The Analysis Of The Bilingual Poem A Double-Headed Eagle Over The Kremlin Poem by William He

The Analysis of the Bilingual Poem A Double-headed Eagle over the Kremlin 
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A Double-headed Eagle over the Kremlin 
By William He 

With his penetrating eyes. 
The clinching interlocking claws, a gyrating wheel. 
He comes galloping down,  
Leaves the portrait of a double head,  
Tumbling loop around spire and silent reciprocating dive. 
The clustered lamps of Heaven that burn. 
An illusion in a flash. 
Ivan IV lost on the moon of calico birch. 
Ringing with the silhouette. 
On the Cathedral of the Annunciation,  
Cold quanta flow downwards from the sky-watering can. 

One casts wavy shadows upon the walls. 
The soaring arches lift him up on high,  
Angel's heart suffered a chilly jet. 
The steeples faded and seized by tarnished red flares. 
Solitary lights burning dimly in the palace,  
Man's divinity alive in stone,  
He stands at the edge of a purple twilight this night. 
He is hearing the moans before the dawn. 

He can discern the trend. 
He cautiously stretches talons. 
This is not the foretaste of a harvest worth,  
Piercing eyes and overflowing sense,  
The characters wrung out like dishrags from time to time. 
The peace garlands with the olive-bough,  
Gentle breath calms untimely storms. 
He soberly contemplates the earth. 
A soaring glory and a grief,  
In the sacred triangle curve. 

The bilingual poem 'A Double-headed Eagle over the Kremlin' by William He is a deeply evocative and complex work that demands close analysis. Through its vivid imagery, enigmatic allusions, and resonant language, this poem explores themes of power, history, spirituality, and human emotion. At its core, the poem offers a multifaceted reflection on the relationship between humanity and divinity, as embodied in the symbolic figure of the double-headed eagle.

The poem opens with a striking image of the eagle in flight, with its 'penetrating eyes' and 'interlocking claws' capturing the reader's attention. The use of the present tense and present participles ('clinching, ' 'gyrating') creates a sense of immediacy and motion that propels the poem forward. The eagle's flight is not just a physical act but a metaphor for power and dominance, as it leaves behind the 'portrait of a double head, ' a symbol of authority and control. The reference to Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible) , the notorious tsar of Russia, adds historical weight to this image, as the eagle is associated with the Russian royal family and its imperial ambitions.

The poem then shifts to a different perspective, that of someone standing on the ground and looking up at the eagle from below. The 'clustered lamps of Heaven' that the eagle passes through are an expression of the divine, and the 'illusion in a flash' suggests the fleeting nature of such encounters with the divine. The image of Ivan IV 'lost on the moon of calico birch' is enigmatic but suggests a sense of dislocation and dissociation from reality, as if the eagle's flight has disrupted the order of things. The 'silhouette' on the Cathedral of the Annunciation is a reference to another iconic symbol of Russian power, and the 'cold quanta flow downwards from the sky-watering can' implies a balancing force to the eagle's dominance, a source of spiritual and cosmic energy that flows from above.

The second stanza shifts back to the eagle's perspective, as it casts 'wavy shadows upon the walls' and soars through the air. The 'soaring arches' and 'angel's heart' suggest a spiritual dimension to the eagle's flight, as if it is seeking to transcend its earthly bounds. The reference to 'man's divinity alive in stone' suggests a connection between the physical world and the divine, as the eagle moves through a space imbued with human-made beauty and meaning. The final lines of the stanza, with the eagle standing 'at the edge of a purple twilight, ' create a sense of mystery and uncertainty, as if the eagle is contemplating something deeper than its immediate surroundings.

The next stanza shifts to a more somber tone, as the eagle 'hears the moans before the dawn.' This is a reference to the suffering and pain that exists in the world, the undercurrent of despair and longing that underlies all human experience. The eagle's 'piercing eyes' and 'overflowing sense' suggest a deep awareness of this suffering, as if it is attuned to the emotional currents that flow through humanity. The 'characters wrung out like dishrags' suggest a sense of weariness and exhaustion, as if the eagle is struggling to make sense of the complexities of human existence.

The final stanza brings the poem to a close with a sense of resolution and synthesis. The 'peace garlands with the olive-bough'suggest a path towards harmony and reconciliation, a way to overcome the conflicts and divisions that plague humanity. The 'gentle breath' suggests a sense of healing and soothing, as if the eagle's flight is a balm for the suffering it has witnessed. The final lines, with the eagle contemplating'a soaring glory and a grief' in the 'sacred triangle curve, ' create a sense of balance and wholeness, as if the eagle has found a way to reconcile the contradictions and complexities of the world in a higher, spiritual realm.

In conclusion, 'A Double-headed Eagle over the Kremlin' is a rich and complex work of poetry that rewards close reading and analysis. Through its evocative imagery, allusive language, and powerful imagery, the poem explores the themes of power, spirituality, and human emotion in a way that is both challenging and rewarding. Its use of the double-headed eagle as a symbol creates a sense of unity and coherence, even as it invites the reader to contemplate the mysteries and contradictions of life itself.