Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Allen Ginsberg’s poem "τεθνάκην δ’ όλίγω ’πιδενης ϕαίόμ’ άλαία" explores themes of love, desire, and the passage of time through a series of intimate vignettes. The title, taken from a fragment by Sappho, translates to "I think I am about to die of love," setting the stage for the poem's exploration of passionate, often unfulfilled longing.

The poem begins with a tender scene: "Red cheeked boyfriends tenderly kiss me sweet mouthed under Boulder coverlets winter springtime hug me naked laughing & telling girl friends gossip till autumn." Here, Ginsberg paints a picture of youthful affection and intimacy, capturing the fleeting nature of such moments as the seasons change.

Ginsberg then shifts to reflections on aging and the loss of youthful love: "Aging love escapes with his Childish body Monday one man visited sleeping big cocked older mustached crooked-mouthed not the same teenager I sucked off." The contrast between past and present lovers emphasizes the inevitable march of time and the transformation of relationships.

The poem continues with a series of encounters, each highlighting different aspects of physical and emotional connection. Ginsberg describes a Thursday lover with "happy hard ons long nights talking heart to heart reading verses fucking hours he comes in me happy but I can’t get it in him." This line conveys both the joy and frustration of intimate relationships, where emotional closeness may not always align with physical fulfillment.

Ginsberg reminisces about a Southern boy who sang blues and drank until he got horny, offering a glimpse into the casual, sometimes transactional nature of sexual encounters: "Wednesday night he gave me his ass I screwed him good luck he was drunk." The poet's blunt language underscores the raw, unvarnished reality of these experiences.

In a lighter tone, Ginsberg recounts a playful encounter with a "blond curl’d clear eyed gardener" who blew him and vice versa, illustrating the spontaneity and mutual pleasure found in such moments.

The poem then transitions to a memory of a "wild kid" at a winter dance at Naropa, who awakens Ginsberg at midnight for an intimate encounter. The description "breathed in my ear kissed my eyelids mouth on his cock it was soft 'Doesn’t do nothing for me,' turned on belly Came in behind him" conveys a sense of vulnerability and honesty in their interaction.

Ginsberg's reflections on future youth he "never may touch any more" highlight the poet's awareness of his own aging and the limitations it imposes on his desires. This longing is further emphasized in the line "Love-sick to this day Heavy limbed I sat in a chair and watched him sleep naked all night afraid to kiss his mouth tender dying waited for sun rise years ago in Manhattan," where the poet's unfulfilled desire is palpable and haunting.

Throughout the poem, Ginsberg intertwines the natural world with his personal experiences, as seen in the line "Song your cadence formed while on May night’s full moon yellow onions tulips in fresh rain pale grass iris pea pods radishes grew as this verse blossomed in dawn light." This imagery connects the cycles of nature with the cycles of human emotion, suggesting a deeper, universal rhythm to love and longing.

The poem’s closing lines reflect on a youthful lover whose memory continues to evoke intense feelings: "Measure forever his face eighteen years old green eyes blond hair muscular gold soft skin whose god like boy’s voice mocked me once three decades past Come here and screw me." Ginsberg’s enduring affection for this figure, despite the passage of time, underscores the poem’s central theme of the persistence of love and desire beyond physical encounters.

"τεθνάκην δ’ όλίγω ’πιδενης ϕαίόμ’ άλαία" is a deeply personal and evocative exploration of Ginsberg's experiences with love, desire, and the inexorable passage of time. Through a series of vivid and intimate scenes, the poem captures the complexity of human relationships and the enduring nature of affection and longing.

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