dublinka

I was awake at six this morning and decided to memorize Snow. On first impression I never thought much of this poem and could never understand why it was successful. The reasons for this was that I found MacNeice's use of the word 'Incorrigibly' jarring, and worse I thought his use of 'huge' in the last line unforgivable. Nevertheless something brought me back to it and as I stuck it inside my numbskull it started to click with me. The attraction, I think is not necessarily to do with the mechanics of how the poem is constructed, but rather, the ideas seem to ferment the more you repeat it, and the superficial images of snow, roses and tangerines, give way to a deeper impression of the workings of the world itself. To me, this alone elevates the poem to greatness. I'm not sure why other people like it so quickly. Even after learning it, I still stare in disbelief at 'huge' although I am slowly beginning to like the flavour of 'Incorrigibly'. Perhaps they just aren't as slow as me. Then again, maybe 'huge' works if you stretch it out in a wonderous way. I'm not sure. I'd like to hear some actors reading this.

Louis MacNeice - Snow

The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:
World is suddener than we fancy it.

World is crazier and more of it than we think,
Incorrigibly plural. I peel and portion
A tangerine and spit the pips and feel
The drunkenness of things being various.

And the fire flames with a bubbling sound for world
Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes -
On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one's hands -
There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.