12-17-2014, 05:11 AM
The one problem I have with this poem is the association of the word "Black" with "Boredom". It's hard to picture any relationship between a once bustling city with the word "boredom". "Babylon of black" - what is the meaning of this line? Does Black represent mysteriousness, darkness or the ugly side of a big city? If so, then what is this "boredom" the poem is talking about? I can't help but to think the choice of word is poor and it makes the poem somewhat silly. I read the poem three times but still can't find any indication of apathy among the dwellers. Sure, it's a city in decline, but bored people would not "play alongside savages and barbarians" and "bring the forest to your breast" to mourn the dead.