Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Irving Feldman’s poem "My Olson Elegy" is an intricate and layered tribute to the poet Charles Olson, who was known for his maximalist style and innovative poetics. The poem is a dense tapestry of allusions, metaphors, and reflections that both celebrates and critiques Olson's legacy. Through "My Olson Elegy", Feldman explores the weight of Olson's influence on contemporary poets, the nature of elegy writing itself, and the challenge of grappling with a colossal poetic figure.

The poem opens with a direct invocation of Olson’s work, quoting from "The Maximus Poems": “I set out now / in a box upon the sea. Maximus VI.” This immediate engagement with Olson’s own voice sets the tone for the rest of the elegy, situating Olson firmly at the center of the poem's thematic exploration. Feldman acknowledges his delayed response, stating, “Three weeks, and now I hear!” but dismisses the importance of being late: “No matter! by any route and manner / we shall arrive beside you together.” This declaration underscores the inevitability of writing an elegy for a figure like Olson, given his substantial influence on the poetic community.

Feldman then describes his own feelings of "Envy, Triumph, Pride, Derision" as “passionate oarsmen” that drive his harpoon-wielding elegist, who “hurls himself through your side.” This violent imagery suggests the struggle of approaching a monumental figure like Olson with both reverence and critical distance. The image of harpooning evokes Herman Melville’s "Moby-Dick" and equates Olson with the elusive and powerful white whale, revealing the speaker’s simultaneous awe and desire to conquer Olson's legacy.

The second stanza introduces a youthful poet, “an adolescent, a poetboy,” who proudly declares, “And I’ve just completed / section fifteen of my Olson elegy.” Feldman paints this young poet in a somewhat mocking light, describing him as “spoiled, / self-showing, noisy, conceited,” embodying the type of poet overly influenced by Olson's ambitious scope and myth-making. The description of his voice as “a locust voice, / exhumed, resurrected, chirring / in its seventeenth year” underscores his youthful enthusiasm but also hints at a kind of imitation that lacks depth and originality.

In the next stanza, Feldman refers to Olson as “Landscape on legs, old Niagara!” likening him to a natural force, unstoppable and magnificent. This metaphor captures both Olson's sheer creative power and his chaotic, overwhelming nature. Feldman continues with an elaborate metaphor comparing Olson to Niagara Falls, highlighting “all / the unique force, the common vacancy, / the silence and seaward tumultuous gorge.” The image of the gorge “slowly clogging with your own disjecta” suggests the mixed legacy Olson left behind—one of inspiration but also confusion and imitation. The “disciples, picnickers in hell” represent the poets who have followed Olson's lead, sometimes to their detriment.

Feldman’s critique of Olson’s followers is further developed in the image of “dazzling elegists sitting / on their silvery kites on air.” These “daredevils” jockey for position, seeking to pay homage to Olson while also distinguishing themselves. However, their efforts are marred by their inability to transcend the “natural cries of birds” to create a truly original voice. Feldman recognizes their embarrassment before the “sea and silence,” leading them to “strut and sigh and puff their chests” in a futile attempt to live up to Olson's legacy.

The poem shifts toward an acknowledgment of Olson's greatness in the stanza that begins, “King of the flowering deathboat, falls, / island, leviathan, starship night.” Here, Olson is depicted as a mythical figure plunging “to the primitive deep” where satire’s “Follies and its Vices” cannot reach. He is “free, forgotten, powerful,” able to move “wholly in a universe of rhythm.” Feldman captures the paradox of Olson’s influence: while he has become “heavier than earth,” he has also made everything “lighter than the air.”

The final stanza brings a sense of resolution and transcendence: “—Smell of salt is everywhere, / speed and space burn monstrousness / away.” Feldman portrays the elegy as a ritual of purification and release, where “exaltation blooms in the clear.” The elegists themselves “levitate” and find solace in the act of commemorating Olson's spirit. The poem concludes with Olson achieving a kind of apotheosis, “heavier than earth” yet leaving behind a lightness that lifts the elegists “upward in the sun.”

Structurally, "My Olson Elegy" is a sprawling free-verse poem that mirrors the expansive style of Olson’s own work. Feldman employs dense imagery and shifting metaphors to capture the complexity of Olson's legacy. The tone oscillates between admiration and skepticism, reflecting the ambivalence many poets feel toward influential figures like Olson.

Ultimately, "My Olson Elegy" serves as a nuanced tribute to Charles Olson, acknowledging both his monumental influence and the challenges that come with following in his footsteps. Feldman deftly balances critique with reverence, offering a rich exploration of the relationship between poets and their predecessors.

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