Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "Be Careful What You Remember" vividly animates the statues that have long stood immobile and silent, infusing them with life and a desire to reclaim their origins. The poem begins with an evocative image of the statues "stirring on their pedestals," coming to life and breaking free from their static existence. This transformation from cold stone to living entities immediately sets a tone of magical realism, suggesting a world where the boundaries between the animate and inanimate are porous and fluid.

In the first stanza, Wilner invites us to imagine these statues, typically confined within the rigid constraints of museums and public spaces, now actively moving. The statues force their way out of the locked rooms of the Vatican, stripping off the "plaster-of-Paris fig leaves" and seeking to reclaim their wholeness, akin to the eunuchs of China’s final dynasty who carried their severed parts in jars as they left the palace. This powerful comparison underscores the theme of reclaiming lost parts of oneself, an act of restoration and defiance against the forces that have fragmented their identities.

The exodus of the statues from fountains and niches, described in the second stanza, paints a vivid picture of departure from the public spectacle. These once ornamental figures abandon their assigned roles in the "great composition" of urban life, embarking on a solitary journey that mirrors the displacement and return of refugees to their ravaged homelands. Wilner's language captures the desolation and determination of these figures, their memories etched in marble, as they traverse roads that lead away from the cities.

As the poem progresses, the imagery becomes increasingly poignant. The statues, regardless of their previous grandeur or purpose, now travel on foot, stripped of their heroic or angelic postures. They include a diverse cast: gods, angels, scholars, poets, and everyday figures like the boxer with a broken nose or the hooded woman burdened by her son's dead weight. The convergence of these streams of statues on the road to the mountains evokes a powerful sense of unity and shared purpose, a collective return to their origins.

The climactic moment of the poem occurs as the statues reach the quarries from which they were hewn, described as "the opened veins in the heart of the mountain." The natural imagery of an avalanche or earthquake underscores the magnitude and inevitability of this return. Wilner’s choice of words conveys both a literal and metaphorical closing of a rift, suggesting a healing of the natural world that parallels the statues' reclamation of their original form.

In the poem's denouement, the emptiness left behind in the urban spaces contrasts sharply with the renewed wholeness of the mountain. The fountains, squares, and galleries are now devoid of their marble inhabitants, rendering these public spaces eerily vacant. This stark absence serves as a reminder of the statues' journey and transformation. The poem closes on a hopeful note, with the mountain described as whole again, the great rift closed, and young trees growing thick on the slopes. This imagery of regeneration and new growth symbolizes a return to a natural state of balance and integrity.

"Be Careful What You Remember" thus weaves a narrative that transcends the mere physicality of statues, exploring themes of memory, identity, and the longing for wholeness. Wilner’s poetic vision invites readers to reflect on the ways in which we are all sculpted by our histories and the potential for reclaiming and re-integrating the parts of ourselves that have been lost or obscured. The poem's evocative imagery and profound themes resonate deeply, offering a meditation on the enduring quest for self-reclamation and the healing power of return.

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