Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James Merrill's poem "Flying from Byzantium" navigates a journey that is both physical and spiritual, blending mythological and historical allusions to explore themes of repentance, rebirth, and the passage of time. The poem captures a moment of reckoning as the speaker, having left behind the grandeur of Byzantium, confronts a stark, desolate landscape and engages in an intimate dialogue with both nature and the divine.

The poem begins with the descent of the "priceless metal bird," a metaphor for a plane landing, setting the stage for a journey that contrasts the modern with the ancient. The bird's landing is described in a way that evokes a sense of inevitability—"at last"—and introduces a landscape of "harsh foothills and an endless marsh." This terrain, devoid of the splendor of Byzantium, symbolizes a return to something primal and unforgiving. The speaker's choice not to "take the bus to town" suggests a deliberate rejection of civilization or comfort in favor of engaging directly with the earth.

As the poem progresses, the imagery becomes more intense and symbolic. The "crimson dust" of the setting and rising suns evokes a sense of decay and bloodshed, while the mention of a "mountain lion" and "watersnake" introduces elements of danger and the untamed forces of nature. These images reinforce the idea that the speaker is in a place where survival is uncertain and where the natural world is indifferent to human concerns. The line "As if the choice were his to make, / Kneeling there on the earth’s crust" underscores the speaker's powerlessness in the face of the vast, unyielding landscape.

In the third stanza, the poem shifts into a confessional mode as the speaker addresses his "Mother"—a figure who could represent the Earth, the Virgin Mary, or a maternal deity. The plea, "I was vain, headstrong, / Help me, I am coming back," indicates a desire for forgiveness and a return to something pure or original. The speaker’s act of placing his lips "along a crack" in the earth to "inhale the vague, compliant song" is a gesture of humility and submission. It suggests a ritualistic act of seeking reconciliation with the earth, an attempt to reconnect with the source of life in a world that now seems foreign and inhospitable.

The final stanza brings together themes of death and renewal. The speaker asks, "That I may be born again / Lead the green fly to my flesh." This line, with its reference to the green fly, invokes the process of decay and the cyclical nature of life and death. The request to be "born again" is not merely a spiritual rebirth but one that acknowledges the physical reality of death and the return of the body to the earth. It is a moment of surrender, accepting that to be reborn, one must first be consumed by the forces of nature.

The poem concludes with the image of "a young scribe" who "turned a fresh / Page, hesitated, dipped his pen." This scribe, perhaps representing history or fate, is poised to record the next chapter, the story of the speaker’s return and possible transformation. The hesitation suggests that the outcome is not yet determined, that the story of rebirth, repentance, and reconciliation is ongoing and uncertain.

"Flying from Byzantium" thus becomes a meditation on the tension between human pride and the humility required to reconnect with the natural world. The speaker’s journey from the opulence of Byzantium to the harsh, primordial landscape reflects a broader existential journey, where one must confront their own mortality and insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The poem's rich imagery and allusions weave together a narrative of loss and hope, leaving the reader to ponder the outcomes of such a profound internal and external journey.

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