Volume 0234

ICONS & ERB

The Archetypal Vision in the Works
of Edgar Rice Burroughs

by

David Adams

Part I

Primal Scene
(Homage to Tarzan)

At first we find that lean, dark image
Into which any likeness may be fitted,
A silhouette leaning forward in the tangle
Of spickled leaves like a panther at dusk,
A template for all our ancient dreams.

Such is the charm of the Arting vision
That we carry it with us always
Throughout the major and minor keys
Of the twenty-four volumes of jungle lore,
The wild being still living in our soul.

Near his breast the pendulous locket swings,
Holding a human mother’s face over
The tempered heart, while at his hip three arrows
Rest easy in a quiver to be drawn
To the bow-string of a solitary
Life keenly spied across the forest night.

In a moment the shadow will arise
From the spreading bough and slip into
A Sylvan glade where every beast will greet him
As  friend or foe, and strange cities
With lofty towers will find praise or curses
Upon the lips of lovely maids and savage men.

[This poem first appeared in ERB-APA #59, Fall 1998]

David Adams

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Tarzan name, in all its many graphic representations,
is perhaps the most recognizable icon of all.

For that reason, we have assembled
a mosaic of the 50 most common Tarzan logos.

Associated with this collection is our
Tarzan Logo Links Search at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0235.html

AHEAD TO THE TARZAN LOGO LINKS SEARCH
 

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