Discharged From Hospital
He stands upon the steps and fronts the morning.
The porter has called a taxi, and behind him
The infirmary doors have swung and come to rest.
Physician, surgeon, and anaesthetist
Have exercised their skill and he is cured.
The rabelaisian sister with the bedpan,
The vigorous masseuse, the sensual nurse
Who washes him modestly beneath a blanket,
The dawn chorus of cleaners, the almoner,
The visiting clergyman -- all proceed without him.
He is alone beyond all need of them,
And the saved man goes home, to die of health.
James Reeves, The Questioning Tiger (1964).
6 comments:
almoner - there's a word I haven't encountered, the church official who distributes alms. I read this poem with some irony as to the meaning of the word death. I think the message is that the human element of receiving love and service when one is ill is lacking when one is well, making the loneliness of being healthy a kind of death. An interesting poem in any case, the celery picture surprisingly apropos as accompaniment.
Stephen,
The poem ends so abruptly, doesn't it?
You've chosen a very appropriate painting to emphasize health, and in this case I can say that I prefer the painting to the poem. Really you find the most wonderful works.
Best,
Julie
Mr. Sigler: thanks for that interpretation -- it sounds reasonable to me. As for the painting: I'm very fond of the colors. They seem very calm to me.
As ever, thank you.
Thank you for the thoughts, Julie. As for the poem: it still puzzles me. I can see your point about the abrupt ending; but, then, a strange phrase such as "to die of health" perhaps calls for terminal (pun intended) abruptness?
As for the painting: I'm glad you like it. I have only discovered Mahoney's work within the past year or so. It is interesting, I think.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
You may have noticed already, but if not : the Times Literary Supplement has chosen this as their Poem of the Week (18 Oct 20110), with some commentary.
See
http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article801277.ece
Mr Noel-Tod: thank you very much for stopping by again, and for the link to the TLS feature: I wasn't aware of it, so I greatly appreciate your pointing it out to me. I'm always pleased to see Reeves's poetry get more attention. It is heartening to see "Discharged from Hospital" appear in such a prominent place.
Again, thank you very much.
Post a Comment