"Elegy in a Spider's Web"

I had never been a big fan of poetry. As is the case with many things you at one point detested, there is that one, whatever, that makes you re-evaluate your position. For me, it was an in class reading of Laura Riding's "Elegy in a Spider's Web." Per our TA's request, in a circle, each person read one line from the poem. The reading passed through the circle at least four times, and the repetition that was not quite a repetition (as the poem is repetitive without quite repeating itself) added intensity to what was already a haunting poem.

In reading her work out loud, there is an inherent participation in her passion and I think that is what changed poetry for me. The in class readings on Wednesday reminded me of that, as by listening to the readers, we became participants, and that is really cool.

I wanted to share this poem because I think it expresses similar emotions found throughout many of the works we have read in the course; passion, depression, frustration and bafflement. While I do not think the poem is a snug fit with the poems we have been reading, the tension is very reminiscent of styles that continually pop up.

I think Riding is grappling with the inexplicable nature of death. The absolute inability for comprehension of death and the impossibility of being able to create an adequate schema to even analyze it; she questions and questions, but they are incoherent inquiries without possibility for insight.

"Elegy in a Spider's Web"

What to say when the spider
Say when the spider what
When the spider the spider what
The spider does what
Does does dies does it not
Not live and then not
Legs legs then one
When the spider does dies
Death spider death
Or not the spider or
What to say when
To say always
Death always
The dying of always
Or alive or dead
What to say when I
When I or the spider
No I and I what
Does what does dies
No when the spider dies
Death spider death
Death always I
Death before always
Dead or alive
Now and always
What to say always
Now and always
What to say now
Now when the spider
What does the spider
The spider what dies
Dies when then when
Then always death always
The dying of always
Always now I
What to say when I
When I what
When I say
When the spider
When I always
Death always
When death what
Death I says say
Dead spider no matter
How thorough death
Dear or alive
No matter death
How thorough I
What to say when
When who when the spider
When life when space
The dying of oh pity
Poor how thorough dies
No matter reality
Death always
What to say
When who
Death always
When death when the spider
When I who I
What to say when
Now before after always
When then the spider what
Say what when now
Legs legs then none
When the spider
Death spider death
The genii who cannot cease to know
What to say when the spider
When I say
When I or the spider
Dead or alive the dying of
Who cannot cease to know
Who death who I
The spider who when
What to say when
Who cannot cease
Who cannot
Cannot cease
Cease
Cannot
The spider
Death
I
We
The genii
To know
What to say when the
Who cannot
When the spider what
Does what does dies
Death spider death
Who cannot
Death cease death
To know say what
Or not the spider
Or if I say
Or if I do not say
Who cannot cease to know
Who know the genii
Who say the I
Who they we cannot
Death cease death
To know say I
Oh pity poor pretty
How thorough life love
No matter space spider
How horrid reality
What to say when
What when
Who cannot
How cease
The knowing of always
Who these this space
Before after here
Life now my face
The face love the
The legs real when
What time death always
What to say then
What time the spider"

--Laura (Riding) Jackson