associated with death: "Everyone was always to blame: / the last empty fifth of booze, / the rusty nails and chicken feathers / that stuck in the mud on the back doorstep." Here, Sexton highlights the irrational and often arbitrary ways in which the living assign blame for death. The images are earthy and mundane—booze, nails, chicken feathers—emphasizing the pettiness of these attempts to find a cause or scapegoat. The mention of the "thin-lipped preacher / who refused to call / except once on a flea-ridden day" adds a touch of bitterness, suggesting that even the religious figures who are supposed to provide comfort are ultimately ineffective and disinterested.

The speaker recalls hiding "in the kitchen under the ragbag" as the preacher looked for someone to blame. This act of hiding symbolizes the speaker’s desire to avoid the burdensome rituals of mourning and the futile search for explanations. It is a rejection of the traditional roles and expectations that society places on those who are grieving.

In the final lines, Sexton’s defiance becomes even more pronounced: "I refuse to remember the dead. / And the dead are bored with the whole thing. / But you -- you go ahead, / go on, go on back down / into the graveyard, / lie down where you think their faces are; / talk back to your old bad dreams." The speaker makes a bold declaration of her refusal to engage in the endless cycle of remembering and mourning the dead. The idea that "the dead are bored with the whole thing" is a striking image, suggesting that even the deceased would find the constant attention and lamentation tiresome.

The poem concludes with a direct challenge to the "you" addressed throughout: "go on, go on back down / into the graveyard," but the speaker herself chooses not to follow. Instead, she leaves the mourner to their "old bad dreams," implying that such preoccupation with the dead is more about unresolved issues within the mourner than about honoring the deceased. The act of "lying down where you think their faces are" underscores the futility of such mourning—there is no true connection to be had with the dead, only the shadowy remnants of memory and dream.

"A Curse Against Elegies" is a rejection of the elegiac tradition, which often romanticizes or idealizes death and mourning. Sexton’s poem instead calls for a liberation from these rituals, urging the living to focus on life rather than being trapped in a cycle of grief and blame. The poem’s vivid imagery, direct language, and defiant tone make it a compelling critique of the ways in which we deal with death and the dead, challenging readers to reconsider the value and purpose of their mourning practices.

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