Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Return" by Frank Bidart recounts the historical aftermath of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where three Roman legions were disastrously defeated by Germanic tribes led by Arminius. This poem intertwines themes of memory, loss, honor, and the complex motivations behind acts of commemoration and remembrance. Through the meticulous depiction of Roman efforts to honor their fallen, Bidart delves into the broader implications of such gestures for the living, the dead, and the collective memory of a culture.

The poem begins with the Roman response to the Bructeri's scorched earth retreat, setting the stage for a narrative of devastation and discovery. The recovery of the Eagle of the nineteenth legion, a symbol of Roman pride and military honor, amidst the destruction, serves as a poignant reminder of the profound losses suffered. This act of retrieval amidst the ashes underscores the enduring importance of symbols in sustaining the morale and identity of a people.

Germanicus's desire to honor the unburied warriors of Teutoburg is depicted as an act of duty to memory and to the human need for closure. The detailed recounting of the landscape of death, with its "whitening bones" and remnants of battle, evokes a visceral connection to the past, making tangible the cost of empire and the fragility of human endeavors. This scene is not only a memorial to the dead but a confrontation with the reality of war's brutality and the randomness of survival and loss.

The poem then shifts to the survivors' testimonies, personalizing the tragedy through their accounts of Varus's death and the desecration of Roman standards. These stories, passed from the few who escaped death or enslavement, bridge the gap between historical event and individual experience, highlighting the personal dimensions of historical narratives.

Bidart's exploration of the varied reactions in Rome to the news of the burial and the events surrounding it reflects on the diversity of philosophical and political interpretations of tragedy and loss. The cynics, Epicureans, and Stoics each offer a lens through which to view the human condition, underscoring the poem's contemplation of the meanings we ascribe to suffering and the actions taken in its aftermath.

The poem closes with Germanicus's act of dedicating the funeral mound, a gesture of leadership and shared grief that paradoxically draws Tiberius's disapproval. This tension between the personal and political, the private and the public interpretations of mourning and honor, encapsulates the poem's meditation on the complexities of remembrance and the legacies of historical events.

"The Return" transcends its historical subject matter to probe the depths of human emotion and the eternal struggle to make sense of loss. Through Bidart's masterful narrative and imagery, the poem connects the reader to a distant past, inviting reflection on the ways in which we remember, honor, and learn from the history of human conflict.

POET TEXT: https://www.theparisreview.org/poetry/1374/the-return-frank-bidart

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