The Conqueror Worm part 3, Stanza Two

 Now that we're a bit more acquainted with the language and the goings-ons of the poem, we'll try to absorb larger chunks. Here's the full 8 lines of the second stanza:

Mimes, in the form of God on high,

Mutter and mumble low,

And hither and thither fly —

Mere puppets they, who come and go

At bidding of vast shadowy things

That shift the scenery to and fro,

Flapping from out their Condor wings

Invisible Wo!

A lot going on here. Maybe we bit off more than we can chew. But let's try! So first up we got MIMES.

And we learn that the mimes are in the form of God on high. So that's quite the contrast, right? The Almighty is represented by these kind of lowly non-speaking characters. And, on top of that, they mutter and mumble low (note the contrast with God on high). So it's just some guys standing around and mumbling. But we also learn they hither and thither fly. They're running around making noises.

The next line tells us that these characters, again--the form of God on high-- are mere puppets who come and go at bidding of vast shadowy things.

So I'm getting some major Eldritch horror vibes. Like the earthly God/Gods that humans know are several tiers below these kinds of cosmic gods that live beyond the Universe. Like Azathoth and the Great Old Ones. Poe predated all that by a fair amount so maybe I'm in the wrong ballpark but what are these vast shadowy things?

They shift the scenery to and fro and flapping from out their Condor wings-- the California Condor has the largest wingspan of any bird in North America (nearly 10 feet!). So these massive dark wings which are kind of hard to imagine in the scene. Like--are they on the edge of the stage? Do they encompass the stage? I can't really see it but maybe that's on purpose because the flapping of the wings spreads

INVISIBLE WO!

And invisible wo seems important here because it's the first time Poe breaks the rhythm of the lines. This feels very punctuated. If I had to guess I'd say that the poem is saying that this shadowy controlling force produces misery. Like that's the purpose and function of this animating force that commands the Gods like puppets. 

He's a sad guy, this Poe. I mean he's really not a happy fella. If you thought the band was sad, just what til you see what they've got God doing! He's had to invent a tier beyond the unknowable and beyond the beyond to fully articulate how much pain and suffering is at the center of existence. Maybe. This is the play of hopes and fears. Anyway we'll leave it there for now. Things are going to get crazier.