The Emperor of Ice Cream

[Farfalla]

I read this poem for the first time last year... and only recently began to understand it. The content is a little opaque... but yea... i was just wondering what you guys thought about it. Enjoy.

Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dwadle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last months newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-c ream.

Take from the dresser of deal.
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix i ts beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.

- Wallace Stevens.

[Tabac]

I've always liked this poem. It clearly is the death of an older lady who seems to have commanded some respect, at least among her peers. Those peers might well be prostitutes and other common folk. (I think there is more than a hint of sexuality in the muscular roller of big cigars - and the concupiscence of the curds he's supposed to whip up in kitchen cups.)

Life is short - enjoy it while living (eat lots of ice cream and do other fun things) - and realize that people are going to continue to live and enjoy life even after you're gone.

[Farfalla]

Yea... i saw the sexuality there too... there in:

and if her horny feet protrude they come

3 allusions in the same sentance... i dont think it was refering to her sexuality though.

[Tabac]

3 allusions in the same sentance... i dont think it was refering to her sexuality though.

By the way, I didn't mean 'sexuality' in the nowadays common usage to refer to 'sexual preference'. I mean in the sense of good old-fashioned sex .

[Farfalla]

Yea.. i got what you meant. lol.

[mono]

Very Epicurean.

[Farfalla]

Epicurean? How so?

[Tabac]

Epicurean? How so?

I suppose mono meant in the meaning of "pleasure".

[mono]

Thank you, Tabac. I enjoy the work, by all means, but what I mean by "Epicurean" is its references to those simple pleasures in life attained from the outer world rather than the inner mind, as cliche as that sounds. Thank you for sharing the poem; I would like to look up more.