Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"S.P.Q.R.—A Letter from Rome" by John Ciardi is a deeply layered and richly textured exploration of Rome's historical and cultural legacy, juxtaposed with its modern-day reality. Through vivid imagery, personal reflection, and historical references, Ciardi delves into the eternal city's paradoxes, blending the ancient and the contemporary, the sacred and the profane, the grandiose and the mundane. The poem's title, "S.P.Q.R.," stands for "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (The Senate and People of Rome), a symbol of Rome's ancient republic, setting the stage for a meditation on the city's enduring influence and its perpetual state of change.

The first section opens with reflections on the physical remnants of Rome's vast empire, where "a criss-crossed empire" leaves its "stumps out of cypress," suggesting both the grandeur of its past and the decay over time. Ciardi comments on the impermanence of names and gods in Rome, where temples turn into quarries and the divine is recycled, repurposed. The mention of God's "stone arms stretched from his dome like crab's claws" captures the tension between divine aspiration and human limitation. The section closes with a critique of Roman character, unchanged through millennia, resilient or stubborn to the point of being immutable, with a touch of irony in the depiction of gods reduced to joblessness and sneers.

The second section contrasts the chaos and hustle of modern Rome with the solitary devotion of Sister Pia, a nun whose decade of prayer embodies a spiritual striving against the backdrop of historical bloodshed and the cacophony of contemporary life. Her unwavering faith and the juxtaposition of her quiet suffering with the city's noise highlight the eternal struggle between the material and the spiritual, the individual's quest for meaning amidst the din of progress.

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Ciardi reflects on the resurgence of imperial ambition under Mussolini, capturing the fervor and folly of trying to resurrect Rome's ancient glory. The frenetic building and crafting of statues, arches, and busts symbolize a desperate grasp at legacy, juxtaposed with the eventual downfall ("Till all hung upside-down on a northern wall") and the ironic invocation of American salvation. This section examines the cyclical nature of power and the tragic repetition of history, where aspirations to greatness often end in hubris and collapse.

The final section serves as a summation of Rome as both a "museum of famines" and a "cradle of prayer," a place where the majestic and the tragic, the profound and the absurd coexist. Ciardi reflects on the immutable essence of Rome, where despite the vast transformations wrought by time, something quintessentially Roman persists. The "marble marriage" that "pomps the light" in the closing lines symbolizes the city's ongoing romance with its past, a marriage of history and myth, reality and ideal, that continues to fascinate and perplex.

"S.P.Q.R.—A Letter from Rome" is a contemplative homage to Rome, capturing its complex layers, its timeless allure, and its capacity to inspire both reverence and reflection. Through his personal and historical musings, Ciardi invites readers to ponder the eternal city's place in the human imagination, where every stone tells a story, and every story reflects the unending dialogue between the past and the present, the divine and the earthly.

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