Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The Tortoise in Eternity" by Elinor Wylie, the speaker contemplates existence, time, and the human condition through the metaphor of a tortoise. The tortoise, traditionally a symbol of endurance and protection, is used here to reflect on the permanence and impervious nature of the self in contrast to the frailty and vulnerability of human life. Through vivid, imaginative imagery, Wylie meditates on the relationship between life, death, and the unknown, with the tortoise serving as a timeless figure that transcends the limitations of mortality.

The poem opens with the speaker describing a house made of “patterned horn”—a reference to the tortoise's hard shell. This image immediately sets the tone of the poem, suggesting a place of protection and endurance, a sanctuary from the outside world. The speaker’s claim that this is a “bed / As men may keep before they’re born / And after they are dead” introduces a cyclical view of existence, where time before birth and after death is indistinguishable from one another. This notion challenges the traditional perception of life as a finite journey between birth and death, instead presenting it as something continuous, with no real distinction between the before and after. The house of “patterned horn” thus becomes both a literal and figurative shelter, offering a view of existence that is detached from human concerns about birth and death.

The following lines introduce the fragility of human existence: “Sticks and stones may break their bones, / And words may make them bleed.” These common expressions emphasize the vulnerability of humans, who, despite their strength, are prone to suffering. However, the speaker asserts that unlike humans, the tortoise is equipped with a natural armor that offers true protection: “There is not one of them who own / An armour to his need.” This comparison underscores the difference between human frailty and the tortoise’s resilience, suggesting that humans lack the proper means to shield themselves from the harshness of life.

The tortoise’s shell is further described as being “tougher than hide or lozenged bark, / Snow-storm and thunder proof,” providing an impenetrable defense against the elements. The “quick with sun and thick with dark” highlights the tortoise’s ability to adapt to both light and darkness, a symbol of its endurance through the cyclical nature of time and existence. This contrasts with human life, which is often portrayed as vulnerable to the forces of nature and time. The tortoise, in this sense, transcends these limitations, existing outside the conventional concerns of mortality.

In the final stanza, the speaker reflects on the distinction between the tortoise’s imperviousness and the human experience of birth and death. The tortoise carries the weight of the “rainbow bubble Earth” on its back, an image that implies the entire world is contained within this creature’s slow, steady journey. The phrase “pulse mother-o’-pearl to black” captures the contrast between the beauty of life’s beginnings (the mother-of-pearl) and the darkness of death (black), suggesting that both life and death are cyclical, inevitable, and beyond human control. The speaker’s “scornful back” in carrying the Earth indicates a certain detachment or indifference, as if the tortoise, and by extension the speaker, is unaffected by the fleeting concerns of birth and death.

Through the use of the tortoise as a symbol, Wylie explores themes of time, mortality, and the enduring nature of the self. The tortoise’s shell represents both physical protection and spiritual resilience, serving as a metaphor for a state of being that is impervious to the human fears and anxieties surrounding life and death. The poem challenges traditional ideas about existence, suggesting that there is a timeless quality to the universe that exists beyond the confines of human experience. Wylie’s imagery—of the rainbow bubble Earth, the shell of the tortoise, and the unchanging cycles of nature—offers a reflection on the larger, eternal forces at play, beyond human understanding or control.

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