Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Dante Études: Book One: We Will Endeavor" by Robert Duncan draws from Dante Alighieri's early work, De Vulgari Eloquentia, in which Dante discusses the value of writing in the vernacular—i.e., the language commonly spoken by the general population rather than in Latin, which was the language of the educated and the elite at the time. Duncan's poem reflects on the intimate, foundational relationship between language and personal identity, and how our earliest linguistic experiences shape our perceptions of the world and ourselves.

The poem begins with a quote from Dante’s treatise, setting the tone for a reflection on the role of language in human expression and understanding. The commitment "We will endeavor... to be of service to the vernacular speech" underscores a dedication to elevating everyday language to a status that captures the depth and breadth of human experience. Duncan uses this premise to explore how language operates as a vessel for the deepest human impulses—to communicate, to express, to connect.

The phrase “draughts of the sweetest honey-milk” metaphorically represents the sweetness and nourishment derived from one's first language—the mother tongue. This language, filled with "endearments whisperings / infant song and revery," is depicted as comforting and foundational, a form of sustenance as vital and sweet as honeyed milk. It is in this language that the self first begins to form, where the individual first learns to express desires, fears, and joys.

Duncan eloquently captures the essence of growing into language: "a world we wanted to go out into, / to come to ourselves into," suggesting that language is not just a tool for exploring the external world, but also a means of coming into one's own identity. The sounds and rhythms of early speech, "organizations in the sound of them," begin as vague and formless and gradually "verge upon meaning," illustrating the developmental journey from hearing language to understanding and finally to utilizing it as a mode of self-expression.

The reference to "hermetic talk" introduces the idea that as we grow, language also becomes a vehicle for more complex and sometimes esoteric or enclosed systems of thought. The speaker's "range of understandings" growing "for love of it" reflects a deepening engagement with language, not just as a communicative tool but as a beloved object of study and exploration.

As the poem progresses, Duncan reflects on how the formation of personal beliefs and understandings—whether they pertain to "controversial doctrines, personal science fictions, and rules of order"—are articulated through the language we absorb and recreate. These elements are introduced to us as we grow, yet they are mediated through the foundational language of our childhood, which remains a touchstone for authenticity and personal truth: "but our own / 'is that which we acquire without any rule' for love of it."

The closing line, “imitating our nurses,” ties back to the formative role of those who care for us in childhood, emphasizing that our foundational understandings of the world are shaped in imitation of and in relationship to these early caregivers. This imitation is not merely mimetic but is an act of love—an emotional as well as intellectual endeavor.

"Dante Études: Book One: We Will Endeavor" is thus a profound meditation on the origins of language within the individual, examining how the vernacular not only shapes our early experiences but continues to influence how we conceptualize and articulate our understanding of the world throughout our lives. Duncan's poem is a celebration of language as a living, evolving entity that nurtures and shapes the human spirit from infancy into adulthood.

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