As we all suffering from pandemic crisis called covid - 19 or corna. We all know which kind of problems we are facing, like compulsory vaccination, hectic masks, quarantine period, sanitization, and we all locked our selves into the home, no meetings, no celebrations, nothing... But we are not first who face this all.but also decades ago this kind of crisis existing. And millions of people suffering from this. The name of the decease is plague.
Plague is a decease that effects human and other mammals. It is caused by the bacterium, yersinia pestis. Humans usually get plague after being bitten by a rodent flea that is carring the plague bacterium or by handling an animal infected with plague. It was believed that the plague was start in china in 1334, spreading along trade routes and reaching Europe via Sicilian ports in the late 1340s. The plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent's population. The black death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities.
But where in all other nations, the situation of plague continued of being more and more worse. On the other side in India, there is a beautiful time, people where cheering, nature were blossoming, and the happy weather located. This thing created a great contrast in history.
So a great English poet Simon Robert Armitage, wrote beautiful poem on this concept. And portrayed both the situation by using a dream sequences. The first dream sequence is about plague condition. And in contrast of it, the other dream sequence is about kalidasa's "meghaduta".
Meghaduta is a story of "yaksha", who is cursed by God and now pinning for his beloved on a lonely mountain peak. When at the beginning of a monsoon, a cloud perches on the peak. He asks it to deliver a message to his love in Himalayan city of Alaka. And then the journey of cloud described the geography of India. Kalidasa in his Meghadut, talk about a beautiful places of india. This thing is also beautifully covered in the poem of Simon Robert Armitage.
Simon Armitage is a well known English poet, playwright and novelist. Who was appointed as a poet laureate on 10 may 2019. He is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford professor of poetry when he was elected to the four year part time appointment from 2015 to 2019. In 21 March 2020, he wrote an amazing poem, titled as a "lockdown". So let me share my first impression of understanding of poem.
The poem starts with ,
"And I couldn't escape the walking dream of infected fleas."
The poem decided into the two dream sequences. The First is about condition of London, during pandemic plague time. In a small village Eyam. At the 17th century. The first sequence is a heallucinating dream sequence of 1665 -66 plague. He start with infected fleas,which carries the bacteria of plague. And call it as a infected fleas. And also talk about the situation of small village named Eyam. It is very close to London.
Armitage wrote that no one allowed to cross the boundary stones, boundary stones means a mile stones. No one able to go to another city. Then he further wrote that there where a cock - eyed dice, with six dark holes. And that dice use for purging plagued coins with the help of vinegar wine. Now a day we have sanitizer, but at that time they don't have so they use vinegar wine to wash infected coins. And because of this situation, poet remember the sorry story of Emmott syddall, and Rowland Torre. So this is also very interesting reference he took here. Then he further wrote that stars crossed lovers, now lives within the quarantine line. And they were not meeting eachother since long time. So they were suffering from separation. And pinning eachother. But can't meet because of plague.
Then the second dream sequence he wrote, he wrote that,
"But sleep again,
And dreamt this time"
This time also he seen a dream about seperation, the seperation. The seperation of the "Yaksha". He is The protagonist of the Kalidasa's "meghaduta". Armitage wrote that, Exiled Yaksha, sending message to his dear beloved. Message with passing cloud, we all know that cloud is non living thing and it is very much artificial, if someone send message by cloud. But Kalidasa's metaphor is something which made Sanskrit literature Richest. Further Simon Armitage, talk about the story of Meghaduta. Which is about the geography of India. The cloud move further and followed early map of camel trail and cattle tracks. And he compared the shape of stream with Necklaces, and also talk about various places and art and nature of india. Like, Fan - tailed peacock, painted elephants, embroidered bedspreads of medows and hedges, bamboo forests, snow - hatted peaks (Himalayan peaks), waterfalls, creeks, the hieroglyphs of wide - winged cranes, and glistening lotus flowers after rain, and also mentioned a rain, which hypnotically see - through rare. And here Armitage end his poem by describing beautifully the "meghaduta".
This poem "Lockdown", is normally about two different situations, of history or a time. But both the dream sequence covered a sorrow story of separation and suffering. Either it is a Victorian journey or Indian journey. Separation are there, but situation it different, in one side there is a suffering by plague. Where in other side, there is a beautiful Indian nature. And weather we see so the poem is very important and interesting I found. And I enjoyed to read poem and to analyse it.
Here i am sharing a video of poem Lockdown, in poet's own voice.
:- 940 words.
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