In the Iliad, she is described as the loveliest of the daughters of Priam (King of Troy), and gifted with prophecy. The god Apollo loved her, but she spurned him. As a punishment, he decreed that no one would ever believe her. So when she told her fellow Trojans that the Greeks were hiding inside the wooden horse...well, you know what happened.
The power of this poem lies in its subtlety - the IMPLIED sorrow and history and millions of losses - mourned for in the singing - in IMPLICATION the meaning is made stronger, more arresting. I like the way you've also implied pain, something as simple as throat pain as a microcosm for the wider pain of war.
I also wondered, at the time of writing, about the choice of "murky", as tea often isn't, but somehow that word seemed to insist to be included -- and I think it was a reflection of the murky ambivalence of the Remembrance Day message for me.
The power of this poem lies in its subtlety - the IMPLIED sorrow and history and millions of losses - mourned for in the singing - in IMPLICATION the meaning is made stronger, more arresting. I like the way you've also implied pain, something as simple as throat pain as a microcosm for the wider pain of war.
Posted by: London accountant | November 12, 2012 at 01:02 PM
Thank you, London accountant. You've seen things in the poem that I didn't consciously put there, but were definitely on my mind.
Posted by: Beth | November 12, 2012 at 01:32 PM
I also wondered, at the time of writing, about the choice of "murky", as tea often isn't, but somehow that word seemed to insist to be included -- and I think it was a reflection of the murky ambivalence of the Remembrance Day message for me.
Posted by: Beth | November 12, 2012 at 01:46 PM
Thank you, London accountant. Everything you see in this poem, I do not consciously put it there, but must be in my heart.
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