Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

Elizabeth -- Michael Ondaatje

Guest poem submitted by Kamalika Chowdhury:
(Poem #1708) Elizabeth
 Catch, my Uncle Jack said
 and oh I caught this huge apple
 red as Mrs Kelly's bum.
 It's red as Mrs Kelly's bum, I said
 and Daddy roared
 and swung me on his stomach with a heave.
 Then I hid the apple in my room
 till it shrunk like a face
 growing eyes and teeth ribs.

 Then Daddy took me to the zoo
 he knew the man there
 they put a snake around my neck
 and it crawled down the front of my dress
 I felt its flicking tongue
 dripping onto me like a shower.
 Daddy laughed and said Smart Snake
 and Mrs Kelly with us scowled.

 In the pond where they kept the goldfish
 Philip and I broke the ice with spades
 and tried to spear the fishes;
 we killed one and Philip ate it,
 then he kissed me
 with the raw saltless fish in his mouth.

 My sister Mary's got bad teeth
 and said I was lucky, hen she said
 I had big teeth, but Philip said I was pretty.
 He had big hands that smelled.

 I would speak of Tom, soft laughing,
 who danced in the mornings round the sundial
 teaching me the steps of France, turning
 with the rhythm of the sun on the warped branches,
 who'd hold my breast and watch it move like a snail
 leaving his quick urgent love in my palm.
 And I kept his love in my palm till it blistered.

 When they axed his shoulders and neck
 the blood moved like a branch into the crowd.
 And he staggered with his hanging shoulder
 cursing their thrilled cry, wheeling,
 waltzing in the French style to his knees
 holding his head with the ground,
 blood settling on his clothes like a blush;
 this way
 when they aimed the thud into his back.

 And I find cool entertainment now
 with white young Essex, and my nimble rhymes.
-- Michael Ondaatje
Deviating from the theme of poems remembered to a poem of historical
premise, I would like to submit Michael Ondaatje's "Elizabeth" (from
"There's a Trick With a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Poems, 1962-1978").
History is, after all, a sum of all memories.

In characteristic Ondaatje style, this poem explores several scenes with
still-life precision, each complete and powerful in its imagery, each
seemingly isolated at the outset except for the narrator's voice threading
through. Only as you read along, the impressions merge and the whole story
emerges with subtlety and depth.

But to me, on first encounter, a startling realisation lay in its hidden
historical references. This is a poem set in a retrospective slice of the
life of Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of the infamous King Henry VIII and Anne
Boleyn, often known as the Virgin Queen.

The theme of the poem itself is dark, rendered harsh when the poet uses a
coldly detached tone, infinitely harsher in first person narrative. This
poem stands by itself. Even so, perhaps the most compelling thing about it
is that it brings history out of books and into the ruthless light of
reality.

Kamalika.

[Notes]

The obvious characters in the story are Philip II of Spain, who ended up
married to Elizabeth's half-sister Mary I, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour
of Sudeley, and Robert Devereux, earl of Essex. Uncle Jack possibly refers
to Lord John Grey, and Mrs. Kelly could be Katherine Parr, Henry's 6th and
last wife, who was later married to Seymour and brought Elizabeth into their
household. Ambitious Seymour died in a gruesome execution without being
given a trial. Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London by Mary I,
and later went on to succeed her to the throne of England. Essex was a
favourite of the queen at court in later years, before she had to have him
put to death for treason .

[Links]

The whole story is told here:
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/eliz.html

Wikipedia on Queen Elizabeth I:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England

32 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

cheap caverta online said...

Hi,
Elizabeth is really very nice poem.. Like it.. Thanks fro sharing this poem..

marko said...

When you get approbation for an advance, the bank exchanges the cash specifically into your financial records. By and large, a reimbursement calendar is set aside a few minutes, and the installments are naturally deducted from your financial records on the planned day. Cash Advance

Unknown said...

People added generally than not are perpetually depression with their present money accompanying action with the anxious of developing and accretion ones admeasurement monetarily. Payday Loans San-diego

Unknown said...

On the off extrinsic that you apperceive you'll obviously activity as an eventual outcome of your keeping money evaluation, you could go precisely to a portion of the cash associations which acknowledge connected colleague in offering praise to people a detestable chronicle as a shopper. www.usacheckcashingstore.com/san-diego

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your nice post.This post is very helpful and costly.I am so satisfied to get this post article. I was anticipating get such a post which is exceptionally useful to us.Keep it up.I know something data,to know you can click here
Check Cashing

luckey.heart134@gmail.com said...

The vital thing you need to do is to settle on a keen choice to escape from this circumstance. Choose to change and change into a butterfly as opposed to a fly got up to speed in the payday improvement web. Precisely when a caterpillar is experiencing the adjustment in the bundling recollecting the completed target to change into a butterfly there is a battle. Payday Loans San-diego

Unknown said...

Payday credit suppliers all around settle on their choice in the blink of an eye issue you cash subject to the entire you need to get wandered from the total you get. Just get what you require, the less you procure the more conceivable that your application will be seen and the humbler the gage of interest you will amass. aaa1autotitleloans.com/chicago

Unknown said...

Tôi tình cờ xem một chương trình tọa đàm về nguy cơ mắc ung thư thời hiện đại trên VTV2 . Qua đó tôi được biết, những người có thói quen ăn mặn cũng có khả năng mắc bệnh ung thư vòm họng. Vậy xin hỏi bác sĩ, đối tượng nào nằm trong nhóm có nguy cơ cao bị ung thư vòm họng xin bác sĩ cung cấp thêm một sốdấu hiệu của ung thư vòm họng
Máu trong giấc mơ đại diện cho cuộc sống, tình yêu, niềm đam mê cũng như sự thất vọng. Nếu bạn thấy từ “máu” trong giấc mơ của bạn, thì nó có thể ám chỉ đến một số tình huống sắp tới trong cuộc sống của bạn mà không thể thay đổi.Vậymơ thấy máu là điềm gì
Dầu dừa là phương pháp hiệu quả giúp bạn nhanh chóng có một mái tóc mềm mượt và óng ả. Dưới đây là một số hướng dẫn cáchcách ủ tóc với dầu dừa
Bạn vừa quan hệ với chồng và đang băn khoăn không biết mình đã thụ thai hay chưa? Và thử thai vào thời điểm này có chính xác hay không? Vậyquan hệ bao nhiêu ngày thì biết có thai
Kem dừa là món ăn vặt được nhiều người yêu thích với vị kem lạnh kết hợp với vị thơm, giòn và bùi bùi của dừa tạo nên một hương vị khó tả ở đầu lưỡi.cùng tìm hiểu cach lam kem dua

MUSA77 said...


One of the essential central purposes of a payday credit is the pace at which the money can be credited to you. The cash you need can be interested in you in your budgetary alter around the same time that you make the application. This can give discriminating aide in the event that you have a transient pay issue and need exchange for spendable mixture a crisis.

MUSA77 said...


One of the essential central purposes of a payday credit is the pace at which the money can be credited to you. The cash you need can be interested in you in your budgetary alter around the same time that you make the application. This can give discriminating aide in the event that you have a transient pay issue and need exchange for spendable mixture a crisis.
Cash Advance San-diego

luckey.heart134@gmail.com said...

The borrowers ought to however understand that insignificance to pay the title credit can induce a driving forward loss of the vehicle. The aggregate left after the paying the unpaid decency of title credit may be communicated by the borrower. Payday Loans

luckey.heart134@gmail.com said...

In light of current circumstances, on the area that for the time span of the day the coffer will be dearer than the merchant. Plenteous of the time you will be furnished with a cash allude to by a coffer stars assignment that brains with a biggest of 10 to 20 bicycle applications constantly. auto title loans

Unknown said...

Finish beyond any doubt to the equivalence and reinforce the eagerness with the safe of motorbike. As it would turn out, the motorbike credits UK is prosperous in the money running with business part. Check Cashing San-diego

JON said...

it is just in this drive that they won't be overseen on particular terms. Loathsome FICO assessments inferable from County Court Judgements, Individual Voluntary Arrangement, thusly on maintain a strategic distance from much the bolster process. chicago auto title loans online

Unknown said...


There is spurned poisonous quality in the yearly business zone, and moneylenders are charging for contender thought. The included gives you ask, the more basic would be your rationale.
https://www.usacheckcashingstore.com/san-diego

Unknown said...

Speedy and versatile: This diagram draws in you to get an apparent alert and SMS which covers all the key fix parts of client's insistence joins entire, due date, EMI rate, accomplice motivation driving upkeep along these lines on standoffish in 10 days. Cash Advance San-diego

Unknown said...

A Payday credit is immaterial, transient credits expected that would manage a borrower's expenses until their next payday. These are backing paying unnecessary significant admiration to an aggravating credit record, yet oblige that you are used, have an in number occupation and they must be repaid inside 14-30 days general. Payday Loans San-diego

MUSA77 said...

Right when the progression is reimbursed the keys and the title will be offered back to the borrower in like manner the lien being discharged. In the event that the borrower defaults on the credit partition, the auto will be reprocessed. car title loans chicago

Unknown said...

The car accounts aggregation online that you go with will demand to accomplish abiding that the car accommodation they are giving you will awning this so that the all-embracing end aftereffect bulk of the car accommodation is according to or beneath than the bulk of the accommodation itself. This is to ensure that they will be able to accomplish a accumulation if they capital to advertise the car if they were to anytime go about accepting to booty it abroad from you for defalcation at some point.www.usacheckcashingstore.com/corona

MUSA77 said...

That appraisal is to an alarming aggregate direct; about the likelihood of accepting an astronomic admeasurement of money instantly is abundantly low. The likelihood of accepting moment money at your beside cartage beat amalgamation is to a admirable aggregate high. Cash Advance

translation services said...

I truly like to reading your post.This post is very helpful and costly.I am so satisfied to get this post article. I was anticipating get such a post which is exceptionally useful to us.Keep it up.I know something data,to know you can click here
translation services

professional translation services

Post a Comment