Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Persephone" by Robert Duncan, the poet delves into the myth of Persephone, reimagining it as a contemporary allegory imbued with symbols of loss, trauma, and the cyclical nature of violence and regeneration. Through vivid imagery and dense metaphorical language, Duncan explores the profound impacts of violence and the enduring echo of loss across landscapes and communities.

The poem opens with a stark declaration: "We have passed the great Trauma. / These wounds disclose our loss." Here, Duncan immediately sets the tone for a narrative of recovery and enduring pain, placing the reader in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, which, while unnamed, resonates with the mythological "rape" of Persephone. This event is not only a personal or isolated tragedy but one that affects an entire community, echoing through shared spaces and collective memory.

Duncan's use of landscape imagery—such as "maimd winter, wheel and hoofhammerd weeds, bare patches of earth"—serves to externalize the internal scars borne by the victims of this trauma. The landscape itself becomes a character, marked and marred by violence, reflecting the community’s physical and emotional blight.

The poet introduces a chorus of voices—women at wells, old men sifting through remnants—who collectively bear witness to the violation ("rumor of the rape"). Their shared experience and the communal aspect of their mourning are emphasized by the setting at communal gathering places like wells and the collective activity of searching through debris. This paints a vivid picture of a community struggling to make sense of violence and loss, trying to gather the remnants of a fractured existence.

The motif of mourning is further developed through natural imagery: "This sound of our mourning, wailing of reeds, comes over the ice and the grey wastes of water." Duncan masterfully uses the soundscape of nature—a wailing that cuts through the cold, desolate environment—to convey the depth of communal grief, a sound that permeates the ruins of civilization and personal despair.

As the poem progresses, the imagery becomes more intense with references to "Shades falling under the oakshadow...shade upon shade intent with their sorrow." This layering of shadows suggests a deepening of grief, a piling up of unresolved and unrelenting sadness that clings to the community like the physical shadows cast by the landscape. The repetition of "shade upon shade" also echoes the recurring cycles of nature and human experience, mirroring the seasonal abduction and return of Persephone herself.

In his evocation of mythic elements, Duncan interweaves symbols of fertility and death. References to figures like "Spore-spotted Onan" and scenes of chase and flight juxtapose life’s continuance against its inevitable end. The poem's atmosphere is laden with a sense of something vital lost and a peace shattered, underscored by the chilling statement, "Lost, lost such peace, and Persephone lost."

Towards the poem’s conclusion, Duncan captures the perpetual tension between memory and the present, the act of remembering violence ("We remember in symbols such violence"), and the constant anticipation of future conflicts ("Only we wait, our wounds barely healed for the counterattack before sunrise"). This perpetual readiness for further conflict, even as the community bears the fresh scars of past trauma, speaks to a profound statement about human resilience and the cyclical nature of historical trauma.

In summary, "Persephone" by Robert Duncan is a haunting reflection on collective trauma and the human condition, weaving the myth of Persephone with contemporary images and themes to explore how communities survive and make sense of the cyclical nature of violence and renewal. Through his dense, evocative imagery and layered symbolism, Duncan offers a poignant meditation on loss, memory, and the enduring human spirit.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Selected_Poems/_SW2kPvUBlgC?q=DUNCAN+%22The+angel+syphilis+in+the+circle+of+signators+--+looses+its+hosts+--+to+swarm%22&gbpv=1&bsq=PERSEPHONE#f=false

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