Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Artifact" delves into the themes of legacy, memory, and the transience of human existence. The poem contemplates the future of the poet's physical and intellectual contributions after they have returned to the earth. Through its reflective tone and evocative imagery, "Artifact" prompts readers to consider the enduring impact of human creation and the potential for remnants of the past to communicate with future generations.

The poem begins with the poet's acknowledgment of mortality: "When this hand is gone to earth, / this writing hand and the paper beneath it, / long gone." This opening immediately situates the reader in a posthumous perspective, where both the poet and her physical creations have decayed. The "writing hand" and "paper" symbolize the tangible aspects of creative expression that, like their creator, are subject to the ravages of time.

Rukeyser extends this contemplation of decay to encompass the words themselves: "and the words on the paper forgotten, / and the breath that slowly curls around earth with / its old spoken words." Here, the poet suggests that spoken words, like written ones, are ephemeral, dissipating into the atmosphere and becoming part of the earth's natural cycles. The imagery of breath curling around the earth highlights the idea that even our most personal and intimate expressions become part of the world's ongoing history.

The poem then shifts to consider the future generations: "gone into lives unborn and they too gone to earth— / and their memory, memory of any of these gone, / and all who remembered them absorbed in air and dirt." This passage underscores the inevitability of forgetting, as each generation's memories are absorbed into the earth, continuing the cycle of life and death. The phrase "absorbed in air and dirt" suggests a unity with the natural world, where human experiences and memories become indistinguishable from the elements.

Despite this pervasive sense of impermanence, Rukeyser introduces the concept of an "artifact" that might survive: "there may as in the past be something left, / some artifact." This artifact, potentially a "pen" made of "bright metal by thousands unknown to me," represents the physical remnants of human creativity. The poet wonders if this pen, a product of many anonymous hands, might carry forward a "wish to speak a music," to communicate something of the past to future beings.

The poem then poses a series of questions about the pen's potential legacy: "Will it tell my? Will it tell our?" These questions highlight the uncertainty of what, if anything, will remain of the poet's voice and the collective human experience. The pen's ability to "arrive with that unnameable wish to speak a music" suggests a hope that some essence of the poet's intent and emotion might be preserved.

Rukeyser further explores the idea of future interpretation: "will some broken pieces be assembled by women, by guessing men / (or future mutations, beings unnamed by us)— / can these dry pieces join? Again go bright? Speak to you then?" These lines evoke the image of future archaeologists or other beings piecing together remnants of the past, attempting to reconstruct and understand the artifacts they discover. The possibility that these fragments might "speak to you then" reflects a hope that future generations can connect with and find meaning in the vestiges of the past.

The poem's structure, with its flowing free verse and lack of punctuation, mirrors the natural, unbroken continuity of time and the interconnectedness of all things. This form allows the ideas to unfold organically, creating a contemplative and introspective tone that invites the reader to ponder the long arc of history and human legacy.

In "Artifact," Muriel Rukeyser skillfully navigates the tension between the transient nature of human life and the enduring potential of physical artifacts. The poem's reflection on the future of the poet's work and the possibility of communication across time underscores the profound desire for continuity and connection. Through its evocative imagery and probing questions, "Artifact" challenges readers to consider the lasting impact of their own creations and the ways in which the past might continue to resonate with the future.

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