Bacchanalians Comments

THE ANGUISH IN THE INNER SOUL - This is the real focus of your poem. The poem celebrates the crowning of an initiate with the laurel crown of the Bacchanalian reveller, and three things become one through this ceremony: wine drinking, poetry reciting and anguish of soul. I do believe this anguish is not meant to be seen as sadness or depression. Quite the opposite: a human being is crushed under the weight of sharing Bacchus's divine existence.His limited human status is being stretched to accomodate the divine spirit. Eventually he will settle into his new being, and the anguish will replaced by joy.