The Rendezvous by James Agee: The poem and Analysis

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The poem

The horn of resurrection

     Globes world and skull with jubilance of sound:

Perfect, my soul and flesh

     Resolve from living sky and deathly ground.

Ah, true to our appointment

     You join me, that together we may rise

To love's eternity...

      But tell me: what has saddened, so, your eyes?

"Only that you, who loved me

      Have waited long in vain new love to share:

Before the blazing God

      That cloudy love has burned to clearest air."

"Be sad no more; forget me

      As now I can you: lost in God your soul:

Me, love's thin fever

      Could not beguile from death's white ruinous coal!”

The Analysis 

"The Rendezvous" by James Agee is a deeply spiritual and introspective poem that explores themes of love, death, and transcendence. The poem is structured as a dialogue between two voices, presumably representing a soul and a departed loved one, who have reunited in the afterlife.

The poem begins with a vivid image of the "horn of resurrection" filling the world and skull with the jubilant sound. This image sets the tone for the rest of the poem, suggesting a sense of renewal and awakening.

The first voice, which appears to be the soul, expresses joy at the reunion with the departed loved one, describing their resolution from the "living sky and deathly ground." This imagery suggests a sense of completeness and unity in death.

The second voice responds, acknowledging the reunion but also expressing sadness. The departed loved one explains that they are saddened by the realization that the soul, who once loved them, has waited in vain for new love. However, they also express a sense of acceptance and transcendence, suggesting that their love has been transformed into something purer and more profound.

The poem concludes with the departed loved one urging the soul to forget them and find solace in God. They suggest that while the fever of earthly love may have been fleeting, the soul's love for them was enduring and has now been transformed into a deeper connection with the divine.

Overall, "The Rendezvous" is a poignant and philosophical poem that explores the nature of love, death, and spiritual transcendence. Through its evocative imagery and reflective dialogue, the poem invites readers to contemplate the eternal nature of love and the transformative power of death.