Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SURFACES AND MASKS; 18, by CLARENCE MAJOR Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: You set out on a morning bright | ||||||||
You set out on a morning bright for the guild, as though you were an invited guest, about to take part in some important civic discussion, and who knows, you might do just that, after all. Here in the Scuola Dalmata, the caretaker mumbles to himself pacing between the card rack and the entrance to the upstairs room. Darkness is cold, and the only light comes from the static voice of Carpaccio's... George is calm, almost bored as he drives the spear into the neck of The Uncontrollable Forces of Nature. You think he is probably too late. Look! Look at the destruction he's already responsible for. Yet you see among the half-eaten bodies, skullbones of other animals, so you know you are not up against a discriminating beast! His fire -- like the fires of Hell heating the furnace of Heaven at the Ellenico -- is also ironic. George could not be more connected to the dragon than he is by the straightness of his spear. The serenity behind him in the land and the sky, even in the straight still trees, and the bright little buildings, and in the calm water of the river (more a medieval Tuscan virtu than Venetian!), are as much connected to the dramatic turn of events, the sharp abrupt lines created by George's horse, the spear, as to the bleeding dragon, George himself. And this is where the discussion begins. But what you are not aware of is this: a lion has followed a man into the scuola and when you turn and see this for yourself you know why the others who've just gathered here are now running in every direction -- some upstairs, others toward the door. The Lion-Man is old. He uses a walking stick to walk. You see the caretaker's fear grow as he trembles. A group of monks that has just entered turns and returns to the fondamenta. Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-0271, www.cc.press.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE SYNCOPATED CAKEWALK by CLARENCE MAJOR REVELATION AT CAP FERRAT by CLARENCE MAJOR SAND FLESH AND SKY by CLARENCE MAJOR A GUY I KNOW ON 47TH AND COTTAGE by CLARENCE MAJOR AGING TOGETHER by CLARENCE MAJOR AT THE ZOO IN SPAIN by CLARENCE MAJOR ATELIER CEZANNE by CLARENCE MAJOR BALLROOM DARK by CLARENCE MAJOR |
|