incredible - the quad form somehow makes the keening more heartbreaking. Almost like a literal and physical blocking of emotion that intensifies the affect.
I was thinking of my great great grandfather coming to Australia from Tipperary and never going back, never seeing his parents or siblings again, and also the Irish tradition of having profession keeners as part of funeral practice.
When it's read aloud there is a halting effect. Slowing down of the reading and drawing attention to the structure of the words taxes the concentration and stops too glib a reading (not that I'm suggesting that anyone here would be reading in such a way, but there is so much input from so many sources, slowing perception and increasing concentration on an artwork brings the richness of the words themselves to us I think.)
In addition there is sometimes a productive ambiguity is eg line 2 of square 1 and line 2 of square 3.
Yes, exactly that tradition! The first quads were composed on a manual typewriter (can you imagine). Now I draw up grids in quad-ruled notebooks and it's pencil and erasers.
Particularly moving poem, Chris. (And so generous you are with your explanations.) The slow-down is important today. People are so used to the quick. But I love these poems...like taking the back off a watch and looking for the time.
Nice. Reminds me of Mark Roberts' recent work about ancestors who migrated to the Orange district.
ReplyDeleteYes. My mob migrated to Bathurst when there wasn't much of European settlement so a similar story I think.
DeleteSo poignant: "the longing seas of over there never seen again my daring darling daughterson"
ReplyDeleteincredible - the quad form somehow makes the keening more heartbreaking. Almost like a literal and physical blocking of emotion that intensifies the affect.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of my great great grandfather coming to Australia from Tipperary and never going back, never seeing his parents or siblings again, and also the Irish tradition of having profession keeners as part of funeral practice.
Deletethough why break up words as well as lines?
ReplyDeleteWhen it's read aloud there is a halting effect. Slowing down of the reading and drawing attention to the structure of the words taxes the concentration and stops too glib a reading (not that I'm suggesting that anyone here would be reading in such a way, but there is so much input from so many sources, slowing perception and increasing concentration on an artwork brings the richness of the words themselves to us I think.)
DeleteIn addition there is sometimes a productive ambiguity is eg line 2 of square 1 and line 2 of square 3.
love this cubism and daring word re-aligning and red and black is so very typewriter
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly that tradition! The first quads were composed on a manual typewriter (can you imagine). Now I draw up grids in quad-ruled notebooks and it's pencil and erasers.
DeleteYou're very generous Myron.
ReplyDeleteParticularly moving poem, Chris. (And so generous you are with your explanations.) The slow-down is important today. People are so used to the quick. But I love these poems...like taking the back off a watch and looking for the time.
ReplyDelete