Arthur Rimbaud’s “Antique” brings neoclassism into focus while detaching the reader’s eyes from their heads. Without the limitation of eye sockets everything is illuminated.
Imagery in Rimbaud’s “Antique”
The poem’s potency is fueled by imagery. The “Graceful son of Pan” is described vibrantly and the description attacks the senses. The poem does not have a defined setting or an accessible narrative because the story is given to the reader directly as imagery: sights, sounds, feelings. The poem’s ingredients have seemingly been blended together into a flavorful smoothie of semblance and surrealism.
Hybrid Movement in “Antique”
Rosanna Warren’s article in The Atlantic entitled “’Antique,’ by Arthur Rimbaud: A Close Reading” posits that “Rimbaud is turning a static block of prose and a static neoclassical myth into a form of action. And this action – erotic, pagan, numinous – unites beauty and ugliness, grace and wine dregs, seduction and danger, as well as female and male. All these elements come together in the hermaphrodite faun: a new body of love, a new music, and a new hybrid form of writing.” The newness of this “form of writing” is propelled by movement. The reader’s eyes “are moving” as the poem unfurls which mimics the “Pan” of Rimbaud’s camera from the head to the foot of the “Graceful” faun (lines 3, 1).
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Fangs?
As stated by Warren, Rimbaud’s description of the “Graceful son of Pan” becomes anything but “Graceful”. The hermaphroditic faun has “fangs” that “are gleaming” and a “chest […] like a lyre” which creates “jingling sounds” (lines 4, 5). The images glow and vibrate allowing the beast to resonate in the minds of willful readers who are invited to use all of their senses. The idealism of neoclassism is upended by a dark reality that permeates the senses and shocks the psyche. It may be suggested that a properly prepared shot of absinthe might help the medicine of this poem go down, but, nevertheless, the darkened creature dances like the eyes of the reader inviting participation.
It’s “Your” Interpretation
Rimbaud seems to double talk throughout the piece with the use of the second-person pronoun, “your” (lines 4, 5, 6). The speaker of the piece is obviously addressing the “son of Pan”, but he also seems to be speaking to the reader. It might be argued that Rimbaud is commenting on the elasticity of human sexuality, especially when he mentions that the “double / sex sleeps” in “Your / chest”. It is not a leap to consider the “double / sex” as an extension of one’s heart. Rimbaud’s sexual escapades are no secret, so commentary on the duplicitous nature of human desire through the vehicle of a mythological beast seems to fit just right.
Illuminating Incomprehensibility
Arguably, much of Rimbaud’s final work, “Illuminations”, is “incomprehensible”, but this poem lends itself to individual interpretation. More important that the poem’s ability to be understood is how it stays in the reader’s mind, sparking a powder keg of synapses that might have otherwise remained locked in a dark armory in the recesses of the reader’s mind. See what you want, believe what you will, and don’t forget to kick it with the green fairy, if not literally, then through the imagination of a young man whose writing bought him immortality.
Sources:
- Mendelsohn, Daniel. "Arthur Rimbaud’s Brief Career." The New Yorker. 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
- Warren, Rosanna. ""Antique," by Arthur Rimbaud - Magazine - The Atlantic." The Atlantic — News and Analysis on Politics, Business, Culture, Technology, National, International, and Life – TheAtlantic.com. 2008. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
Matthew Birdsall - Matt is a reader, writer, teacher, lover, and liver, not necessarily in that order. He is eager to read your comments and hopes you enjoy ...
Join the Conversation