Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Bankis of Helicon" is a poem by Alexander Montgomerie, a Scottish poet who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The poem is a celebration of the Muses, who were believed in Greek mythology to inspire and guide the arts and sciences.

Explanation:

The poem begins with the speaker invoking the Muses, calling on them to inspire his poetry. He describes the beauty of the landscape around him, and compares it to the fabled banks of Helicon, a mountain in Greece that was sacred to the Muses. The speaker then turns his attention to the Muses themselves, describing their powers and their importance to the arts and sciences. He speaks of the joy and inspiration that the Muses bring, and ends the poem with a plea for their continued guidance and support.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem is written in rhyming couplets, with each couplet consisting of two lines of iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme of "Bankis of Helicon" is AABBCC in each of its four stanzas.
• Theme: The poem explores the theme of inspiration and the role of the Muses in guiding and inspiring the arts and sciences.
• Imagery: The poem uses imagery of the landscape, including hills, streams, and groves, to convey the beauty and inspiration of the natural world.
• Tone: The tone of the poem is one of celebration and reverence, as the speaker pays homage to the Muses and their powers.
• Sound: The poem uses rhyme and meter to create a sense of musicality and rhythm, as well as to underscore the theme of the poem.
• Language: The language of the poem is formal and elevated, with a focus on conveying the speaker's reverence and awe for the Muses.
• Figurative language: The poem uses metaphor and symbolism, such as the metaphor of the banks of Helicon and the symbolism of the Muses themselves, to convey the speaker's message about the importance of inspiration and creativity.
• Structure: The poem is divided into four stanzas, each consisting of six rhyming couplets.
• Symbolism: The poem uses the symbolism of the Muses to represent the power of inspiration and the role of the arts and sciences in human life.
• Emotion: The poem conveys a sense of joy and celebration, as the speaker pays tribute to the Muses and the inspiration they bring.

Conclusion:

"Bankis of Helicon" is a poem that celebrates the power of inspiration and the role of the Muses in guiding and inspiring the arts and sciences. Through the use of imagery, metaphor, and symbolism, Alexander Montgomerie conveys the beauty and inspiration of the natural world, and pays homage to the Muses and their powers. The poem emphasizes the importance of creativity and the role of the arts and sciences in human life, and celebrates the joy and inspiration that the Muses bring.

POEM TEXT:

O Bankis of Helicon, quhair lerned quillis

Of poetrie, and of musicke als,

And on your braissis, quhair the musing rillis

Rynnis clere, and makis dolourous dals,

In silence soft, quhais echo heirly calls

The Muses to resort and mak repair,

Quhilk bene clepit the watyr laddis fair;

O ye divinest dames! that inspire

Our quill with music's sweetest fire;

Ye sacred sisters, heavenly queens,

That oft have graced our shady greens;

O let your sacred influence flow,

And fill our hearts with joy and woe;

And whilst we sweetly sing your praise,

Your blessed names in gold we'll blaze.

The laurell tre, the bayis grene of hew,

The mirtill, palme, and eik, maist eminent,

The myrre, and other trees of odour sue

Quhilk to Apollo were aye obedient;

Thir for to seik, bot gif ane wald be bent,

Ouer mony staithis and clymmyng craigis,

And dounie valleys, mony schill and slaik.

Bot on the bankis of your water cleir,

Quhair all the graces ar, and agit quhite,

That ever ane visitit with mortall eir,

Maist perfyte of quhom we may haue sicht,

Thair waitis the Muses in thair most delyte,

To grant thair grace, quhilk neuir was denyit,

Nor nane vnworthie euir haid it deseruit.

The first dame callit Clio, that can sing

The praise of princeis, quhais genealogie

Fra Cadmus sprang, quhome scho can so deping

That scho maist peirlislie dois on it prent,

The vther dame, Melpomene, that ment

Is for tragedie, quhais hie ingyne

The fall of Princis can full faire depyne.

Thalia for hirneis thir besy wrytis,

The laws of men, and quhat thair deidis mene,

Euterpe for hir armony delitis,

Alythia the verite to sustene,

Terpsichore garris mony dancit bene,

And Polimnia mony ordour set,

As may be sene in haill Orpheus jet.

O ye divinest dames! that inspire

Our quill with music's sweetest fire;

Ye sacred sisters, heavenly queens,

That oft have graced our shady greens;

O let your sacred influence flow,

And fill our hearts with joy and woe;

And whilst we sweetly sing your praise,

Your blessed names in gold we'll blaze.

O dame Calliope, that can indyte

Ane hie ingyne, and set it furth perfyte,

With aureat lippis, quhome Natur did indyte

Supreme in ingyne, and maist delytefull wyt,

Baith weill of word and als of deid full wyit,

O let thy grace our pen so sanctifie,

That we may write of thy nobilitie.

And thou, O saikles virgyn! maidin pure!

In quhais conceit was never spot of syn,

Bot in thy bosom cherist hast ay indure

The hevinlie gifits quhilk fra the Muses twyn,

Thou may be in our spreits continewyn,

That we may write, gif haplie it may be,

Some verse that may be worthie prayse to thee.

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