Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Mortal Girl" is a profound exploration of transformation, divine encounter, and the quest for deeper human experience. Through vivid and mythic imagery, the poem portrays the journey of a girl who, after an encounter with a god, seeks to integrate this divine experience into her mortal existence.

The poem opens with the girl in a state of nakedness and solitude, signifying vulnerability and purity: "The girl being chosen stood in her naked room / Singing at last alone naked and proud / Now that the god had departed and his doom / Guarded her door forever." The departure of the god leaves her marked by the encounter, symbolically guarding her with an aura of divine protection and destiny.

The girl sings of her transformative experiences with the god: "When your white sun stood still, I put away / My garments and my crafts and you came down." This line suggests a moment of divine stillness and illumination, where she relinquishes her earthly attachments and becomes one with the divine presence. The imagery of transformation continues: "When you took me as a flame, I turned to flame; / In whiteness I lay on the mist-flower river-bank / When you as a swan arrived." Each encounter with the god—whether as flame, swan, or a shower of gold—transforms her, symbolizing different aspects of divine love and power.

The poem reaches a pivotal moment with the girl's plea for deeper human consciousness: "Make me more human, / Give me the consciousness / Of every natural shape, to lie here ready / For love as every power." This request underscores her desire to integrate the divine encounter into her mortal being, seeking to embody the fullness of human experience and potential. She wishes to be ready for love in all its forms, encompassing every natural shape and power.

The girl expresses her anticipation and readiness: "I wait in all my hopes, / Poet beast and woman, / Wait for the superhuman." This line captures her multifaceted nature, encompassing creativity (poet), primal instincts (beast), and feminine identity (woman). She waits for another divine encounter, reflecting a continuous longing for transcendence and transformation.

The poem’s imagery intensifies as she reflects on past divine visitations: "The god who invaded the gold lady, / The god who spoke to the naked princess, / The storm over the fiery wanderer." Each image evokes a mythic narrative, symbolizing different modes of divine interaction and the transformative power of these experiences. The city burning and the desperate tree within her suggest a landscape of inner turmoil and growth, shaped by the divine presence.

In the concluding lines, the girl embraces her divine madness and creative power: "All that the song and the apparition gave / To seal my mouth with fire, make me mad / With song and pain and waiting, leave me free / In all my own shapes, deep in the spirit’s cave / To sing again the entrance of the god." The sealing of her mouth with fire signifies the intensity of her divine inspiration, leaving her in a state of passionate creativity and anticipation. She seeks freedom in her multifaceted identity, deep within the "spirit’s cave," to once again welcome the god through her song.

"Mortal Girl" is a rich and evocative poem that explores the intersections of divine and human experience. Rukeyser uses mythic imagery to convey the transformative power of divine encounters, emphasizing the girl's journey towards greater consciousness and integration of her divine experiences into her mortal life. The poem celebrates the fusion of the divine and the human, reflecting a profound longing for transcendence, creative expression, and the fullness of being.

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