September Song
By Geoffrey Hill
Undesirable you may have been, untouchable
you were not. Not forgotten
or passed over at the proper time.As estimated, you died. Things marched,
sufficient, to that end.
Just so much Zyklon and leather, patented
terror, so many routine cries.(I have made
an elegy for myself it
is true)September fattens on vines. Roses
flake from the wall. The smoke
of harmless fires drifts to my eyes.This is plenty. This is more than enough.
Summary of September Song
“September Song” is a deeply unsettling and complex poem by Geoffrey Hill, originally published in his 1980 collection, The Collected Poems. The poem does not deliver a straightforward narrative, but rather a fragmented and chilling meditation on the Holocaust and the death of a child. It explores themes of loss, the banality of evil, and the difficulty of bearing witness to unimaginable suffering. The poem’s power lies in its refusal of sentimentality, instead presenting a stark and unflinching portrayal of a horrific event. It suggests that such atrocities are not isolated incidents, but rather a potential within the human capacity, a frightening realization that the poem forces us to confront.
At its heart, “September Song” functions as a unique and haunting elegy. It does not follow traditional elegiac conventions, but it certainly mourns a loss. The poem’s direct, almost clinical, statement that the victim was “undesirable” exposes the dehumanizing ideology that enabled the Holocaust. The speaker’s confession and “I have made an elegy for myself; it is true” is particularly striking, suggesting a profound sense of guilt, identification with the victim, and a shared vulnerability to suffering.
Analysis of September Song
Central Themes and Ideas
“September Song” tackles difficult and profound themes. Death, obviously, is central, but the poem moves beyond a simple acknowledgment of mortality. It explores the manner of death, specifically the systematic, bureaucratic killing that characterized the Holocaust. The lines “As estimated, you died. Things marched, sufficient, to that end” are particularly chilling. The language is cold, detached, and highlights the reduction of a human life to a statistic. The poem is not about an individual tragedy alone; it is about the terrifying efficiency of evil.
Another key theme is the power of language itself—and its limitations. The poem’s fragmented structure and elliptical phrasing suggest the inadequacy of language to fully express, or even comprehend, the horrors it attempts to address. The poem does not offer easy answers or resolutions; it presents a series of unsettling images and questions.
Analyzing Poetic and Literary Devices
Hill masterfully employs a range of poetic and literary devices to create the poem’s haunting atmosphere. Let us examine some key examples.
Imagery and Juxtaposition
The poem relies heavily on the power of imagery, and, crucially, on juxtaposition—the placement of contrasting images side by side. Consider the opening of the third stanza: “September fattens on vines. Roses flake from the wall.” The imagery of September—a season of harvest, abundance, and warmth—is sharply contrasted with the image of decaying roses. This contrast is deeply unsettling, suggesting that beauty and decay, life and death, can coexist, even within the same moment. The vibrant life of autumn is juxtaposed with the inevitable fading, mirroring the fleeting nature of existence and the shadow of death.
Allusion and Symbolism
The most significant allusions in the poem relate to the Holocaust. The phrase “Zyklon and leather” is a deeply disturbing reference to the gas chambers—Zyklon B was the gas used—and to the SS uniforms, symbols of the Nazi regime and the horrors it inflicted. This is not a literal description; it is a subtle yet powerful suggestion that relies on the reader’s knowledge of history. The effectiveness of this allusion is its understated nature; it does not shout, but whispers, leaving a lasting impression.
September itself can be interpreted symbolically. While traditionally a time of harvest and celebration, in the context of the poem it can represent a sense of decline and transition, foreshadowing the loss and death that are central themes. The smoke, drifting from “harmless fires,” can be seen as a symbol of destruction and the obscuring of truth, a veiled reminder of the crematoria and the attempts to conceal the atrocities.
Diction and Tone
Hill’s carefully chosen diction—the words he uses—is crucial to the poem’s effect. The language is precise, stark, and often unsettling. The use of the word “undesirable” in the opening line is particularly jarring. It immediately dehumanizes the victim, exposing the prejudiced ideology that fueled the Holocaust. The phrase “This is plenty. This is more than enough” at the poem’s conclusion is ambiguous and deeply unsettling. It could be a statement of resignation, or even a perverse acknowledgment of the scale of the destruction. The tone of the poem is not one of overt grief or anger, but rather one of detached observation and quiet horror.
Enjambment and Free Verse
The poem is written in free verse, meaning it does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or meter. This contributes to its fragmented and unsettling quality. Hill frequently uses enjambment—the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next—which creates a sense of disruption and unease. The lines “September fattens on vines. Roses flake from the wall” are a prime example. The break between “vines” and “Roses” forces the reader to pause and consider the unsettling juxtaposition of images.
A Closer Look at Key Lines
Let us revisit the opening lines:
“Undesirable you may have been, untouchable
you were not. Not forgotten
or passed over at the proper time.”
These lines are shocking in their bluntness. The admission that the victim was “undesirable” is a chilling indictment of the forces that led to their death. The poem does not attempt to excuse or justify the atrocity; it simply acknowledges the prejudiced mindset that made it possible. The assertion that the victim wasn’t “forgotten” suggests a haunting memory and a sense of responsibility.
The concluding lines are equally ambiguous and haunting:
“This is plenty. This is more than enough.”
These lines can be interpreted in multiple ways. They could be a statement of resignation, a grim acknowledgment of the scale of the destruction. Or they could be a disturbing suggestion that the atrocities were, in some perverse way, “enough” a chilling reflection on the depths of human cruelty.
Conclusion
“September Song” is a challenging, deeply unsettling, and ultimately rewarding poem. It demands careful attention and reflection, forcing us to confront difficult truths about the human capacity for evil. Hill’s masterful use of language, imagery, and poetic devices creates a haunting and unforgettable portrait of loss, memory, and the enduring power of trauma. It is not a poem that offers easy answers, but rather one that provokes questions and lingers in the mind long after the final lines are read.