Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Four Medieval Scenes, for Robert Duncan" by Jerome Rothenberg presents a series of vivid, imagistic vignettes that draw heavily from medieval iconography and surreal, anachronistic juxtapositions. Each scene blends elements of the sacred and the profane, the mystical and the mundane, creating a tapestry of images that challenge and enrich traditional narratives. The poem's dedication to Robert Duncan, a poet known for his own deep engagement with history and myth, suggests a shared poetic exploration into the depths of cultural memory and symbolism.

Scene 1: Jesus at a Wedding

The first scene places Jesus at a wedding, a setting reminiscent of the biblical story of the wedding at Cana. However, Rothenberg infuses the scene with elements that are incongruous and startling: "monkeys with chains around their legs" and "dishes of squabs on table." These images disrupt the expected sanctity of the scene, introducing a layer of captivity and sacrifice. The act of strangers washing Jesus' feet while singing adds a layer of ritual and reverence, contrasted starkly by the mundane detail of "cherries & pears along the floor" and the morbid presence of "a skull rests at his feet, a bird over his head," which may symbolize mortality and the divine spirit, respectively.

Scene 2: A Vision of the Goddess, After Cranach

This scene references the Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach, known for his portraits of mythological and religious figures. The "Goddess" is depicted in a surreal, active pose: "she is sharpening a long stick." The juxtaposition of a serene activity (sharpening a stick) with the magical and serene image of "a babe sails by" on a swing introduces a dreamlike quality. The "sky fills up with warriors on goats & boars" further intensifies the mythical atmosphere, blending peaceful domestic scenes with elements of battle and unrest, symbolizing perhaps the eternal struggle between peace and conflict.

Scene 3: A Man Called John

The third scene appears to depict a baptism or a transformative moment by a lake, involving a character named John, evoking images of John the Baptist. The presence of "swans & boats" adds a serene, almost idyllic quality to the setting, contrasting with the inner turmoil suggested by the speaker's turning away and waiting through "another year inside my head, another cycle." The sudden appearance of John "crying from his cauldron, sad turks surround him," infuses the scene with a sense of suffering and persecution, underscored by the physical detail of "warts on their noses," pointing to human imperfection and affliction.

Scene 4: The Priest and the Bishop

The final scene shifts to a more explicitly ecclesiastical setting with potentially scandalous undertones: "the priest’s hand underneath the bishop’s robe." The secretive, possibly sexual nature of this gesture is juxtaposed with a chaotic religious procession involving "a dancing twitching jesus." The disarray is highlighted by "heads & hands tacked onto space," indicating violence or fragmentation. The closing image of "a robe in flames" underlines themes of destruction, revelation, and perhaps purification, challenging the sanctity and stability typically associated with religious figures and institutions.

Together, these scenes form a complex, layered meditation on the intersections of the divine and the earthly, the historical and the imagined. Rothenberg's use of vivid, often startling imagery invites readers to reconsider familiar narratives and symbols, seeing them anew through a lens that is both medieval and strikingly modern. This poem not only pays homage to Robert Duncan's thematic interests but also extends an invitation to explore the depths of historical and spiritual consciousness.

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