Summary
Stanza 1
Elegies are verses crafted to mourn the passing of a soul. In "An African Elegy," however, death is not tangible but metaphorical. Here, the speaker grieves over the loss of a fragment of his own being. The opening stanza paints a vibrant tableau populated by exotic African wildlife—majestic wildebeests, striking zebras, mighty elephants, and the elusive okapi, a creature reminiscent of a giraffe found amidst the Congo's lush terrain. Swahili people, hailing from the Bantu lineage of Eastern and Central Africa, form an integral connection. Duncan draws a vivid parallel between the "marvelous" jungle, teeming with life, and the "mind's natural jungle." Initially, "marvelous" evokes a sense of wonder, yet as the poem unfurls, it acquires a more foreboding tone. The ceremonial dances and hunting traditions of the Congolese men and women weave a tapestry of mystique and foreboding, where the specter of death lingers omnipresent.
Stanza 2
Building upon the imagery of death introduced in the previous stanza, Duncan breathes life into death, depicting it as "the dog-headed man zebra-striped, enshrouded in silence, who strides like a lion cloaked in ebony." This portrayal could well represent one of the hunters in its literal sense. Throughout the poem, Duncan imbues dog imagery with a multitude of meanings, painting death as a loyal companion, a guiding spirit, and an intimidating force simultaneously. The speaker entwines this portrayal of death with British author Virginia Woolf, who met her end in the River Ouse's watery embrace. Death beckons Woolf back to the river's depths to fulfill her tragic destiny. Woolf, wrestling with melancholy and emotional turmoil, is portrayed through dreamlike, ethereal, and cryptic imagery, evoking empathy from the speaker for her inner struggles. Towards the stanza's conclusion, Woolf's fate is likened to Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet, who succumbs to madness and meets a watery demise. These figures metamorphose into symbols for humanity, whose "tortures" the speaker perceives as "absolved in the fog, dispersed in Death’s forests, forgotten." Here, death emerges as both liberator and inevitable part of the natural cycle. Intriguingly, the name "Woolf" echoes the "wolf," an animal intricately linked to the dog.
Stanza 3
From observing his surroundings in earlier stanzas, the speaker now reveals his longing: "I am waiting this winter for the more complete black-out." Such imagery, along with subsequent ones, springs from the speaker's subconscious, inviting varied interpretations. Symbolic visuals do not offer straightforward correlations to external ideas; instead, they unlock a world of associations, both personal and universal. "Negro armies in the eucalyptus" is an enigmatic image, hinting at anticipation. But who is the "us" the speaker mentions? Interpreted as a commentary on homosexuality, "us" might signify the marginalized gay community. Alternatively, it could represent individuals who've endured similar suffering to the speaker, akin to Virginia Woolf. Lastly, the "us" might encompass all of humanity. Once again, the presence of dogs, depicted as "hounds," emerges. A contradiction in the speaker's desire surfaces—yearning for "hounds, women, and birds to retreat to their forests and grant us solitude," yet these same images are linked to absolution from torment.
Stanza 4
In this stanza, a ritual unfolds where Negro princes partake of the speaker's blood from chalices fashioned by rhinoceros bones, weaving magic to "tie and twist [him] like a rope." These lines resonate with Spanish poet Frederico Garcia Lorca's "El Rey de Harlem." Duncan elucidates this scene as a sado-masochistic rite, casting the speaker as the willingly submissive victim. He identifies with the "Kings"—"as giant Kings we gathered and devoured her blazing hands and feet," perhaps transformed through the haze of marijuana's psychoactive embrace. Invoking "moonbar"...
(This entire section contains 1122 words.)
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and "clarinet" as talismans—objects imbued with mystical significance—Duncan, a scholar of occult practices and alchemy, often draws from these arenas in his verse. Moonbar, a lustrous gemstone with pale blue, green, and gold hues, is deemed magical. The imagery of burning hands and feet reappears, alluding to Orpheus, son of Apollo and muse Calliope, dismembered by Dionysus' fervent followers. The closing lines underscore the ritual's symbolic essence. The speaker suggests that the internal landscape, the "dark continent of my breast," mirrors the peculiar and tormenting scene depicted.
This stanza delves into the inevitable journey towards death. The phrase “the rustling electric” metaphorically captures the essence of life itself, the vibrant energy that breathes life into the living universe. Desdemona, the ill-fated wife of Othello from Shakespeare’s Othello, holds profound meaning for the speaker. As a tragic victim, she is murdered by her husband in a fit of jealousy fueled by suspicions of infidelity. Her lamentations “within our bodies” heighten the poem’s underlying theme of victimhood. Yet, her dual role as a warning against “this towering Moor of self” and a lamentation for her separation from him suggests a complex, intertwined existence where humanity is both victimized and complicit. Duncan's use of the word “catches” echoes through his other works, offering dual interpretations: it can refer to what is ensnared, as in a net of “catches,” or the act of being ensnared itself.
Stanza 6
In this stanza, the speaker's identity melds with others, evoking images of black figures and rhino-horn goblets once again. Duncan clarifies his symbolism, drawing parallels between “halls / of blood that I call forests” and the “dark / and shining caverns where / beats heart and pulses brain, / in jungles of my body.” The figure of Othello—“striped black and white”—captures the speaker’s intricate desires. Othello, a man of virtue overwhelmed by jealousy and fury, mirrors the speaker’s emotional crescendo. Repeatedly invoking “I,” the speaker reaches an ecstatic intensity, perceiving himself “as black as Orpheus,” possibly alluding to the French film Orphé noire, which reimagines Orpheus’s tale. Identifying with Orpheus resonates, as Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope, wielded the power to soothe the wild with his artful melodies.
Stanza 7
This stanza finds the speaker reconciling with Death. The hound reappears, now embodying a cathartic release for the speaker. Emerging souls rise from “all of the empty,” a liminal void. Symbols of insatiable longing, “that never filld pocket,” and the relentless cycle of existence, “seeing nowhere / the final sleep,” highlight the eternal struggle against mortality.
Stanza 8
This stanza broadens the speaker’s vision to a universal scale. Duncan portrays “the halls of Africa” as an emblem of “the marvelous,” a realm both coveted and feared. These concluding images articulate the futility of love, with “seas / disturbd turn back upon their tides / into the rooms deserted at the roots of love.” A literal realization of the previous stanza’s metaphorical “bird-faced children crawl[ing] out of their fathers” emerges; “There is no end.” The final image of “tired sirens / com[ing] up from the water not to be touchd” emphasizes the tangled web of human desire.