Summary

"Fernando Pessoa's Epithalamium sets itself apart from other Portuguese epithalamiums not only due to its overtly erotic treatment of the theme but also because of its general nature—featuring an anonymous bride, a wedding without a specified date, and an unspecified location."

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"The second poem, Epithalamium, represents the Roman concept of the sexual world. It is brutal, like all colonial emotions, animalistic, like all natural things when they are secondary, as they were for men such as the Romans, who were animals directing a state. In this poem, there is no metaphysics. In this poem, there could be no perversity. The setting, as in the poem Antinous, is unrelated to the theme. A vulgar Christian wedding provides the backdrop; against this unimaginative black backdrop, the Roman instinct stands out like a naked monster born from the world." — Rita Lopes, Teresa (1990). Pessoa por Conhecer - Textos para um Novo Mapa. Lisboa: Estampa

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Fernando Pessoa, one of the greatest poets in Portuguese and world literature, is renowned for his complex literary work, in which he employs multiple identities, known as heteronyms, to explore different poetic and philosophical perspectives. One of his most interesting and significant poems is "Epithalamium," which reflects a raw and brutal view of sexual concepts, particularly through the lens of the Roman mindset. Though less well-known than some of his more widely discussed poems, such as those attributed to his heteronyms Alberto Caeiro or Álvaro de Campos, "Epithalamium" offers a powerful analysis of the Roman view of sex and marriage, using symbolism that evokes the brutality and animality of human instinct.

The word "Epithalamium" itself has Greek origins and refers to a poem written specifically for a wedding ceremony, often celebrating the union between two individuals and their new future together. However, in the case of Fernando Pessoa, the choice of this title is highly ironic, as the poem is far from a romantic celebration of marriage. On the contrary, it offers a grim and visceral view of marriage, reflecting the Roman perspective that emotions and sexual desires were secondary to the functioning of society and the state.

In this poem, Pessoa captures the essence of the Roman instinct, characterizing it as "brutal" and "animalistic," echoing what he believed to be the Romans' view of sex and human emotions. Marriage, in this context, is not a spiritual or emotional union, but rather a functional, almost ritualistic act, a biological and social necessity devoid of metaphysical adornments. Instead of celebrating the union of souls or the creation of a new life together, the poem emphasizes the rawness of sexual desire and how it is portrayed as a primary instinct, detached from any form of spirituality or emotional elevation.

Pessoa's critique of Christian marriage, or the vulgarity he attributes to this type of union, lies at the heart of "Epithalamium." For Pessoa, the Christian union, in its most traditional form, was a restricted, unimaginative setting, devoid of a deep connection to human instinct. He considers it a "dark backdrop" that serves only to highlight what he calls the "Roman instinct," which emerges as a "naked monster." This contrast between the restraint of Christian marriage and the primitive, uninhibited explosion of Roman desire is one of the poem's most powerful images.

The use of the image of the "naked monster" is particularly revealing of Pessoa's vision. Nudity symbolizes the purity of animality, the absence of civilizational adornments or social constraints. Sexual desire is exposed in its rawest and unmitigated form, strongly contrasting with what would be expected from an epithalamium, traditionally associated with the celebration of love and union. Instead, Pessoa's poem defies these expectations, presenting desire as something intrinsically linked to brutality and domination, characteristics often associated with the Roman Empire and its militaristic, expansionist culture.

The absence of metaphysics in the poem is another key element that reflects Pessoa's materialistic view on the subject. There is no place for spiritual elevation or the transcendental in the experience of Roman desire, as he describes it. Sex, here, is devoid of any meaning beyond the act itself, a biological function that requires no moral or philosophical explanation. The rejection of metaphysics in "Epithalamium" can be seen as a reflection of Pessoa's criticism of attempts to spiritualize or romanticize what, for him, was essentially an animal instinct.

This poem, therefore, engages with a recurring theme in Pessoa's work: the tension between man's natural instinct and the social constructions that try to domesticate or suppress these impulses. Although marriage is a socially sanctioned institution and often idealized as a sacred union, Pessoa presents a perspective in which the emotions underlying this ritual are much darker and more primitive. By removing the layers of idealization that often accompany marriage, especially in the Christian tradition, Pessoa reveals the raw, and in many ways, disturbing face of human sexual instinct.

"Epithalamium" can also be read as a critique of how societies, both ancient and modern, treat sexual desire. While the Romans, according to Pessoa's view, accepted desire as an inevitable and inescapable part of life, modern societies, especially under the influence of Christian morality, often try to regulate or suppress these impulses. The "vulgar Christian marriage," as he describes it, represents this attempt to impose order and morality on what is essentially an irrational and uncontrollable instinct.

The setting of the poem, although a secondary part of Pessoa's view, also plays an important role in building this atmosphere of repression and contrast. Christian marriage, as a social rite, is depicted as a façade, a stage on which true human instincts are disguised or ignored. The true essence of desire, however, cannot be completely contained, inevitably emerging as the "naked monster" Pessoa describes.

Ultimately, Fernando Pessoa's "Epithalamium" is a work that demystifies marriage and sexual desire, presenting them in their rawest and most stripped-down form. Through his analysis of the Roman instinct and Christian marriage, Pessoa explores the complex relationship between humans and their most basic impulses, offering a critical and often unsettling view of how society tries to control what is, at its core, uncontrollable. As in much of his work, Pessoa challenges us to confront the uncomfortable truths of human nature and reconsider how we relate to our emotions and instincts.