Sid Hamet
The title character in “The Virtues of Sid Hamet the Magician’s Rod” is, like many characters in Swift’s poetry, a thinly disguised allegorical character representing some real-life contemporary of the poet who Swift was engaging in public debate. Sid the magician is a fictionalized version of Sidney, first earl of Godolphin who committed the unpardonable sin of not reacting with enough enthusiasm to Swift’s petition to repeal a tax known as First Fruits. Thus, the poem’s tale of Sid’s rod made from honest English wood turning into a voracious serpent at the touch of his hand is an allegorical tale of the earl’s supposed corruption.
Stella
The character recurring most often in this volume is Stella. Like Sid Hamet, Stella is based upon a real life figure, but unlike the magician, she does not appear under a version of her real name. “Stella” is actually Esther Johnson whom the poet doubtlessly loved as much as any misogynist is capable, but from whom he alienated himself from any romantic relationship. The two were friends throughout much of Swift’s life, but he roundly rejected any notion of moving things past an intellectually engaged association.
Prometheus
The poem is titled “Prometheus” and tells of the myth of the ancient figure with that name, but once again, Swift uses poetry as a weapon of attack. The real Prometheus here is William Wood. Wood is a popular figure in the verse of Swift, showing up in other poems not included in this collection. One of those poems is titled “Wood, An Insect” so he almost certainly preferred to be compared to the legendary thief of fire in which he is allegorized in “Prometheus.”
Jonathan Swift
Swift was a man of legendary wit and, as witnessed here, equally legendary ability to take quite personally the slightest….slight. In the poem “The Author upon Himself” the full extent of the poet’s self-confidence in himself takes the form of a third-person observation and analysis which confirms that he is, indeed, not just one of the greatest humans on the planet, but also one of the most unfairly maligned and misunderstood as well.
