About the Poet
Hilda Doolittle, known as H.D., was an American poet, novelist, and memoirist linked to the early 20th-century Imagist movement. Her writing frequently delves into themes like gender, identity, mythology, and spirituality. Drawing significant inspiration from Greek mythology, she used it to reflect on modern issues.
Analysis
Helen of Troy is a central figure in Greek mythology, known as the cause of the Trojan War and celebrated for her unparalleled beauty. In H.D.’s poem Helen, the speaker explores the hatred that the Greek people feel for her after the war. According to legend, Helen was considered the most beautiful woman in Greece. Her parentage is often linked to Zeus, the king of the gods, and either Leda or Nemesis. Some myths say Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda, resulting in Helen’s birth. She was raised as a princess of Sparta. As a young woman, Helen attracted suitors from all over Greece. Menelaus, the King of Sparta, was selected, and Helen became his queen. The trouble began when Paris, a Trojan prince, visited Sparta. When Paris saw Helen, he either seduced her or abducted her . Together, they fled to Troy. This led to the Trojan War, where the Greeks besieged the city of Troy for ten years.
All Greece hates the still eyes in the white face, the lustre as of olives where she stands, and the white hands.
The poem begins by stating that “All Greece hates” Helen, not only for her actions but for her physical appearance as well. This depiction of hatred is very different from the usual narrative surrounding Helen, where she is celebrated as the most beautiful woman alive, for whom men were willing to die. Over time, this admiration has turned into intense hatred. The speaker describes the specific features of Helen that are most despised—features that were once considered her greatest beauty. Her “still eyes,” her pale “white face,” her skin with an olive-like glow, and her “white hands” are all sources of loathing. The repeated use of “white” in describing her appearance suggests both innocence and a sense of emptiness or lifelessness. The line “All Greece hates” highlights how Helen’s beauty, once a blessing, has become a symbol of blame for the pain and destruction caused by the Trojan War.
All Greece reviles the wan face when she smiles, hating it deeper still when it grows wan and white, remembering past enchantments and past ills.
In the second stanza, the speaker delves deeper into the hatred the Greeks feel for Helen. They despise her “wan face” when she smiles, a gesture that should symbolize happiness and beauty but instead evokes disgust. The Greeks not only reject Helen as a person but also wish for her unhappiness, resenting even the possibility that she might find joy in the present or solace in memories of the past—whether those memories are good or bad. Helen’s smile, once a symbol of joy and desire, now only brings anger and grief. This transformation reflects how her beauty has become forever linked with the pain and destruction caused by the Trojan War. It reveals the intense resentment directed at her, as she is seen not as an individual, but as a symbol of the tragedy she is blamed for.
Greece sees unmoved, God’s daughter, born of love, the beauty of cool feet and slenderest knees, could love indeed the maid, only if she were laid, white ash amid funereal cypresses.
From the viewpoint of the Greek people, everything that once made Helen beautiful has now become detestable. They are “unmoved” by her presence, even though she is described as “God’s daughter.” This phrase highlights her significance and reminds the reader how much the Greeks’ feelings toward her have changed. Before the tragedy of Troy, Helen was “born of love,” implying her life was once fulfilling and admired, but that admiration has turned to hatred. The speaker once again describes Helen’s physical traits, which were once sources of love and admiration. Her “cool feet” and “slender… knees” are examples of her surface beauty that initially captivated men around the world. However, these charms no longer inspire affection. The Greeks can only forgive or “love” Helen if she were dead—her body reduced to “white ash amid funereal cypresses.” This stark image, evoking death and mourning, emphasizes the intensity of their resentment and the belief that only her complete erasure could reconcile the pain she is blamed for causing.