A Tale Of A Statue

[lily of valley]

A tale of a Statue

They see one Statue here.

I see statues everywhere….
Moving…

I ask myself "have they hearts?"
I look at a Statue
It does not look at me.
I pause….

I walk down the street
I look at many statues
They also look at me.
I ask myself,
"What happened to my city?"
I go on…
They pass by…

Again, I ask myself,
"Is it my city?
the same city?
Am I lost? Or is it
The City of Statues?!"
I pass by…

Time passes by as well…
Statues still look at me
I look at statues
Pause,
Then we pass by!

"You are breathing?"
I asked a pale statue one day.

It looked at me
I expected a sort of an answer …
Before my Stony eyes,
The pale statue turned into a pile of stones!!

I looked down at the bits and pieces
There was no answer
After a pause, I passed by!


LILY of VALLEY

[Ahmed-Adel]

Hi, poet Lily,
Great is your poem. Significant is your poem. Your poem is very nice and effective. I liked it very much, though I prefer rhymed poems; but yours has a sort of something that attracts the reader.
I will tell you first of all what came to my mind when I began reading that poem, then I will write my interpretation.
I don't know why the first thing that came into my mind was the Statue of President Saddam Hussien. I am sorry if this is not true, but it was the first association of the word "Statue" that came to my mind.
The slow rhythm in which you have written your poem shows how you (or the heroine of the poem) was wandering and contemplating about the state in which your/her country is.
"Then I pass by..." is the sentence I liked most. Its repetition gives a sort of a refrain to the poem, which is very good. Its place at the end of each part is very nice.
I think you wanted to express how the members of your country became emotionless, uncaring, as if they are only "statues" walking and breathing. They are no more than statues in their appearances and dealings. They have no "human" qualities anymore, right?
"I expected a sort of an answer …
Before my Stony eyes,
The pale statue turned into a pile of stones!!" => The use of "my Stony eyes" have a significance: I think that from much looking at them your eyes became in a sense "stony"; but I am not sure.
The shift in "WE pass by" is also significant: all are the same now.
Well, that's all for now, and I may write again if you reply and tell me what you think of that, Ok?
Sorry for replying so late...


Again, I ask myself,
"Is it my city?
the same city?
Am I lost? Or is it
The City of Statues?!"
I pass by…

Time passes by as well…
Statues still look at me
I look at statues
Pause,
Then we pass by!
=>Lily of Valley<=

[lily of valley]

Heyyy Adel,
When I first showed my poem to my friends, they told me that my poetry should be published in a newspaper or a magazine or whatever… frankly I did not take their words seriously and even now I do not.
One of my friends said that my poem talks about a one-sided love experience and the statue is my cruel lover. That was really surprising to me. I like this interpretation.
Another one said that my poem is a realistic one. It depicts our real life, our confusions and struggles… I like this interpretation as well.
Now, It is time to tell u that u are really c……. r, but I am not Iraqi. As I promised to tell u who I am, though I do not like to say it in this forum, I am Syrian ha ha ha ha!!
I think u are the one who grasped the very meaning of my poem though the statue does not represent the person u mentioned.
I have not read the thread u mentioned to me yet. When I read it, I will answer your question right here.
Please, from now on, count to ten before u further interpret my poem because I might be in REAL danger. Take my words seriously now.
I really like to meet u one day.





"She didn’t reply; my words were refused!
She didn’t reply; my words were refused!" Adel.

They are not refused now, believe me. LILY


:flare:

[lily of valley]

Hellooo Adel,
"Did they attack me thus because I am an Egyptian?! The thread is entitled: Old English: And Wilt Thou? Sometimes I cannot deny that they may be biased"
To answer your question, they did not attack u because u are Egyptian. No, believe me. What happened was a misunderstanding.

Back to my poem, I like the following lines so much:
"The slow rhythm in which you have written your poem shows how you (or the heroine of the poem) was wandering and contemplating about the state in which your/her country is." No one ever noticed this tone or this rhythm. I thank u for reading my poem carefully. By the way, I am the heroine of my poem.
Write to me soon.



I felt a funeral in my brain,
And mourners, to and fro ,
Kept treading till it seemed
That sense was breaking through.

And when they all were seated,
A service like a drum
Kept beating, beating, till I thought
My mind was going numb. Emily.

[miss tenderness]

what does the statue represent in your poem Lily?is it a symbol of something?and you know,nice choice of the statue coz they always make me wonder,go go gal:)best of luck.

[lily of valley]

Thank u miss tenderness for reading my poem. Of course, this Statue represents sth.
As I wrote earlier in this thread, each reader interprets the signification of the Statue in a different way. In the end the text is open to many interpretations and this is what makes it a good one. I am sorry for I can not tell u what this Statue represents to me, but if u read what I wrote earlier, u will definitely know what it means.
Write to me about whatever u see in this poem.
Sorry again.

Where are u guys??




Oh! Life you're but hell
Oh! Hell you're but in me
when I've lost your love
I'm lost in an ocean of destiny.

[miss tenderness]

does it represents the heartless people or the harshness of life or ignorance?or ...okay,it's really vastly open to give it many prediction.

[Ahmed-Adel]

Heyyy Adel,
When I first showed my poem to my friends, they told me that my poetry should be published in a newspaper or a magazine or whatever… frankly I did not take their words seriously and even now I do not.
Now, It is time to tell u that u are really c…….r ...
I think u are the one who grasped the very meaning of my poem though the statue does not represent the person u mentioned.
Please, from now on, count to ten before u further interpret my poem because I might be in REAL danger. Take my words seriously now.
I really like to meet u one day.
Hey Lily,
At last, I am here. I am really sorry for being late, but I had to re-install Windows, and I was really very busy.
You said that your friends told you that your poetry must be published: yes it must. It is very significant; significant poems must be published.
It is very good you are Syrian. Do not forget that we (Egyptians and Syrians) were once united under one country, the United Arab Republic. I did not say you are Iraqi, but it was just the first association of the word "statue". Now, after knowing your nationality, one can make a different interpretation. I don't know what this interpretation will lead to, but it may bring new ideas.
By the way, I counted from one to thousand before writing my interpretation, and I tried to get the idea as close as possible (I think I nearly succeeded). I didn't say that it talks about certain statue or something; I just wanted to say what the word reminded me from the first look.
Ah, concerning the "slow rhythm" and those points, I think it is a product of the good teaching which they give us here; they grind us, they torture us (by forcing us to exert great efforts), but they produce nice results, right?!
I still say that this poem has something attractive, even if I don't know what; I can't help reading it in a certain way; a way that is slow and full of lament.
Miss Tenderness wrote something close to mine: this poem represents the "the heartless people or the harshness of life or ignorance", maybe!
Sorry again for replying so late...


They see one Statue here.
I see statues everywhere….
Moving…

Allah! How contradictory: statues moving! This is very skillful of you.
Keep it up...
I will try to figure out more interpretations regarding you being a Syrian (though it is not totally correct in literature to be affected by any detail about the writer).
Sorry again and again for replying late.
See you then...
Salaam!

[lily of valley]

Hiii guys,
I have happy news. 2 days ago, I wrote a poem entitled MY LAND. ADEL, I do not know what stage u are in the English department. Are you a third year scholar?? Do u know what a formalist approach is!
In a formalist approach, we focus on form, the words of the text, imagery, structure, symbols, rhythms, rhymes, point of view, the speaker's voice , irony, paradox, tension…. Concerning the life of the author, the history of his times…. Matters outside the text do not matter to the reader.
Please, let's stick to this approach and forget about the author.

Statues in my poem are not statues because of ignorance.
These statues always remind me of some verses by an Arab author called Naseeb Areedha. Now I will struggle trying to translate some of his verses from Arabic into English:

Shroud and bury them,
Let the abyss be their house
Oh, do not lament or mourn
For they have been dead.

Sorry if my translation do not meet your taste! Ha ha !!


Salaam.





"People who have died are more fortunate than people who are still living. They no longer have to witness all the evils and sufferings that transpire here under the sun. Yet more fortunate than either the dead or the living are those that haven't even been born - for they have never witnessed the terrible wrongs and pains which transpire here under the sun."

[Ahmed-Adel]

Hiii guys,
I have happy news. 2 days ago, I wrote a poem entitled MY LAND. ADEL, I do not know what stage u are in the English department. Are you a third year scholar?? Do u know what a formalist approach is!
In a formalist approach, we focus on form, the words of the text, imagery, structure, symbols, rhythms, rhymes, point of view, the speaker's voice , irony, paradox, tension…. Concerning the life of the author, the history of his times…. Matters outside the text do not matter to the reader.
Please, let's stick to this approach and forget about the author.
Statues in my poem are not statues because of ignorance.
These statues always remind me of some verses by an Arab author called Naseeb Areedha. Now I will struggle trying to translate some of his verses from Arabic into English:

Shroud and bury them,
Let the abyss be their house
Oh, do not lament or mourn
For they have been dead.

Sorry if my translation do not meet your taste! Ha ha !!
Salaam.
Hey Lily,
I am going to third year; but I think I somehow know what you mean. I said so; I said, "...it is not totally correct in literature to be affected by any detail about the writer". Thus, I will not write a new interpretation after knowing you are Syrian :D.
Now, I have been waiting all those days to see your new poem. Pray, where is it?!
Nice translation indeed. Can you write the Arabic lines here? I think there won't be a problem. By the way, Miss Tenderness is an Arab too :thumbs_up.
Waiting for your poem... "My Land"...

[lily of valley]

Hello Adel,

These are the lines in Arabic by Naseeb Areeda

كفنوه و ادفنوه
اسكنوه هوّة اللحد العميق
و اذهبوا لا تندبوه
انه شعبٌ ليس يفيق0


I posted my new poem( my land).

[Ahmed-Adel]

كفنوه و ادفنوه
اسكنوه هوّة اللحد العميق
و اذهبوا لا تندبوه
انه شعبٌ ليس يفيق


Hello again,


I don't know what to write or say,
I have lots of excuses for my delay.
Forgive me for thus being silly,
Forgive me please, poet Lily!

Now, I think those lines are very famous. I believe I heard or read them before. Your translation is as good as those lines :). They are very expressive.
I am sorry again to reply so late. I wonder whether you remember me now aslan! I will reply you there in "My Land (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18988)"...
See you...