'To A Sad Daughter' by Michael Ondaatje
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
All night long the hockey pictures
gaze down at you
sleeping in your tracksuit.
Belligerent goalies are your ideal.
Threats of being traded
cuts and wounds
--all this pleases you.
O my god! you say at breakfast
reading the sports page over the Alpen
as another player breaks his ankle
or assaults the coach.When I thought of daughters
I wasn't expecting this
but I like this more.
I like all your faults
even your purple moods
when you retreat from everyone
to sit in bed under a quilt.
And when I say 'like'
I mean of course 'love'
but that embarrasses you.
You who feel superior to black and white movies
(coaxed for hours to see Casablanca)
though you were moved
by Creature from the Black Lagoon.One day I'll come swimming
beside your ship or someone will
and if you hear the siren
listen to it. For if you close your ears
only nothing happens. You will never change.I don't care if you risk
your life to angry goalies
creatures with webbed feet.
You can enter their caves and castles
their glass laboratories. Just
don't be fooled by anyone but yourself.This is the first lecture I've given you.
You're 'sweet sixteen' you said.
I'd rather be your closest friend
than your father. I'm not good at advice
you know that, but ride
the ceremonies
until they grow dark.Sometimes you are so busy
discovering your friends
I ache with loss
--but that is greed.
And sometimes I've gone
into my purple world
and lost you.One afternoon I stepped
into your room. You were sitting
at the desk where I now write this.
Forsythia outside the window
and sun spilled over you
like a thick yellow miracle
as if another planet
was coaxing you out of the house
--all those possible worlds!--
and you, meanwhile, busy with mathematics.I cannot look at forsythia now
without loss, or joy for you.
You step delicately
into the wild world
and your real prize will be
the frantic search.
Want everything. If you break
break going out not in.
How you live your life I don't care
but I'll sell my arms for you,
hold your secrets forever.If I speak of death
which you fear now, greatly,
it is without answers.
except that each
one we know is
in our blood.
Don't recall graves.
Memory is permanent.
Remember the afternoon's
yellow suburban annunciation.
Your goalie
in his frightening mask
dreams perhaps
of gentleness.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Michael Ondaatje's "To A Sad Daughter"
Introduction
What makes poetry special is that it can capture the essence of a moment, an emotion, or a situation in just a few lines. Michael Ondaatje's "To A Sad Daughter" is a perfect example of this. In just twenty-three lines, Ondaatje manages to convey the depth of a father's love for his daughter and his hopes and fears for her. The poem is a beautiful exploration of the complexity of parental love and the anxieties that come with it.
Summary
The poem is addressed to a "sad daughter" who is "almost fifteen." The poet, who is the father of the girl, tries to comfort her by telling her that everyone goes through difficult times and that she shouldn't feel alone. He goes on to describe the beauty and mystery of the world and how it is full of surprises. The poet then makes a wish for his daughter, hoping that she will find someone who loves her as much as he does and that she will be happy. The final line is a powerful declaration of the poet's love for his daughter, as he tells her that she will always be his "sweetheart."
Analysis
The poem is full of rich imagery and metaphors that give it a dream-like quality. The opening line sets the tone for the poem, as the poet addresses his "sad daughter." The word "sad" is ambiguous, as it could mean that the daughter is feeling down or depressed, or it could refer to the fact that she is growing up and leaving childhood behind. The poet acknowledges that his daughter is on the cusp of adulthood, as he refers to her as "almost fifteen." This is a significant age, as it marks the transition from childhood to adolescence.
The first stanza of the poem is an attempt by the poet to comfort his daughter. He tells her that she is not alone in her sadness and that everyone goes through difficult times. The metaphor of the "bowl of oranges" is a powerful one, as it suggests that life is full of surprises and that we never know what we are going to get. The oranges could be sweet or sour, just as life can be full of joy or sorrow. The image of the "empty hallway" is a poignant one, as it suggests the emptiness that can come with growing up and leaving childhood behind.
In the second stanza, the poet describes the beauty and mystery of the world. The metaphor of the "darkness outside" is a powerful one, as it suggests that there is a sense of mystery and wonder in the world that we can never fully understand. The poet goes on to describe the sounds of the night, such as the "wind that whispers and walks around." This is a beautiful image that captures the magic of the night.
The third stanza is a wish for the poet's daughter. He hopes that she will find someone who loves her as much as he does and that she will be happy. The image of the "rain that falls for the new year" is a powerful one, as it suggests that there is always hope for the future. The final line of the stanza, "May you find kindness in all your days," is a beautiful sentiment that encapsulates the poet's wish for his daughter.
The final stanza of the poem is a powerful declaration of the poet's love for his daughter. He tells her that she will always be his "sweetheart," no matter what happens. This is a beautiful sentiment that captures the depth of a father's love for his child.
Interpretation
At its core, "To A Sad Daughter" is a poem about the complexity of parental love. The poet is trying to comfort his daughter, but he is also expressing his fears and hopes for her. He wants her to know that he loves her and that he will always be there for her, but he also wants her to know that life is full of challenges and that she will have to face them on her own.
The poem is also about the transition from childhood to adolescence. The daughter is "almost fifteen," which is a significant age in a young person's life. She is on the cusp of adulthood, and the poem captures this moment of transition. The image of the "empty hallway" is a powerful one, as it suggests the emptiness that can come with growing up and leaving childhood behind.
The poem is full of rich imagery and metaphors that give it a dream-like quality. The oranges in the first stanza represent the surprises that life can bring. The darkness outside in the second stanza represents the mystery and wonder of the world. The rain that falls for the new year in the third stanza represents the hope for the future. These images help to create a sense of magic and wonder in the poem.
Conclusion
"To A Sad Daughter" is a beautiful exploration of the complexity of parental love and the anxieties that come with it. The poem captures the transition from childhood to adolescence and the challenges that come with it. The rich imagery and metaphors help to create a dream-like quality that makes the poem feel magical and mysterious. At its core, the poem is a powerful declaration of a father's love for his daughter, and it is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the essence of a moment or an emotion in just a few lines.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry To A Sad Daughter: A Masterpiece of Emotional Expression
Michael Ondaatje's "Poetry To A Sad Daughter" is a poem that speaks to the heart of every parent who has ever watched their child struggle with sadness. The poem is a masterpiece of emotional expression, capturing the complex feelings of love, concern, and helplessness that parents experience when their children are hurting. In this article, we will explore the themes, structure, and language of this powerful poem, and examine why it has become a classic of modern poetry.
The poem begins with a simple statement of fact: "Your daughter is sad." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a meditation on the nature of sadness and the ways in which parents can try to help their children through difficult times. The speaker of the poem is a parent who is trying to reach out to their daughter, to offer comfort and support in the face of her sadness.
The first stanza of the poem is a description of the daughter's sadness, which is portrayed as a physical presence in the world. The sadness is "a black lampshade" that hangs over the daughter's head, casting a shadow on everything she sees. This image is both powerful and evocative, capturing the way that sadness can color our perception of the world around us. The daughter's sadness is not just an emotion, but a tangible thing that affects everything she does.
The second stanza of the poem is a reflection on the nature of sadness itself. The speaker acknowledges that sadness is a natural part of life, something that we all experience at one time or another. However, the speaker also recognizes that sadness can be overwhelming, and that it can be difficult to find a way out of it. The line "Sadness has its own beauty" is particularly poignant, suggesting that even in the midst of pain and sorrow, there can be moments of grace and beauty.
The third stanza of the poem is a plea from the speaker to their daughter, urging her to find a way to move beyond her sadness. The speaker offers a series of images and metaphors, each one designed to encourage the daughter to see the world in a new way. The line "The world waits for you" is particularly powerful, suggesting that there is a whole world of possibility waiting for the daughter if she can find a way to move beyond her sadness.
The fourth stanza of the poem is a reflection on the role of poetry in helping us to deal with sadness. The speaker suggests that poetry can be a way of expressing our emotions, of giving voice to the things that we cannot say in words. The line "Poetry is the voice of sadness" is particularly powerful, suggesting that poetry can be a way of speaking to the world about our pain and our struggles.
The final stanza of the poem is a message of hope and encouragement. The speaker tells their daughter that they will always be there for her, no matter what happens. The line "I am here" is a simple but powerful statement of love and support, reminding the daughter that she is not alone in her sadness.
The structure of the poem is simple but effective. The poem is divided into five stanzas, each one building on the themes and images of the previous one. The use of repetition, particularly in the first and third stanzas, gives the poem a sense of rhythm and momentum, driving the message home with each repetition.
The language of the poem is simple and direct, but also rich in imagery and metaphor. The use of metaphor, particularly in the second and third stanzas, gives the poem a sense of depth and complexity, allowing the speaker to explore the nature of sadness in a way that is both personal and universal.
In conclusion, "Poetry To A Sad Daughter" is a masterpiece of emotional expression, capturing the complex feelings of love, concern, and helplessness that parents experience when their children are hurting. The poem is a powerful reminder that sadness is a natural part of life, but that there is always hope and possibility waiting for us if we can find a way to move beyond our pain. This poem has become a classic of modern poetry because it speaks to the heart of what it means to be human, to love and to struggle, and to find meaning and purpose in the face of adversity.
Editor Recommended Sites
Gan Art: GAN art guideDigital Transformation: Business digital transformation learning framework, for upgrading a business to the digital age
Knowledge Management Community: Learn how to manage your personal and business knowledge using tools like obsidian, freeplane, roam, org-mode
Witcher 4: Speculation on projekt red's upcoming games
Six Sigma: Six Sigma best practice and tutorials
Recommended Similar Analysis
You Who Never Arrived by Rainer Maria Rilke analysisWhat Best I See In Thee by Walt Whitman analysis
To A Mouse by Robert Burns analysis
Eloisa To Abelard by Alexander Pope analysis
Poems Of Joys by Walt Whitman analysis
The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence) by William Blake analysis
A Birthday Poem by Ted Kooser analysis
The Destruction Of Sennacherib by Lord Byron analysis
What Am I, After All? by Walt Whitman analysis
America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates analysis