David George Joseph Malouf is an Australian poet and novelist, born on March 20, 1934, in Brisbane Queensland, Australia. His mother was of British descent and his father Lebanese. From an early age, he identified with both Australia and Europe. In 1954, he completed his B.A. honours from the University of Queensland. From 1959 to 1968 he worked in Europe and then moved to Australia where he taught English at the University of Sydney till 1977. After giving up his job in 1977, he became a full-time writer. Malouf’s first novel was the semi-autobiographical, Johnno (1975), set in Brisbane during World War II. In his very famous novel An Imaginary Life (1978)he re-creates the final years of the Roman poet Ovid. He has written several volumes of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a play.
That year I had nowhere to go, I fell in love — a mistake
of course, but it lasted and has lasted.
The old tug at the heart, the grace unasked for, urgencies
that boom under the pocket of a shirt. What I remember
is the colour of the shirts. I’d bought them
as an experiment in ways of seeing myself, hoping to catch
in a window as I passed what I was to be
in my new life as lover: one mint green, one
pink, the third, called Ivy League, tan
with darker stripes, my first button-down collar
We never write. But sometimes, knotting my tie
at a mirror, one of those selves I had expected
steps into the room. In the next room you
are waiting (we have not yet taken back
the life we promised to pour into each other’s mouths
forever and for ever) while I choose between
changes to surprise you
Revolving days. My heart
in my mouth again, I’m writing this for you, wherever
you are, whoever is staring into your blue eyes. It is me,
I’m still here. No, don’t worry, I won’t appear out of
that old time to discomfort you. And no, at this
distance, I’m not holding my breath for a reply.
Revolving days is a poem from Malouf’s poetry collection ‘Typewriter Music’, published in 2007. This is a confessional poem where the poet is reflecting on his unrequited love. Even after so many years have passed he is still not able to forget the time when he fell in love. The poem is divided into three stanzas in the first stanza he is reminiscing the days he fell in love and in the next stanza he is talking about the things that could have happened if their love was a success and in the third he is directly addressing his lover. In some parts this poem is vague the reader cannot understand whether the poem is a one-sided love or an unrequited love. Also please note that the poet has not mentioned the gender of the lover as well.
- The poet mocks himself saying the year he fell in love he had nothing else to do, nowhere to go.
- The old tug at the heart means: a tug-of-war between his heart and mind this was something he never asked for when he fell in love.
- Under the pocket of a shirt means: in his heart.
- He had tried to experiment with himself by giving a new appearance himself. Just so that he could catch a different image of himself on the window glass that he was preparing for his new life as a lover.
- He also explains the colour of each shirt he bought mint Green, pink, Ivy League tan, and some striped shirts, that was the first kind of button-down collar he had ever bought.
- 'We never write' which means that there is no communication between them now.
- He thinks of her while doing the mundane work like knotting the tie.
- He imagines how it would have been like if his lover were in the next room waiting to get married to him and how would she feel or react if he had surprised his bride-to-be with a different colour of shirt
- He says the years have passed by. But the poet is still remembering his love even now and trying to write a letter to her.
- He knows that she is no more by his side, and she has moved on. He also imagines someone else being by her side and staring into her blue eyes
- He hasn't moved on with his life, he is still there, but he also clearly says to her not to worry because he's not going to appear out of nowhere, and discomfort her in any way.
- And even if she receives any letter or any kind of communication from his side, he is not holding his breath for a reply from her.
Comments
Post a Comment