—Anonymous Photo
SHAME
—Richard Wilbur (1921-2017)
It is a cramped little state with no foreign policy,
Save to be thought inoffensive.
Save to be thought inoffensive.
The grammar of the language
Has never been fathomed, owing to the national habit
Has never been fathomed, owing to the national habit
Of allowing each sentence to trail off in confusion.
Those who have visited Scusi, the capital city,
Report that the railway-route from Schuldig passes
Report that the railway-route from Schuldig passes
Through country best described as unrelieved.
Sheep are the national product.
The faint inscription
Over the city gates may perhaps be rendered,
Over the city gates may perhaps be rendered,
"I'm afraid you won't find much of interest here.”
Census-reports which give the population
As zero are, of course, not to be trusted,
Save as reflecting the natives' flustered insistence
That they do not count, as well as their modest horror
Of letting one's sex be known in so many words.
As zero are, of course, not to be trusted,
Save as reflecting the natives' flustered insistence
That they do not count, as well as their modest horror
Of letting one's sex be known in so many words.
The uniform grey of the nondescript buildings, the absence
Of churches or comfort-stations, have given observers
An odd impression of ostentatious meanness,
And it must be said of the citizens (muttering by
In their ratty sheepskins, shying at cracks in the sidewalk)
That they lack the peace of mind of the truly humble.
Of churches or comfort-stations, have given observers
An odd impression of ostentatious meanness,
And it must be said of the citizens (muttering by
In their ratty sheepskins, shying at cracks in the sidewalk)
That they lack the peace of mind of the truly humble.
The tenor of life is careful, even in the stiff
Unsmiling carelessness of the border-guards
And douaniers, who admit, whenever they can,
Not merely the usual carloads of deodorant
But gypsies, g-strings, hasheesh, and contraband pigments.
Unsmiling carelessness of the border-guards
And douaniers, who admit, whenever they can,
Not merely the usual carloads of deodorant
But gypsies, g-strings, hasheesh, and contraband pigments.
Their complete negligence is reserved, however,
For the hoped-for invasion, at which time the happy people
(Sniggering, ruddily naked, and shamelessly drunk)
Will stun the foe by their overwhelming submission,
Corrupt the generals, infiltrate the staff,
Usurp the throne, proclaim themselves to be sun-gods,
And bring about the collapse of the whole empire.
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For the hoped-for invasion, at which time the happy people
(Sniggering, ruddily naked, and shamelessly drunk)
Will stun the foe by their overwhelming submission,
Corrupt the generals, infiltrate the staff,
Usurp the throne, proclaim themselves to be sun-gods,
And bring about the collapse of the whole empire.
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Today's LittleNip:
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.
—George Sand
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For more about Richard Wilbur, go to www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/richard-wilbur/. To hear him read "Shame", go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1DYcMFhPFI/.
Is there any way to be more ornery to yourself than by heaping yourself with shame? Here are two articles about meanness, our current Seed of the Week:
"Negative Capability: How to Talk Mean and Influence People" by Tony Hoagland: www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/negative-capability-how-talk-mean-and-influence-people/.
And “Meanness in Poetry”, Diane Lockward’s take on Hoagland's article: dianelockward.blogspot.com/2007/08/meanness-in-poetry.html/.
—Medusa