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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
Frederick Louis MacNeice's poem "Jehu" intertwines the imagery of a peaceful, nostalgic New England landscape with a biblical narrative of violence and reckoning, creating a powerful meditation on the nature of peace, power, and the destructive forces that often underlie the human condition. The poem draws on the story of Jehu from the Bible, a king known for his violent purge of the house of Ahab, to explore themes of justice, violence, and the inevitable consequences of power. The poem opens with a serene depiction of New England, where "Peace on New England, on the shingled white houses," evokes an idyllic, almost timeless setting. The landscape is rich with the natural beauty of "golden / Rod and the red Turkey carpet spikes of sumach," accompanied by the subtle sounds of a "Continuous / Chorus of grasshoppers." This tranquility is further emphasized by the "Fleece / Of quiet around the mind," suggesting a sense of mental peace and refuge. The imagery of "honey-suckle, phlox and smoke-bush, / Hollyhocks and nasturtium and corn on the cob" conjures a scene of rustic, pastoral abundance, and the "pine wood / Smelling of outmoded peace" hints at a bygone era, an almost nostalgic longing for a simpler time. However, this peaceful setting is soon disrupted by the introduction of Jehu, a biblical king known for his ruthless actions. "A king sat over the gate looking to the desert," signals a shift from the bucolic to the ominous. The "spiral / Of dust" approaching the king foreshadows the arrival of violence and destruction. When the messenger asks, "Is it peace?" the king’s response—"What have I / To do with peace?"—marks the stark contrast between the serene landscape and the harsh reality of the king’s mindset. Peace, for Jehu, is irrelevant; his focus is on power and control, regardless of the cost. The imagery of the "Negative prospect; sand in the lungs; blood in the sand" deepens the sense of foreboding. The "deceiving / Mirage of what were once ideals or even motives" reflects the loss of moral clarity, where once noble intentions have become corrupted or meaningless. The desert, traditionally a place of trial and purification in religious narratives, here becomes a metaphor for the desolation of the soul, where even "a ghost can hardly / Live." Jehu’s statement, "what / Have I to do with life?" suggests a nihilistic detachment, where life itself has lost its value in the pursuit of power. The poem then depicts Jehu’s violent actions, as he "furiously drove, his eyeballs burning and the chariot’s / Axles burning hot." This image of the frenzied charioteer conveys the relentless, almost maniacal energy with which Jehu pursues his goals, heedless of the destruction he leaves in his wake. The subsequent scene where a woman, once a muse and now a "harlot," is thrown from a window and trampled by Jehu’s chariot, further illustrates the brutal consequences of his rule. Her body, once revered, is now discarded "to the scavenger dogs of the town," symbolizing the complete dehumanization and disposability of those who fall out of favor in such a ruthless world. The poem concludes by drawing a parallel between the biblical narrative and the present, suggesting that the lessons of Jehu’s story are not confined to the past. The lines "And now the sand blows over Kent and Wales where we may shortly / Learn the secret of the desert’s purge" imply that similar forces of destruction and purification are at work in the contemporary world. The "cautery of the gangrened soul" suggests a harsh, cleansing process that might be necessary to remove the rot within society, but the outcome remains uncertain. The poem leaves the reader with the unsettling question of whether we will align ourselves with the charioteer, the "surgeon" who purges the rot, or whether we will be complicit, like the "pampered / Queen who tittered in the face of death," blind to the approaching destruction. "Jehu" is a complex and layered poem that juxtaposes the tranquility of an idealized landscape with the violent reality of power and retribution. MacNeice uses the story of Jehu to explore the darker aspects of human nature, the consequences of unchecked ambition, and the cyclical nature of history. The poem’s final ambiguity, whether we will stand with the destroyer or the destroyed, serves as a powerful reminder of the moral choices that define our lives and our societies.
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