Poetry · Chapter
Burbank with a Baedeker: Bleistein with a Cigar explained
The poem juxtaposes the decay of Venetian grandeur with the vulgarity of modern commerce, as Burbank, a cultured tourist, encounters the crass Bleistein and the faded Princess Volupine, reflecting on the ruin of time and the loss of nobilit
What happens
The poem juxtaposes the decay of Venetian grandeur with the vulgarity of modern commerce, as Burbank, a cultured tourist, encounters the crass Bleistein and the faded Princess Volupine, reflecting on the ruin of time and the loss of nobility.
Themes in this chapter
Time and Mortality
The poem meditates on 'Time's ruins' and the decline of once-great civilizations, symbolized by the decaying palace and the 'smoky candle end of time.'
Fragmentation and Modernity
The juxtaposition of high culture (Canaletto, the gondola) with vulgar modernity (Bleistein's crude posture, the rats) highlights the fragmentation of contemporary life.
Characters to notice
- Princess Volupine
Arrives at the small hotel, extends a meager hand to climb the waterstair, and entertains Sir Ferdinand Klein.
- Unknown Narrator
Observes and narrates the scene, including Burbank's thoughts on time's ruins.
Key passages
“The smoky candle end of time / Declines.”
The last remnants of time dwindle like a guttering candle.
Evokes the theme of mortality and the end of an era.
“The rats are underneath the piles. / The jew is underneath the lot.”
Rats scurry beneath the foundation of Venice, and the Jewish figure is at the bottom of society.
Reflects the poem's anti-Semitic undertones and the decay of the city.