James Stephens gives us a short, riddling self-portrait of a being who refuses to be pinned down. Calling himself an ancient elf, the speaker claims every pair of opposites at once: creator and destroyer, helper and forsaker, water and fire, honey and sting. He is both trap and escape, desire and cruelty. The point is not to choose one side but to feel how slippery he is. He tells us plainly that looking for him means finding a different thing. His mood is careless, mischievous, and gleeful; he never says what he means, and his thoughts and eyes look opposite ways. The poem creates a bright, dancing, slightly eerie mood, as if a fairy-tale character is laughing just out of reach. For a first-time reader, it helps to imagine a voice that delights in contradiction and enjoys confusing anyone who tries to define it.
The Ancient Elf — Summary
I AM the maker, The builder, the breaker, The eagle-winged helper, The speedy forsaker.
I am the lyre. The water, the fire. The tooth of oppression, The lips of desire.
The snare and the wing, The honey, the sting ; When you seek for me look For a different thing.
I, careless and gay, Never mean what I say, For my thoughts and my eyes Look the opposite way.