Circe was a minor goddess/witch from Greek mythology with a talent for transforming people into animals. She's probably most famous for the supporting role she played in Homer's epic The Odyssey, and knowing a bit about this tale will help make sense of the poem:
-
The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, trying to find his way home after fighting in the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men stumble upon Aeaea, the island where Circe lives and which is populated by a number of "nereids and nymphs" (minor Greek nature deities who took the form of beautiful maidens).
- Circe plays a pivotal role in Odysseus's journey, although Circe herself is depicted as little more than a scheming seductress. She also infamously transforms Odysseus's men into pigs (though Odysseus convinces her to change them back).
This poem only vaguely alludes to the events of The Odyssey, however, diving instead into Circe's point of view.
In the first line, Circe addresses the "nereids and nymphs" of the island. Right away, the alliteration of "nereids and nymphs" elevates the poem's language; Circe's speech sounds rather epic and grand, perhaps as a nod to her tale's origins in classical mythology. It quickly becomes clear, however, that this poem isn't going to take a classical view of her story.
While there are some people who don't like "pigs," Circe continues, she's not one of them. Circe then lists off the various names people might use to refer to a pig: "the tusker, the snout, the boar, and the swine." The anaphora (the repetition of "the") of this list adds an easy rhythm and a playful tone to the poem, as if Circe is getting a kick out of her own story. It doesn't really matter what you call them, she continues; "one way or another," Circe declares, they've all belonged to her.
Notice how the end rhyme between "swine" in line 2 and "mine" in line 3 emphasizes what Circe's saying: that she possesses these pigs. The poem is written in free verse (meaning it doesn't use a regular meter or rhyme scheme), but occasional rhymes like this one emphasize key points. This language of possession, of bodily ownership, is meant to echo the language of sexual conquest.