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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"A Paris Blackbird" by Laure-Anne Bosselaar is a contemplative poem that draws a profound parallel between the unnoticed beauty and persistence of a Parisian blackbird and an anonymous Greek bust in the Louvre. Through vivid imagery and a keen sense of observation, Bosselaar explores themes of obscurity, beauty, and the value of the uncelebrated in the bustling city of Paris and the corridors of history. The poem opens with a scene along the Seine's left bank, where a blackbird, described as "scruffy," chooses an unlikely spot by a chimney pot on a hotel's mansard roof to sing his "April a cappella." The choice of the blackbird's location, away from the chestnut trees by the river, where his chances of being heard or attracting a mate would presumably be higher, underscores a sense of isolation and the purity of artistic expression for its own sake. The bird's song, unique and unrepeated, represents the essence of creativity unfettered by the desire for recognition or reward. Bosselaar's depiction of the blackbird's song soaring over the Parisian landscape, "cut by taxis, cars and trucks coughing through the Parisian rush," contrasts the natural beauty and persistence of the bird's music with the noise and chaos of city life. This juxtaposition highlights the poem's underlying contemplation of the unnoticed or overlooked sources of beauty and meaning in a world preoccupied with the rush and hustle of daily existence. Transitioning to the right bank of the Seine, the speaker ventures into the Louvre, moving past renowned artifacts and artworks to find solace in the quiet corner of the Greek Hall. The focus shifts to the bust of an old woman, labeled "Anonymous, Greek, 11 BC." This unnamed woman, "weary, terrible with banality," yet poised as if about to sing, becomes a metaphor for the countless unnamed individuals who have contributed to history and culture but remain unrecognized and unnamed. The contrast between the crowds flocking to the Venus de Milo, admiring her renowned beauty, and the speaker's solitary contemplation of the anonymous bust reinforces the poem's exploration of value and recognition. The speaker's ability to "listen for the cry caught in her bronze throat" mirrors the earlier attention paid to the blackbird's song, suggesting that true beauty and significance may lie in the uncelebrated, the ordinary, and the overlooked. "A Paris Blackbird" is a meditation on the intrinsic worth of artistic expression and the quiet dignity of the unnoticed. Through the parallel stories of the blackbird and the anonymous bust, Bosselaar invites readers to reconsider where beauty and value are found, urging a deeper attentiveness to the world's hidden songs and silent cries. The poem is a testament to the power of looking beyond the surface, finding connection and meaning in the unassuming and the anonymous. POEM TEXT: https://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php%3Fdate=2013%252F04%252F06.html
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BRITISH GALLERIES by ANDREW MOTION HISTORICAL MUSEUM, MANITOULIN ISLAND by LISEL MUELLER AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM by RICHARD ALDINGTON THE DOLLS MUSEUM IN DUBLIN by EAVAN BOLAND AT THE MUSEE RODIN IN PARIS by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR TULIPS AND ADDRESSES by EDWARD FIELD THE HEAD ON THE TABLE by JOHN HAINES IN GALLERIES by RANDALL JARRELL HOMAGE TO P. MELLON, I.M. PEI, THEIR GALLERY AND WASHINGTON by WILLIAM MEREDITH JOE BRAINARD'S PAINTING 'BINGO' by RON PADGETT THE EMPEROR OF ICE-CREAM by WALLACE STEVENS PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 84. DHU'L JADAL WA'L IKRAM by EDWIN ARNOLD |
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