Read it in English
Come ho già accennato nel post precedente, la raccolta Heart’s Desire è stata giudicata una delle migliori raccolte degli anni ’70, che è anche il motivo che mi ha spinta a procurarmela. Ancora una volta (dopo la scoperta di Benjamin Zephaniah) mi ritrovo felice e soddisfatta. A quanto pare non sono poi così refrattaria come credevo alla poesia moderna.
Come ho già accennato nel post precedente, la raccolta Heart’s Desire è stata giudicata una delle migliori raccolte degli anni ’70, che è anche il motivo che mi ha spinta a procurarmela. Ancora una volta (dopo la scoperta di Benjamin Zephaniah) mi ritrovo felice e soddisfatta. A quanto pare non sono poi così refrattaria come credevo alla poesia moderna.
Innanzi tutto la chiave di lettura delle poesie in questa raccolta è la Storia, che costituisce la scintilla che accomuna i versi di Wainwright: si tratta di una sorta di rilettura poetica degli avvenimenti storici che hanno coinvolto il Regno Unito negli ultimi due secoli. L’attenzione è rivolta in particolare a guerre e rivoluzioni, eventi violenti in cui la morte è centrale.
La prima serie si apre con una poesia intitolata “1815”, che si divide in quattro parti ed il cui riferimento storico è il massacro di Peterloo del 1819, che viene paragonato a quello di Waterloo (1815).
Ecco come Wainwright mi ha catturata fin dai primi versi. Dovete sapere che io ho una specie di fissazione per il personaggio shakespeariano di Ofelia: ho fatto molti studi al riguardo ed ho scritto un libro sul recupero ottocentesco del personaggio. Nel corso dell’Ottocento, infatti, la sensibilità romantica ha fatto sì che si recuperassero figure della letteratura passata e del mito che rendevano alla perfezione gli ideali del secolo. Tra queste Ofelia ha avuto un ruolo predominante, ricorrendo direttamente o indirettamente in opere letterarie, pittoriche e musicali. La giovane fanciulla pazza annegata nel ruscello era pressoché ricorrente nell’immaginario degli artisti dell’epoca.
Ebbene, “1815” si apre proprio con la descrizione del cadavere di una giovane operaia in un canale d’acqua. Qui il contesto è industriale, anziché bucolico, ma il richiamo alla serie di dipinti ottocenteschi di Ofelia in acqua è immediato. In particolare, i più conosciuti sono quello di John Everett Millais e di Paul Delaroche.
I versi di Waiwnright, su cui mi soffermerò a breve, si adattano meglio ad una serie di opere moderne dove, tolta l’aura romantica, rimane la cruda rappresentazione di un cadavere femminile in acqua. I dipinti di Jason Beam e di Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska; le fotografie di Per Barclay, di cui la seconda è ispirata chiaramente dal dipinto di Millais (per la posa delle braccia) e George Steeves.
Ma veniamo ai versi di Wainwright che, tradotti, suonano più o meno così: “Sul suo viso / rutili* morti fissano verticalmente / fuori dal canale. / L’acqua le riempie le orecchie, / il naso la bocca aperta. / affiorando, le sue dita esangui / sfiorano le branchie secche.” (*pesci)
L’immagine di morte è veicolata dall’insistenza sulle parti del corpo della giovane e sugli aggettivi usati per descriverle (dead, open, bloodless). Il parallelo tra il cadavere della ragazza ed i pesci morti che galleggiano sull’acqua è reso anche fisicamente dal lieve contatto ed ha la funzione di rendere l’immagine più macabra, oltre che di insistere ulteriormente sul tema della morte.
Un’apertura così è sicuramente molto suggestiva e cattura il lettore immediatamente, che scorre le parole velocemente cercando altre informazioni.
Con la seconda strofa lo scenario si sposta alle fosse dove sono seppelliti i lavoratori al centro dell’evento storico che ha ispirato la poesia, il massacro di Peterloo, in cui la cavalleria caricò brutalmente una folla di 60,000 dimostratori uccidendo e ferendo indistintamente quanti si trovavano sul loro passaggio. Fu un fatto tragico che scatenò l’indignazione di tutto il Regno Unito. Percy Bysshe Shelley scrisse un sonetto sull’evento intitolato “England in 1819” in cui esprimeva il suo disprezzo per il re ed il parlamento e la sua pietà per la povera gente massacrata a St Peter’s Field. L’evento fu raffigurato da Richard Carlile in una popolare incisione (a lato).
Anche Wainwright esprime pietà per la povera gente impiegata nel nascente settore industriale (ne nomina le mansioni: apprentices, jiggers, spinners).
La prima parte della poesia si chiude con l’allusione a Waterloo (la famosa battaglia in cui Napoleone fu sconfitto dal Duca di Wellington e che segnò la fine del dominio napoleonico). Ciò che accomuna i due eventi nella mente del pota è sicuramente l’industrializzazione, vista l’insistenza su termini che ad essa si ricollegano.
La seconda parte della poesia si apre nuovamente su un’immagine di morte: questa volta però riguarda i caduti sul campo di battaglia di Waterloo. Con la terza parte si ritorna all’immagine di apertura: il cadavere dell’operaia in acqua che ora viene trovato e tirato in secca da un barcaiolo. Mentre la tira fuori dall’acqua, viene ripreso il parallelo tra la giovane ed i pesci morti attraverso lo sguardo fisso rivolto verso l’alto (richiamando quello verticale dei rutili nella prima parte).
Infine la poesia si chiude con la reazione del proprietario della fabbrica di fronte ai tragici eventi: “Mortified / At what is happening”.
Wainwright è di nuovo dalla parte dei poveri lavoratori in “Sentimental Education”, poesia che si riferisce agli eventi del Maggio 1968 a Parigi: il primo sciopero generale non autorizzato che arrestò l’economia industriale del Paese e rischiò di far collassare il governo di de Gaulle. La prima strofa si apre su immagini di rivoluzione nelle quali il ruolo dei lavoratori è importante, sottolineato dalla precisione con cui Wainwright (ancora una volta) nomina i lavoratori (postmen, plumbers… shopgirls). La dichiarazione empatica arriva alla fine della poesia (“God knows it I am with you! All your trials / and your vexations and how you weigh them here / Bear upon me”).
Altre poesie si soffermano sul ruolo dell’Imperatore Wilhelm II nella Prima Guerra Mondiale, sulla battaglia dello Jutland nel 1916; sulla battaglia nel Pacifico durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
La seconda parte della raccolta si apre con la più nota poesia “Thomas Müntzer”, un monologo del riformatore protestante che appoggiò la lotta della gente comune e la rivoluzione sociale. Nel 1525, durante la guerra dei contadini, guidò gli insorti nella Battaglia di Frankenhausen, che fu soffocata. Müntzer fu catturato, torturato ed ucciso. Ancora una volta Wainwright si mette dalla parte dei rivoluzionari: il monologo si apre con immagini acquatiche che richiamano alla memoria l’apertura di “1815” per poi passare ad una bellissima metafora di un “albero sociale” in cui tutti gli strati sociali si sviluppano a partire dalle radici fino ad arrivare alla cima:
Il monologo si conclude con un inno alla Storia, che viene usato da Wainwright in apertura libro.
La terza e ultima parte del libro include “Five Winter Songs” e “Heart’s Desire” che si divide in una serie di poesie che dovrebbero rappresentare questi desideri, poiché riguardano l’amore, il sogno, la Storia e la morte.
JEFFREY WAINWRIGHT: HEART'S DESIRE
As I’ve just stated in my previous post, the collection Heart’s Desire by Jeffrey Wainwright has been defined as one of the best collections of poems of the 70’s, which is also the reason why I ordered it. Once again (after discovering Benjamin Zephaniah) I’m happy and satisfied with my choice. It seems I’m not so impervious to contemporary poetry as I thought I was.
The key to this collection of poems is history, which is also the spark at the origin of Wainwright’s lines: he proposes a poetical interpretation of key events in the history of the United Kingdom in the last two centuries. His attention focuses on wars and revolutions mainly, showing his interest for violent deadly events.
The first part opens with a poem called ‘1815’, which is divided into four parts whose reference is the Peterloo massacre of 1819, which is compared to the Waterloo massacre (1815).
And here’s how Wainwright’s poems really put a spell on me from the very beginning. I have some sort of obsession for a shakespearian character, Ophelia: I’ve studied a lot and I’ve written a book on the relationship of 19th-century artists with that character. It was quite common then to look back to the past and Ophelia had a very important role, appearing in literary as well as musical and pictorial works of art.
Now, ‘1815’ opens with the description of a young worker’s corpse floating on water. The context here is industrial, but it clearly reminds of 19th century paintings of Ophelia in water. In particular, it reminds of the most famous ones by John Everett Millais and Paul Delaroche.
Wainwright’s verses are probably more suitable for some contemporary depictions of the topic, without the romantic aura and with a harsh representation of a feminine corpse in water. It immediately recalled Jason Beam’s and Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska’s painting, as well as Per Barclay’s and George Steeves’s pictures to my mind.
These are Wainwright’s verses: “Above her face / Dead roach stare vertically / Ot of the canal / Water fills her ears / Her nose her open mouth. / Surfacing, her bloodless fingers / Nudge the drying gills.”
A deadly image is suggested by the insistence on the young woman’s body parts and the adjectives used to describe them (dead, open, bloodless). The comparison between the corpse and dead fish floating on water is also suggested by the physical contact between these elements and adds gruesomeness to the image. Such a beginning is indeed very suggestive and captures the reader immediately.
From the second stanza the scenario changes to the place where the workers who died during the Peterloo massacre are buried, that’s when the cavalry brutally attacked a crowd of 60,000 killing anyone along their way. It was really a tragedy that aroused indignation. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a sonnet on the event titled ‘England in 1819’, in which he expressed his contempt for the king and the parliament as well as his pity for poor people and those who were killed at St Peter’s Field. It was also the subject of a famous engraving by Richard Carlile (see picture).
Wainwright too expresses his piety for the poor people who worked in the industrial sector. The first part of the poem closes with a reference to Waterloo (the famous battle in which Napoleon was defied by the Duke of Wellington and marked the end of his kingdom). That’s what links the two events in the poet’s mind: industrialization.
The second part of the poem opens with a death image: this time it’s about those who died at Waterloo. In the third part the opening image is repeated: the worker’s corpse in water is found by a boatman. The parallelism between the young girl and the dead fish is suggested by the staring eyes.
The poem closes with the owner of the factory’s reaction after the tragic events: ‘Mortified / At what is happening’.
Wainwright goes back again to the topic of poor workers in ‘Sentimental Education’, a poem referring to the events of May 1968 in Paris: the first unauthorized general strike that almost collapsed de Gaulle’s government. The first stanza opens on images of revolution and again the workers’ role is fundamental. Empathy comes at the end of the poem (‘God knows it I am with you! All your trials / and your vexations and how you weigh them here / Bear upon me’).
Other poems in the collection focus on the historical figure of Wilhelm II during World War I, on the Battle of Jutland in 1916; on the Pacific War during World War II.
The second part of the collection opens with the poem ‘Thomas Müntzer’, a monologue by the Protestant reformer. In 1525, during the German Peasants’ War, he led the rebels during the Battle of Frankenhousen. Müntzer was captured, tortured and executed. Once again Wainwright is on the side of revolutionists: the monologue starts with watery images like the opening lines of ‘1815’ and then goes on with a beautiful metaphor of a ‘social tree’ where all the social classes develop from the roots to the top.
The monologue ends with an ode to history. The third and last part of the book include ‘Five Winter Songs’ and ‘Heart’s Desire’ which divides into a serie of poems representing those desires, being about love, dream, History and death.
JEFFREY WAINWRIGHT: HEART'S DESIRE
As I’ve just stated in my previous post, the collection Heart’s Desire by Jeffrey Wainwright has been defined as one of the best collections of poems of the 70’s, which is also the reason why I ordered it. Once again (after discovering Benjamin Zephaniah) I’m happy and satisfied with my choice. It seems I’m not so impervious to contemporary poetry as I thought I was.
The key to this collection of poems is history, which is also the spark at the origin of Wainwright’s lines: he proposes a poetical interpretation of key events in the history of the United Kingdom in the last two centuries. His attention focuses on wars and revolutions mainly, showing his interest for violent deadly events.
The first part opens with a poem called ‘1815’, which is divided into four parts whose reference is the Peterloo massacre of 1819, which is compared to the Waterloo massacre (1815).
And here’s how Wainwright’s poems really put a spell on me from the very beginning. I have some sort of obsession for a shakespearian character, Ophelia: I’ve studied a lot and I’ve written a book on the relationship of 19th-century artists with that character. It was quite common then to look back to the past and Ophelia had a very important role, appearing in literary as well as musical and pictorial works of art.
Now, ‘1815’ opens with the description of a young worker’s corpse floating on water. The context here is industrial, but it clearly reminds of 19th century paintings of Ophelia in water. In particular, it reminds of the most famous ones by John Everett Millais and Paul Delaroche.
Wainwright’s verses are probably more suitable for some contemporary depictions of the topic, without the romantic aura and with a harsh representation of a feminine corpse in water. It immediately recalled Jason Beam’s and Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska’s painting, as well as Per Barclay’s and George Steeves’s pictures to my mind.
These are Wainwright’s verses: “Above her face / Dead roach stare vertically / Ot of the canal / Water fills her ears / Her nose her open mouth. / Surfacing, her bloodless fingers / Nudge the drying gills.”
A deadly image is suggested by the insistence on the young woman’s body parts and the adjectives used to describe them (dead, open, bloodless). The comparison between the corpse and dead fish floating on water is also suggested by the physical contact between these elements and adds gruesomeness to the image. Such a beginning is indeed very suggestive and captures the reader immediately.
From the second stanza the scenario changes to the place where the workers who died during the Peterloo massacre are buried, that’s when the cavalry brutally attacked a crowd of 60,000 killing anyone along their way. It was really a tragedy that aroused indignation. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a sonnet on the event titled ‘England in 1819’, in which he expressed his contempt for the king and the parliament as well as his pity for poor people and those who were killed at St Peter’s Field. It was also the subject of a famous engraving by Richard Carlile (see picture).
Wainwright too expresses his piety for the poor people who worked in the industrial sector. The first part of the poem closes with a reference to Waterloo (the famous battle in which Napoleon was defied by the Duke of Wellington and marked the end of his kingdom). That’s what links the two events in the poet’s mind: industrialization.
The second part of the poem opens with a death image: this time it’s about those who died at Waterloo. In the third part the opening image is repeated: the worker’s corpse in water is found by a boatman. The parallelism between the young girl and the dead fish is suggested by the staring eyes.
The poem closes with the owner of the factory’s reaction after the tragic events: ‘Mortified / At what is happening’.
Wainwright goes back again to the topic of poor workers in ‘Sentimental Education’, a poem referring to the events of May 1968 in Paris: the first unauthorized general strike that almost collapsed de Gaulle’s government. The first stanza opens on images of revolution and again the workers’ role is fundamental. Empathy comes at the end of the poem (‘God knows it I am with you! All your trials / and your vexations and how you weigh them here / Bear upon me’).
Other poems in the collection focus on the historical figure of Wilhelm II during World War I, on the Battle of Jutland in 1916; on the Pacific War during World War II.
The second part of the collection opens with the poem ‘Thomas Müntzer’, a monologue by the Protestant reformer. In 1525, during the German Peasants’ War, he led the rebels during the Battle of Frankenhousen. Müntzer was captured, tortured and executed. Once again Wainwright is on the side of revolutionists: the monologue starts with watery images like the opening lines of ‘1815’ and then goes on with a beautiful metaphor of a ‘social tree’ where all the social classes develop from the roots to the top.
The monologue ends with an ode to history. The third and last part of the book include ‘Five Winter Songs’ and ‘Heart’s Desire’ which divides into a serie of poems representing those desires, being about love, dream, History and death.
