My Sad Captains
By Thom Gunn, English, 1929 - 2004
One by one they appear in
the darkness: a few friends, and
a few with historical
names. How late they start to shine!
but before they fade they stand
perfectly embodied, all
the past
lapping them like a
cloak of chaos. They were men
who, I thought, lived only to
renew the wasteful force they
spent with each hot convulsion.
They remind me, distant now.
True, they
are not at rest yet,
but now that they are indeed
apart, winnowed from failures,
they withdraw to an orbit
and turn with disinterested
hard energy, like the stars.
Source: Collected Poems (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1994)
“Let’s have one other
gaudy night. Call to me
All my sad captains.
Fill our bowls once more.
Let’s mock the
midnight bell.”
But why captains? Captains could be those who steer us to our
destinations as the leader of the ship. It might also be referring to these
people as having once been seen as role models. There is some evidence that
Gunn had in mind those such as Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Caravaggio
and even Napoleon Bonaparte. Quite a mix! He was an admirer of Jean-Paul Sartre
which chimes in with the existentialist attitude in this poem.
I'm listening to the original version of Walk Away Renée as written and recorded by The Left Banke in 1966! Listen here.
10 comments:
I couldn't easily find a date for this poem, but it in some aspects reminds me of the work of the war poets, who sometimes realized the dual nature, bravery and futility, of the soldiers.
--Jim
That really is an unusual poem and writing! I love the comparison between the mariners and the stars. Interesting. Have a wonderful day- Diana
What do you think this line means:
"They were men who, I thought, lived only to
renew the wasteful force they spent with each hot convulsion."
Jim: I think it's from the late fifties, maybe 1960. Your analogy is quite insightful I would say. Very often a work like this can be successful on more than one level and the reader may not even be aware of other meanings!
Diana: It's really quite a deep and thoughtful piece of writing. Like so much of the better stuff it requires some work to appreciate it. Have a good weekend yourself!
Hels: That's difficult. I think he's referring to the main theme of the poem: that the lives of these men shone brightly and, despite all of their efforts, it didn't amount to anything lasting. And I think he's wrong. You couldn't say that about, for example, Elvis Presley. That particular legacy still shines bright (but maybe that's what Gunn meant with his analogy?)
Hi Bazza - I hadn't come across Thom Gunn before ... so thank you for introducing me ... I enjoy poetry ... but need at some stage to explore more as I'm a complete novice ... still reading blogs helps. Take care and stay safe in these difficult times. Hilary
Hilary: A really good introduction to poetry is The Ode Less Travelled by the ubiquitous Stephen Fry. As one might expect, it's a really good read.
Thon Gunn is difficult and not instantly appealing - but I like this one!
OMG..."The Ode Less Traveled"... that's a brilliant title!
And this is a brilliant poem. Very thought-provoking, but I don't know that I agree with the poet's point of view. All lives, even the lives of the most talented, the "brightest and best stars" among us, eventually come to an end, but that doesn't mean those lives lose all meaning once they're gone. His ideas strike me as being a touch nihilistic.
Take care of yourselves, and happy new year!!!
Susan: I tend to agree with you, although I really appreciate the imagery used in this particular poem. Thom Gunn was a bit of a misery-guts!
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