Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "Hills" by Guillaume Apollinaire is a sweeping meditation on life, time, and the intricate dance of human destiny. It can be read as an autobiographical journey, encapsulating the many experiences, ideas, and emotions that shaped Apollinaire's own life. Yet, it transcends mere autobiography to touch upon the universal themes of existence, struggle, and metamorphosis. The poem is a tapestry woven of metaphors, allegories, and direct declarations, capturing the interplay between the celestial and the corporeal, the eternal and the ephemeral.

The poem opens with an evocative image of airplanes battling overhead in the Paris sky, alluding perhaps to the rapid changes in technology and the ongoing military conflicts that were shaping the world at the time. Apollinaire personifies the two planes as representing his past and his future, thereby introducing a dualistic theme that persists throughout the poem: the struggle between opposites-youth and age, past and future, life and death, darkness and light.

The allegory intensifies with the invocation of the Archangel's battle with Lucifer, connecting the individual struggle to a cosmic one. Apollinaire portrays the confrontation between opposites as necessary for transformation, comparing the clashing entities to cosmic forces that shape the world. His mention of "the Archangel with radiant wings" fighting Lucifer recalls the Biblical fall, highlighting the dichotomies of good and evil, light and dark, as well as the ever-present tension between opposing forces.

In a section that might be considered a metaphysical interlude, Apollinaire delves into the nature of time, speaking of "men who stand like hills" and suggesting that certain individuals possess an ability to glimpse the shape of the future, "better than what surrounds them now, clearer than what is past and gone." This echoes the Romantic idea of the poet or artist as a prophet, able to pierce the veil of everyday reality to glimpse deeper truths.

Apollinaire's vision broadens in scope to include scientific and technological advancements. He alludes to the possibility of machines gaining consciousness and the consequent reimagining of the world. His lines "And even those who most would help / Are wrong in their ministering to us" reflect the anxiety and ambivalence about human progress, capturing the duality of science as both liberator and potential destroyer.

The poem eventually shifts towards a contemplation of individual will and desire. Apollinaire delves into the complexities of human emotion, identifying desire as the "greatest force" that shapes existence. The poem becomes an anthem to human resilience and transformation, embracing the multifaceted aspects of life, the "goodness," the "suffering," and the eternal ebb and flow between them.

As the poem culminates, it turns inward, becoming a soliloquy on the nature of art and the poet's role. Apollinaire posits himself as uniquely qualified to sing this sweeping song of life, separating his "wheat" from the "tares" of other poets. This hubristic claim serves to underscore the poem's overarching theme of transformation-the poet, like the world he observes, is in a state of constant flux and self-redefinition.

In its expansive scope, "Hills" becomes a microcosm of human existence and cosmic evolution, painted on the canvas of Apollinaire's own life and times. It serves as an epitome of early 20th-century anxieties and hopes, capturing the zeitgeist of an era marked by rapid change and extreme dualities. With its interplay of imagery and themes, the poem encapsulates the intricate dance of opposites that shapes not just individual lives, but the universe itself.

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