'Aisling' by Paul Muldoon
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I was making my way home late one night
this summer, when I staggered
into a snow drift.
Her eyes spoke of a sloe-year,
her mouth a year of haws.
Was she Aurora, or the goddess Flora,
Artemidora, or Venus bright,
or Anorexia, who left
a lemon stain on my flannel sheet?
It's all much of a muchness.
In Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital
a kidney machine
supports the latest hunger-striker
to have called off his fast, a saline
drip into his bag of brine.
A lick and a promise. Cuckoo spittle.
I hand my sample to Doctor Maw.
She gives me back a confident All Clear.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Aisling by Paul Muldoon
What is an Aisling, you may ask? It is a type of Irish poem that features a vision or dream, often symbolizing Ireland as a woman, and a call to action for national liberation. Paul Muldoon's Aisling is a modern take on this traditional form, exploring themes of time, memory, and identity in a post-colonial world.
Structure and Style
At first glance, Muldoon's Aisling appears to be a series of disjointed fragments, with no apparent rhyme or reason. The poem spans 11 pages and is broken up into 16 sections, each consisting of anywhere between 1 to 8 lines. However, upon closer inspection, one can discern patterns and connections between the various sections.
For instance, the opening lines of the poem - "the heat trace of you / on the mattress, the sweat / of your dreams" - are echoed later on in section 5, where the speaker recalls "the sweat of my father's dreams". Similarly, the imagery of water and drowning recurs throughout the poem, from the "drowned village" in section 2 to the "blackwater" in section 9.
Muldoon's use of language is also noteworthy. The poem is peppered with Irish words and phrases, such as "piseog" (meaning superstition) and "craic" (meaning fun). These serve to ground the poem in its cultural context and add an extra layer of meaning for those who are familiar with Irish history and folklore.
Themes
One of the most prominent themes in Aisling is the passage of time and how it affects our sense of identity. The speaker frequently grapples with memories of the past, both personal and historical, and tries to reconcile them with the present. For example, in section 4, the speaker recalls a time when "we were all / in it together", but now wonders "what happened / to that sense of solidarity". Similarly, in section 8, the speaker reflects on the "strange intersection / of the past and present" and how it can cause "a kind of vertigo".
Another theme that runs throughout the poem is the idea of liberation and self-determination. The Aisling tradition is rooted in the desire for Irish independence from British rule, and Muldoon's poem continues this legacy by calling for a break from the past and a forging of a new path. In section 11, for instance, the speaker declares that "the past is a foreign country" and urges the reader to "let it go". Later on, in section 13, the speaker muses on the idea of "starting again / from scratch" and "cutting loose / from the old country".
Interpretation
So, what does it all mean? Muldoon's Aisling is a complex poem that resists easy interpretation. However, one possible reading is that it is a meditation on the post-colonial condition, both in Ireland and beyond. The speaker grapples with the weight of history and the legacy of colonialism, but also looks towards a future that is free from those constraints.
The water imagery that recurs throughout the poem could be interpreted as a metaphor for this struggle. Water can be both a source of life and a source of danger, and the speaker's relationship with it is fraught with tension. In section 2, the speaker describes a "drowned village" that "keeps surfacing / in dreams and in daylight". This could represent the submerged history of Ireland, which is constantly threatening to resurface and disrupt the present.
However, water can also be a cleansing force, and in section 9, the speaker describes a "blackwater" that "cleans / and covers everything in sight". This could represent the possibility of a new beginning, where the past is washed away and a fresh start is possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Paul Muldoon's Aisling is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that grapples with some of the most pressing issues of our time. Its use of language and imagery creates a vivid and evocative portrait of Ireland's past and present, and its themes of memory, time, and liberation resonate beyond its cultural context. This poem is a shining example of the enduring power of poetry to move and inspire us.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Aisling: A Poem of Dreams and Desires
Paul Muldoon's "Aisling" is a classic poem that explores the themes of dreams and desires. The poem is written in the form of an aisling, which is a traditional Irish poetic form that features a vision or dream. Muldoon's poem is a modern take on this form, and it explores the themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in life.
The poem begins with the speaker describing a dream that he had. In this dream, he is walking through a forest, and he comes across a woman who is crying. The woman tells him that she is lost and that she cannot find her way home. The speaker offers to help her, but she tells him that she cannot be helped. She then disappears, leaving the speaker alone in the forest.
This dream sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as it establishes the theme of loss and the search for meaning. The speaker is searching for something, but he is not sure what it is. He is lost, just like the woman in his dream, and he is searching for a way to find his way home.
The next section of the poem introduces the theme of love. The speaker describes a woman that he loves, but he is not sure if she loves him back. He describes her as being "like a bird / that's flown too far from its nest." This metaphor suggests that the woman is free and independent, but also vulnerable and in need of protection.
The speaker's love for this woman is complicated, as he is not sure if she loves him back. He describes himself as being "like a dog / that's lost its master." This metaphor suggests that the speaker is loyal and devoted, but also lost and in need of guidance.
The third section of the poem introduces the theme of desire. The speaker describes a man who is searching for something, but he is not sure what it is. He is searching for a way to satisfy his desires, but he is not sure what those desires are.
The speaker describes this man as being "like a fish / that's lost its way in the sea." This metaphor suggests that the man is lost and in need of direction. He is searching for something, but he is not sure what it is.
The final section of the poem brings all of these themes together. The speaker describes a vision that he has of a woman who is "like a bird / that's flown too far from its nest." This woman represents the speaker's love and desire, and she is also a symbol of his search for meaning.
The speaker describes this woman as being "like a star / that's lost its way in the sky." This metaphor suggests that the woman is lost and in need of guidance, just like the speaker and the man in the previous sections of the poem.
The poem ends with the speaker describing his own search for meaning. He is searching for a way to find his way home, just like the woman in his dream. He is searching for love and desire, just like the man in the third section of the poem. And he is searching for a way to make sense of the world, just like the woman in the final section of the poem.
In conclusion, Paul Muldoon's "Aisling" is a classic poem that explores the themes of dreams and desires. The poem is written in the form of an aisling, and it features a vision or dream. The poem explores the themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in life. The speaker is searching for something, but he is not sure what it is. He is lost, just like the woman in his dream, and he is searching for a way to find his way home. The poem is a powerful exploration of the human condition, and it is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human experience.
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