Heroes (poem) Summary

The poem begins by describing how heroes in stories are always moving on to the next major event. Creeley alludes to both Hercules and Aeneas. He then mentions one instance in which Virgil, the poet who wrote the Aeneid, gave Aeneas one instance of humanness when he sought to find a way to go to the underworld to see his father. He quotes the priestess Sibyl, in Latin, who tells Aeneas that dying is relatively easy, but returning is where the real work lies. Creeley announces himself as the speaker of the poem, then says that Virgil is long dead, but these hero narratives (Aeneas, Hercules) endure. He ends the poem by stating that these stories continue, as the world awaits heroes like them, and their struggles can still compel readers into action.