What is Pagan Poetry?

“Pagan Poetry,” by famous Icelandic alternative artist Björk, contains many secretive themes and hidden meanings. One of the recurring themes is how the narrator struggles through her darker memories, or rather taboos, and finds a particular memory of her meeting this man. Another idea that is consistently repeated is how the narrator knows another woman loves this man, however, the narrator keeps the information of their love secret through “ A secret code”or “Pagan Poetry.” The secret nature behind “Pagan Poetry” is the fact that the Pagans believe that Poetry is a restless spirits and that is roams and hunts because it searches for the audience. In Björk’s 2001 hit single, her restless love for this man cannot be stopped as she prepares herself to marry him. In duration of the song, one can experience such feelings as: looming senses of insecurity, a sense of moving or transcending forward, and a deep pain within the artist. Björk is able to communicate such feelings through poetic and multidimensional language. One example of Björk’s use of poetic language is in her second verse “He offers/ A handshake/ Crooked Five fingers /They form a pattern/ Yet to be matched” Björk’s use of imagery here portrays how the man when shaking her hand, their fingers form a pattern unlike those whom his fingers have intertwined with before. In addition to the previous example, Björk’s use of repetition in her 7th verse of “I love him” for a total of 8 repeats, followed by “She loves him” twice, is used to emphasize how much she loves him and how she cannot get the idea of love out of her head, yet after she thinks about this idea, she remembers that another woman loves him. This concept is used again in the 8th verse where Björk’s sings “ She loves him… I’m gonna keep it to myself… I’m gonna keep me all to myself.” Yet in this instance, Björk tries to convince herself that she must let the other woman have him, even though Björk and this man are very deeply in love. Lastly, Björk’s use of contrast in her 4th verse “ On the surface simplicity...But the darkest pit in me it’s pagan poetry” proves that although her confliction can be easily resolved by her letting this man go, Björk stresses how the “Pagan Poetry” concept looms and haunts her mind even when she sleeps “They pulsate (wake me up) and wake me up (pulsate) from hibernating.” Clearly, whether the artist Björk is referring to herself or another person, the idea of releasing the man from her memories and to give away to another person is a very simple idea, yet impossible for the woman to execute.