Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser’s poem "Exile of Music" is a haunting tribute to the Russian composer Nikolai Naginski, exploring themes of loss, despair, and the silencing of creative expression. Through rich imagery and an evocative narrative, Rukeyser captures the tragic dimensions of Naginski's life and work, emphasizing the profound impact of his absence in the world of music.

The poem begins with a vivid, melancholic image: "In the last bus last night that dead musician / Rode, I saw him riding, all his orchestras / Lost past belief and under Egypt plowed / By rusty knives, the noise-machines of grief." This opening sets a somber tone, suggesting a final journey and the irrevocable loss of Naginski's music. The orchestras, symbolic of his creative output, are described as "lost past belief," buried metaphorically "under Egypt plowed by rusty knives." This imagery conveys a sense of historical burial and destruction, where his music, once vibrant, has been silenced and reduced to remnants of grief.

Rukeyser continues to delve into the sensory impact of this loss: "Thunder of the senses died, / Stabbed in their singing by a sleepwalker." The "thunder of the senses" suggests the powerful emotional and sensory experience evoked by Naginski's music, which has now been abruptly silenced, "stabbed" by an unconscious force, the "sleepwalker." This could symbolize the unawareness or indifference of society to the demise of a great artist.

The poet's lament becomes more personal and direct: "You were the man in whose voices the green leaf / Of form was singing, the bird riding the cloud." Naginski is depicted as a conduit of natural beauty and form, his music likened to a "green leaf" and a "bird riding the cloud." These images evoke a sense of vitality, growth, and freedom, emphasizing the life-affirming quality of his art. Yet, despite this vibrancy, the composer is trapped in his own exile: "Minotaur underwater in the cedar lake, / Naginski, you are your own exile of music." The reference to the Minotaur, a mythological creature imprisoned in a labyrinth, underscores the tragic isolation and entrapment Naginski faced, both personally and artistically.

The poem then presents a stark choice: "There were three roads going through that whole land: / The bird’s, the bed’s, or suicide." These three paths—freedom (the bird’s), repose (the bed’s), and despair (suicide)—represent the existential dilemmas Naginski encountered. The poet reveals his tragic choice: "He meant to drown his self. He drowned his life. / Silence lay down fanatically straight." Naginski's intention to escape himself ultimately led to the drowning of his life, a deliberate embrace of silence. This "fanatically straight" silence conveys a rigid, almost obsessive finality.

In the final lines, Rukeyser evokes a spectral presence: "I am your exile, he sang from his dead mouth, / From the water-maze reaching out his hand and one green leaf." This spectral image of Naginski, singing from beyond death, emphasizes the enduring yet unreachable nature of his art and spirit. The "water-maze" symbolizes his entrapment and isolation, yet his reaching hand and the "one green leaf" offer a poignant symbol of life and hope, suggesting that his artistic legacy, though silenced, still holds a fragment of vitality and beauty.

"Exile of Music" is a powerful meditation on the life and loss of Nikolai Naginski, exploring the intersection of art, despair, and the relentless pursuit of meaning. Rukeyser's evocative language and rich imagery capture the tragic dimensions of Naginski's existence, highlighting the profound impact of his absence and the silencing of his creative voice. Through this elegiac tribute, Rukeyser invites readers to reflect on the enduring struggle of artists and the vital importance of their contributions to the world.

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