I did an ecological reading of this poem.
The Sartyr in
Greek mythology
Were the fertility daimons of the countryside or forest.
They were depicted as being half goat half human. The Satyr, could represent a
harmonious relationship between nature and man The poet also compares the Satyr
to sandstone which is a rock made from consolidated sands, also implying that
the it was a successful joining of nature and man. In the poem the Satyr is beheaded which would
imply an end to the harmonious relationship. The speaker in this case would
represent humans. He comments on how nature lives without human interaction.
Once he “sit[s] without moving” he notices the birds, and the wind moving the
trees. However the speaker then describes nature dying or mourning, “ the sound
of a bird /Crying, and the sound of water that does not move….” The next few
lines of the poem I wasn’t sure how to interpret. If the speaker picks the dead
iris and waves it above his head, it
could be seen as a sort of triumphant gesture over nature. He then turns over a
stone only to discover “the armies of pale creatures” meaning that nature was
in fact not defeated?
Given the various references made to nature and animals found in nature ("small flowers", "sweating soil", "colorless birds", "furred creatures"), I definitely feel like this was the reading that Kelley wanted us to take from "The Satyr's Heart". However, one line in particular ("If I pick the dead Iris") confirms this type of reading for me. Not only does it support the nature imagery that had been introduced previously, it brings up the concept of death having claimed the nature surrounding the speaker. Combine this with the image of the stone statue of the Satyr missing its head, we can infer nature (as well as man's connection with nature) has been dead for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteBecause the dead iris she waves over her head is "little fanfare" (emphasis on 'little' in my interpretation, I think the gesture is meant to be seen as a somewhat futile one. So, right in line with your interpretation, the earth is portrayed as bustling with life while the speaker just watches and doesn't move. Then, "the armies of pale creatures who /
ReplyDeleteWithout cease or doubt sew the sweet sad earth" show up doing what we understand humans to do, and humans ourselves are left without much place in it all other than to simply observe (or destroy).