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HELIOS by H. D.

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H.

Poet
H. D.
Era
Modernist (1924)
Themes
death, doubt, hope
The PoemFull text

HELIOS

H. D., 1924

_Helios makes all things right:-- night brands and chokes as if destruction broke over furze and stone and crop of myrtle-shoot and field-wort, destroyed with flakes of iron, the bracken-stems, where tender roots were sown, blight, chaff and waste of darkness to choke and drown._ _A curious god to find, yet in the end faithful; bitter, the Kyprian's feet-- ah flecks of whited clay, great hero, vaunted lord-- ah petal, dust and wind-fall on the ground--queen awaiting queen._ _Better the weight, they tell, the helmet's beaten shell, Athene's riven steel, caught over the white skull, Athene sets to heal the few who merit it._ _Yet even then, what help, should he not turn and note the height of forehead and the mark of conquest, draw near and try the helmet; to left--reset the crown Athene weighted down, or break with a light touch mayhap the steel set to protect; to slay or heal._ _A treacherous god, they say, yet who would wait to test justice or worth or right, when through a fetid night is wafted faint and nearer-- then straight as point of steel to one who courts swift death, scent of Hesperidean orange-spray._

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

H. D.'s "Helios" explores the sun god as a dual force—capable of both nurturing life and causing destruction. He can reduce crops to ashes one moment and bring stability the next. The poem journeys through various Greek figures (Aphrodite, Athena, the Hesperides) to question if divine power can be considered just or if it simply overpowers us. Ultimately, even a "treacherous" god can rescue someone from death's brink with something as delicate as the scent of an orange blossom.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Helios makes all things right:-- / night brands and chokes

    Editor's note

    The opening line comes across as a confident proverb, but H. D. quickly undermines it. Night is portrayed as branding and suffocating the landscape — scorching furze, stone, myrtle, and bracken with "flakes of iron." The sun god is presented as a remedy to this devastation, yet the harshness of the imagery makes his "rightness" seem hard-fought and brutal rather than tender.

  2. A curious god to find, / yet in the end faithful;

    Editor's note

    Here, the speaker turns to Aphrodite, the Kyprian born off Cyprus, and the destruction she causes, reducing heroes to "petal, dust, and wind-fall." The phrase "queen awaiting queen" hints at a cycle of power and submission between divine and mortal women. Helios is described as "curious" because his faithfulness isn’t clear; it exists alongside bitterness and ruin.

  3. Better the weight, they tell, / the helmet's beaten shell,

    Editor's note

    The poem shifts focus to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, whose helmet provides better protection than the raw power of Helios's sun. The helmet, described as "beaten" and "riven," shows signs of battle, yet Athena "sets to heal / the few who merit it." The phrase "the few who merit it" carries a quietly harsh implication: divine protection is not given freely.

  4. Yet even then, what help, / should he not turn and note

    Editor's note

    Even Athena's protection relies on Helios taking notice of you. The stanza depicts the god physically adjusting the helmet — either resetting it or perhaps breaking it with a careless touch. The last two words, "to slay or heal," sit next to each other without any preference indicated. Just because the divine is paying attention doesn't mean they care; the outcome can swing in either direction.

  5. A treacherous god, they say, / yet who would wait to test

    Editor's note

    The closing stanza leaves the tension unresolved. The speaker admits to the accusation of betrayal but questions: when engulfed in true darkness and despair, who can afford to assess a god's moral standing? The poem concludes with the fragrance of Hesperidean orange-spray slicing through the "fetid night" like a blade — sharp, accurate, and revitalizing. In Greek mythology, the orange grove of the Hesperides symbolizes immortality, so the scent offers a glimmer of hope for survival, even to someone flirting with death.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone remains tense and uncertain throughout. H. D. writes with the focused intensity characteristic of Imagism — using short, sharp lines and vivid images — but the emotions conveyed are truly conflicted rather than simply detached. There’s a sense of respect for the Greek gods, yet a clear refusal to idealize them. The poem feels like a person grappling with a tough internal debate, reaching not a resolution but a form of practical acceptance.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Helios / the sun
Helios embodies divine power in its most indifferent form—able to scorch the earth and rejuvenate it in one breath. He isn't just a symbol of warmth or optimism; he signifies a force that transcends human moral boundaries.
Athena's helmet
The helmet represents earned, conditional protection. Unlike the sun's broad and impersonal light, Athena's gift is selective—it goes to "the few who merit it"—making it both more personal and more fragile.
Hesperidean orange-spray
The orange blossom from the garden of the Hesperides—mythical orchard at the world's western edge linked to immortality—offers an unexpected, almost instinctive reason to live. Its scent comes unexpectedly in the dark, slicing through despair like a tangible force.
Flakes of iron
Iron flakes remind us of both charred, fragile plants and the remnants of conflict. They link the devastation of nature to human aggression, implying that the harm inflicted during the night and that caused by battle share a common nature.
The Kyprian (Aphrodite)
Aphrodite embodies a force of dissolution instead of love—her feet are described as "bitter," and heroes crumble to dust and become mere whispers in the wind at her feet. She illustrates how desire and beauty can dismantle greatness.

§06Historical context

Historical context

H. D. (Hilda Doolittle) was a key figure in the Imagist movement, which Ezra Pound started around 1912 to focus poetry on clear, concrete images while eliminating unnecessary embellishments. H. D. stood out as the movement's most dedicated practitioner. Her work was deeply influenced by ancient Greek literature—she was fluent in Greek and translated Euripides—and she employed the Greek gods not just as decorative elements but as psychological and elemental forces. "Helios" fits perfectly within this framework: the sun god represents not merely a classical allusion but a genuine issue to contemplate. H. D. wrote during and after both World Wars, and her poetry consistently confronts themes of destruction, survival, and the reliability of any ordering principle—whether divine or human. Her later long poem *Trilogy* (1944–46) delves into these same questions within a wartime setting.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It reflects on the trustworthiness of the sun god Helios, and by extension, any divine or natural ordering force. H. D. explores three Greek figures—Helios, Aphrodite, and Athena—to examine the relationship between power and justice. Her conclusion isn’t straightforward: Helios can be both treacherous *and* a savior, sometimes at the same time.

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