Poem: Lockdown

∆ Khushi's Blog 

Lockdown:

                - By Simon Armitage

• About the Poet:

           Simon Armitage is born on 26 May, 1963 in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He is an English poet, playwright, musician and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is proffesor of poetry at the University of Leeds. He published over 20 collections of poetry, startin ing with Zoom! in 1989. Many of his poems concern his home town in West Yorkshire; He has participated in numerous television and radio documantaries, dramatisations, and travelogues.

• Poem: Lockdown

And I couldn’t escape the waking dream

of infected fleas

in the warp and weft of soggy cloth

by the tailor’s hearth

in ye olde Eyam.

Then couldn’t un-see

the Boundary Stone,

that cock-eyed dice with its six dark holes,

thimbles brimming with vinegar wine

purging the plagued coins.

Which brought to mind the sorry story

of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre,

star-crossed lovers on either side

of the quarantine line

whose wordless courtship spanned the river

till she came no longer.

But slept again,

and dreamt this time

of the exiled yaksha sending word

to his lost wife on a passing cloud,

a cloud that followed an earthly map

of camel trails and cattle tracks,

streams like necklaces,

fan-tailed peacocks, painted elephants,

embroidered bedspreads

of meadows and hedges,

bamboo forests and snow-hatted peaks,

waterfalls, creeks,

the hieroglyphs of wide-winged cranes

and the glistening lotus flower after rain,

the air

hypnotically see-through, rare,

the journey a ponderous one at times, long and slow

but necessarily so.

Analysis:

Stanza-1:

The poem begins with a vivid image of infected fleas in cloth, referencing the historical plague in Eyam, a village in Derbyshire, England. The “waking dream” suggests a haunting, inescapable reality, much like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stanza-2:

This stanza describes the Boundary Stone in Eyam, used to exchange money safely during the plague. The “cock-eyed dice” metaphor highlights the randomness and unpredictability of the disease.

Stanza-3:

Here, Armitage evokes the tragic love story of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre, separated by quarantine. This mirrors the separation and isolation experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Stanza-4:

This stanza shifts to a dream inspired by Kālidāsa’s “Meghadūta,” where an exiled yaksha sends a message to his wife via a cloud. The rich imagery of nature and the slow, ponderous journey reflect the introspection and patience required during lockdown.

Language:

Simon Armitage’s poem “Lockdown” employs a rich and evocative language that blends historical references with vivid imagery. Here are some key features of the poem’s language:

Themes and Imagery:

Historical Parallels: The poem draws parallels between the 17th-century plague and the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the recurring nature of human suffering and resilience.

Isolation and Connection: The stories of separated lovers and the yaksha’s message highlight themes of isolation and the longing for connection.

Nature and Reflection: The detailed descriptions of nature in the final stanza suggest a return to simplicity and the importance of reflection during times of crisis.

Structure: Couplets: The poem is composed of seventeen couplets, which are pairs of lines that often rhyme imperfectly.

Tone and Voice :Narrative Voice: The poem uses a third-party narrator to describe two scenarios: the historical plague in Eyam and the mythological journey of the yaksha.

Style: Narrative and Reflective: The poem intertwines historical and contemporary events, reflecting on the 17th-century plague in Eyam and the modern COVID-19 pandemic.

Imagery: Vivid imagery is used to draw parallels between past and present, such as “infected fleas in the warp and weft of soggy cloth” and “the glistening lotus flower after rain.”

Structure: The poem consists of seventeen couplets, with mostly imperfect rhymes. This structure gives it a flowing, almost conversational tone.

Grammar: Enjambment: Lines are smoothly enjambed, allowing sentences to flow naturally from one line to the next.

Third-Person Narration: The poem is narrated from a third-person perspective, providing a detached yet empathetic view of the events.

Language: The language is rich and descriptive, with a mix of historical references and contemporary reflections.

Conclusion:

           Simon Armitage’s poem “Lockdown” brings a sense of reflection and hope. It emphasizes the resilience of nature and humanity in the face of adversity. The poem ends by drawing a parallel between the historical and contemporary experiences of isolation, suggesting that despite the challenges, there is a possibility for renewal and connection.Armitage uses vivid imagery to illustrate how nature begins to reclaim spaces during the lockdown, symbolizing hope and rebirth. The final lines reflect on the enduring connections between people, even when physically apart, and the potential for a renewed appreciation of what truly matters in life.

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