I.
Dust to ash, in we breathe
Here we order leaves
from the chaos and disorder
of the murmur and the memory
Across the world, we transcend
as the inner dream descends
and the salt pillars fall
[the salt pillars fall down]
Let us cross the river
these Stygian depths
of our dreams
Let us cross the river
Virgil, Virgil
child of the damned,
son of the fire
and the memory
Do we descend
like the corpse
or do we rise?
Risen after residing
in the tomb
Here we reside by the side
of the dust
Here we reside in the fire,
conspiring with stitched and wired mouths
II.
Welcome to Elysium
welcome to the land
of the damned
the sinners and the speakers
Welcome to the paradise
The vernal graveyard
of the Lost Angel
III.
And to my Master he turned round his head;
"Ask him again," he said, "if more thou wish
To know from him, before some one destroy him."
What do you want?
I want to die
I want to die
Will you come with me?
I will come with you
Will you breathe with me?
I will breathe with you
In the present in the past
Kya tum mere saath aaoge?
In the garden and in the dust
Kya tum mere saath aaoge?
In Heaven and in hell
will you come with me?
Mein tumhare saath aaunga.
I will come with you
Amen
What do you want?
I want to die
IV.
And while we were advancing tow'rds the middle,
Where everything of weight unites together,
And I was shivering in the eternal shade,
Cover us in darkness
as breath fades into
the coldness of oblivion
Let us descend, let us transcend
into the voids of damnation
Forgive us in our damnation
Peccavi
Let us bow
let us pray
let us say
our blessings
in milk and honey
and wine and bread
and in bone and dust
we pray to the dead
Let the dead
hear our voices
Let the dead
hear our cries
We are skeletons in the dead land,
the wasteland,
we hide our bones in the loam
and till the bog
till the ash
The ash that fell from Vesuvius
in iron and blood
long ago
We are skeletons
in memories' wasteland
drifting through the River
Author notes
Theme: A loss of social values resulting in the descent into darkness. My standard theme.
Allusions: Much of this poem focuses on the Divine Comedy written by Dante (more commonly known as Dante's Inferno), as well as the mythological region of Hades. This poem pulls two quotes directly from the Inferno (Canto's 22 and 32). The poem also mentions Virgil, a Roman poet who is also fictionalized in the Divine Comedy, acting as the figure who guides Dante through the Inferno.
The salt pillars are a reference to the Biblical story of Sodom in which Lot's wife is transformed into a pillar of salt. The collapsing of this pillar is meant to express the collapsing of life.
The river is a reference to the river Styx in which Charon transported the dead souls across.
There's a reference to Christ's rising from the tomb.
The line
Here we reside in the fire,
once again regards the Inferno. In Greek Mythology, all souls venture to the Underworld. The Fire is a reference to the Underworld as well and the inevitability of it.
Elysium is the Greek mythological abode of the blessed dead. It was paradise. Elysium juxtaposes the stark, morbid images I portray.
What do you want?
I want to die
I want to die
This is a reference to the Petronius Sibyl in T.S. Eliot's epigraph of his famous poem, The Wasteland. In this epitaph, the Sibyl is asked, "what do you want?" and the Sibyl responds with, "I want to die"
Will you come with me?
This is a reference to Charon, the mythological figure who transports the dead across the river Styx. It is also a reference to Hades and to death.
Kya tum mere saath aaoge?
Hindi for will you come with me?
The other phrase means
I will come with you
Let us descend, let us transcend
into the voids of damnation
Forgive us in our damnation
Dante's voyage into the Inferno. This is a reference to everyone's personal descent.
In the present in the past
Kya tum mere saath aaoge?
In the garden and in the dust
Kya tum mere saath aaoge?
In Heaven and in hell
will you come with me?
For one, these contrast each other. The Garden is a reference to the Garden of Eden and the Genesis. The dust is also a reference to the Genesis as God condemns Adam to an eternity of dust and exiles him and Eve from the Garden.
Heaven and Hell---relatively obvious
Also a reference to the Divine Comedy's sections the Inferno and Paradiso (Heaven)
in milk and honey
In the Genesis, Moses led the Hebrews to the River of milk and honey.
and wine and bread
Reference to the Last Meal, the night before Jesus was crucified. It is this meal in which Jesus broke the bread and gave the wine. This is a contrast to the milk and honey which represents birth. The wine and bread represents death.
in iron and blood
A reference to Bismarck, a Prussian President who was also a warmonger. He gave a speech in which he used the phrase "iron and blood" to describe Prussia's power. I therefore compare him to Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that buried Pompeii Greece in 79 AD.
The River just refers back to the River Styx.
A contest entry
- Open To Anything At All by Poetic Rage.
450 points, ended June 2, 2007, 54 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - BEST OF THE BEST by Breaking Inside.
400 points, ended March 19, 2008, 12 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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this is great, alittle long, but good all the same.
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Wow Nate... this was long but very good... wow... absolutely amazing my friend! Great job! Rock on! xoxo Meg
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