H.D. Needs To Give Some Mad Props

H.D.’s poem “Oread,” though small in length, is full of meaning. H.D. would not be able to fill her poem with purpose without the influence of a number of cultures and writers from all across the globe as well as through time.

The poem takes its title from a mountain nymph of Greek mythology. In its title alone “Oread” shows H.D.’s appreciation for classical texts. By writing about a 2000 year old creature in the year 1914, H.D. advocates for the importance of literary heritage in a modern world. Also, in “Oread,” H.D. directly addresses the ancient mountain nymph Oread by using imperative commands like “Whirl up,” “splash,” “hurl,” or “cover.” These imperative commands carry the ancient character into the present where the narrator is able to speak to them and where their actions still take an effect. It is clear that H.D. feels that ancient works are still prevalent today.

“Oread”’s influences extend beyond ancient Greece though. Its compact structure is very similar to that of Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” or the other very condensed imagist poetry that he inspired. Susan Stanford Friedman observes in H.D.’s biographical note that she almost married Pound, so it’s almost unavoidable that he would have had a dramatic effect on her poetry.

Friedman also cites H.D. as having been influenced by the Japanese haiku. “Oread” in particular seems to draw upon this Japanese tradition. While it doesn’t follow the five-seven-five rule of a traditional haiku, it maintains short, concise lines. Also, most haiku are themed around very natural phenomena, like a frog jumping into a lake, or Mount Fuji. Oread’s description of the “pointed pines,” the “great pines,” and the “pools of fir” coincide with this natural theme. Furthermore, in Japanese literature, especially Zen writings, the river has been a constant symbol for both change and power throughout history. When H.D. compares the forest to the sea she may also be alluding to this Japanese symbol. The time period in which H.D. wrote was wrought with change, and the ocean, like the river may be a poetic representation of the time. The strong language that H.D. uses to describe the ocean of trees as “splash[ing]” against the rocks and “hurl[ing]” the green trees mirrors the harsh world surrounding H.D. and the violent changes pervading it.

H.D. needs to thank the classic Greeks, Ezra Pound and the Imagists, and Haiku and Zen culture, because she couldn’t have done it without them.