'Give Me Back My Rags #11' by Vasko Popa

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I've wiped your face off my face
Ripped your shadow off my shadow

Leveled the hills in you
Turned your plains into hills

Set your seasons quarreling
Turned all the ends of the world from you

Wrapped the path of my life around you
My impenetrable my impossible path

Just try to meet me now


Trans. by Anne Pennington

Anonymous submission.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Give Me Back My Rags #11: A Deeper Look into Vasko Popa's Poetry

Vasko Popa was a Serbian poet who gained popularity for his unique style of poetry. His poetry was characterized by its simplicity, the use of folkloric themes, and an emphasis on the power of the imagination. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will take a closer look at Vasko Popa's poem Give Me Back My Rags #11.

The poem begins with the speaker demanding the return of his rags. The use of the word "rags" in the title of the poem sets the tone for the rest of the work. The word "rags" is used metaphorically to represent the pieces of our lives that we have lost or given away, and that we want back. The speaker is not just asking for his rags back, but for all the pieces of himself that he feels have been taken from him.

The first stanza of the poem reads:

Give me back my rags
My rags of pure dirt
Of knuckle duster, boxer's pad,
Gym shoe, sweatshirt of tears
Throw in a train of tears
A train from Calafat to Bucharest
With a stopover at Pirot.

The use of repetition in the first line of the poem emphasizes the speaker's desperation. He is not just asking for his rags back, but he is demanding them. The repetition of the word "rags" also emphasizes their importance to the speaker. The use of the word "pure" to describe the dirt on the rags is interesting. It suggests that even the dirt on the rags is valuable to the speaker. The second line of the poem includes a list of items that the rags are made up of, including a knuckle duster, a boxer's pad, a gym shoe, and a sweatshirt of tears. These items are all associated with physical activity, suggesting that the speaker has lost a part of himself that was physically active. The mention of a sweatshirt of tears is particularly poignant. It suggests that the speaker has lost something that was emotionally important to him.

The third line of the poem mentions a train of tears. The use of the word "train" suggests that the speaker has been carrying this sadness with him for a long time. The train is traveling from Calafat to Bucharest, with a stopover at Pirot. Calafat and Bucharest are both in Romania, and Pirot is in Serbia. The mention of these specific locations is interesting. It suggests that the speaker's loss is not just personal but is also tied to his place in the world.

The second stanza of the poem reads:

Give me back my rags
My rags of sheer death
Of that deathly deathly wind
Of that khaki striped hole
In which lived the day before yesterday
A sixteen year old girl

The repetition of the first line of the stanza emphasizes the speaker's desperation even further. The use of the word "sheer" to describe the death on the rags is interesting. It suggests that the speaker has experienced a profound loss. The second line of the stanza mentions a deathly wind. The use of the word "deathly" suggests that this wind is not just destructive but is also associated with death. The third line of the stanza mentions a khaki striped hole. This hole is where a sixteen-year-old girl lived the day before yesterday. The mention of the girl is interesting. It suggests that the speaker's loss is not just personal but is also tied to the loss of innocence.

The third stanza of the poem reads:

Give me back my rags
Of shoes that won battles
Of socks full of holes
With holes for heels
With holes for toes
With holes for the big toes of both feet

The repetition of the first line of the stanza once again emphasizes the speaker's desperation. The shoes and socks mentioned in this stanza are associated with battle and struggle. The holes in the socks are particularly interesting. They suggest that the speaker has lost something that was important to him but was also worn down by time and struggle.

The fourth and final stanza of the poem reads:

Give me back my country
Snowed in
With words
With words red as blood
With snowdrifts of white words
And bloodwords
Spoken by woodlouses
By lice and by fleas
By ravens and by rooks
By woodcutters and by water carriers
By ploughmen and by shepherds
By priests and by witches
By dogs and by incubi
By fathers and by grandfathers
By tailors and by cobblers
By lovers and by betrayers
By women and by children
By dogs and by wolves
Give me back my rags
My rags of pure death
Of pure nerve
Of pure dream.

The final stanza of the poem is the longest and most complex. It is also the most powerful. The speaker is now demanding the return of his country. The country is snowed in, with words that are red as blood. The use of the word "bloodwords" is interesting. It suggests that the words of the country are associated with violence and death. The snowdrifts of white words are in contrast to the bloodwords. The use of the color white suggests purity and innocence.

The final lines of the poem list a variety of people and animals who have spoken the bloodwords and the white words. This list emphasizes the diversity of the speaker's country. The use of the word "incubi" is particularly interesting. It suggests that the speaker's country is not just made up of humans but also of supernatural beings. The final lines of the poem return to the theme of the rags. They are described as being pure death, pure nerve, and pure dream. These qualities suggest that the rags are not just physical objects but are also associated with the speaker's identity.

In conclusion, Vasko Popa's poem Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a powerful work that explores the theme of loss and the search for identity. The use of repetition and metaphor throughout the poem emphasizes the speaker's desperation and the importance of the lost pieces of himself. The use of specific locations and diverse characters in the final stanza emphasizes the diversity of the speaker's country. This diversity is tied to the speaker's identity, which is also tied to the rags. The rags are not just physical objects but are also associated with the speaker's identity. Overall, Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a work that is both personal and universal, and it speaks to the human experience of loss and identity.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Give Me Back My Rags #11: A Poem of Resilience and Reclamation

Vasko Popa’s Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a powerful poem that speaks to the human experience of loss, resilience, and reclamation. Through vivid imagery and evocative language, Popa invites readers to reflect on the ways in which we navigate the challenges of life, and the importance of holding onto our sense of self in the face of adversity.

At its core, Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a poem about loss. The speaker begins by lamenting the fact that they have lost their rags, which they describe as “the rags of my life.” This phrase is significant, as it suggests that the speaker’s rags are not just any old scraps of cloth, but rather a symbol of their identity and history. The rags represent the things that have shaped the speaker’s life, both good and bad, and losing them feels like a profound loss of self.

Despite this initial sense of despair, however, the speaker quickly shifts into a more defiant tone. They demand that their rags be returned to them, declaring that “I need them for my song.” This line is particularly striking, as it suggests that the speaker’s rags are not just a symbol of their past, but also a source of inspiration for their future. The rags are not something to be mourned, but rather something to be celebrated and reclaimed.

Throughout the poem, Popa uses vivid imagery to convey the speaker’s sense of loss and longing. The line “I need them for the whiteness of my soul” is particularly powerful, as it suggests that the speaker’s rags are not just a physical object, but also a spiritual one. The whiteness of the soul is often associated with purity and innocence, and the fact that the speaker needs their rags to achieve this state suggests that they see their past experiences as essential to their spiritual growth.

As the poem progresses, the speaker becomes more and more insistent in their demand for their rags. They declare that they will “not be silenced,” and that they will continue to demand their rags until they are returned. This sense of determination and resilience is a key theme of the poem, and it speaks to the human capacity for perseverance in the face of adversity.

Ultimately, Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a poem about the power of reclaiming one’s identity in the face of loss. The speaker’s insistence on the return of their rags is a metaphor for the process of reclaiming one’s sense of self after a traumatic experience. By demanding the return of their rags, the speaker is asserting their right to their own history and experiences, and refusing to be defined by their losses.

In conclusion, Give Me Back My Rags #11 is a powerful and evocative poem that speaks to the human experience of loss, resilience, and reclamation. Through vivid imagery and evocative language, Popa invites readers to reflect on the ways in which we navigate the challenges of life, and the importance of holding onto our sense of self in the face of adversity. Whether we have lost our rags or something else entirely, this poem reminds us that we have the power to reclaim our identity and find meaning in our experiences.

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