Original poem reprinted online here: "an endnote and love song:" by Erin Moure
Originally read: August 16, 2013
More information about the Poet: Erin Moure
Part of the fun of the poem is trying to figure out what's going on. So for the longest time I didn't look at the note attached to this poem until today. I find myself way off in interpretation versus than intention of the poet. But that's the way it goes.
When I first read the title, I thought this would be more of an experiment based on songs which was an end note. So for the numerical list, I thought they were more like drafts of tracks. Like for example, the title of the album would be "Sauna 89" and the artists would be "В. Шекспір". I don't know who that person is, but that doesn't matter -- it's looking upon a foreign work trying to state things in English.
For example, "1. And you were to leave me for my faults" is a typical love poem type of introduction which leads to, "2. I'd not defend my lameness, walking halt" and so on and so forth -- in which the poem plays with a chronological order of events, I want to forget you or "7. I will not speak of you" in which the title tracks create a narrative.
The narrative being, I love you, but I want to forget you,"12. I will not speak (too much profane)." This line emphasizing the point of forgetting. So when the last line appears without a number, this is the endnote, "I will not ( trout ) name you." Past me noted, "humor? trying to find a word. Maybe similar to name, but like it." So there's the push and pull here.
So the structure depersonalizes the experience of the poem due to the lines appearing synthetic, but comes back to the personal through the humor of the end note.
---
I'm pretty wrong with this interpretation, or maybe there's some things I have to consider now based on some knowledge.
This poem is actually a cut up of William Shakespeare's, "Sonnet 89" and, yes, there's some lines that don't mesh with the poem, but the core of the poem feels like a response to this form.
And here's what the poet states about the creation of her poem:
About this poem:
"The poem was an imitation of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 89 for Sharmila Cohen's and Paul Legault's wonderful The Sonnets: Translating and Rewriting Shakespeare, though I did not submit this version. This sonnet now ends Kapusta (or Cabbage), a sequel to The Unmemntioable. The lyric address woven like a thread of water across The Unmemntioable ("dearest trout") appears here in a ghostly way. To repeat so many times and ways that 'I will not speak your name' is to engrave it deeply in time. It doesn't matter what or whose name it is. It names someone. The name, unuttered, is caressed in the mouth regardless, and is curiously spoken."
—Erín Moure -
And Erin Moure brings up this big point about the piece, "To repeat so many times and ways that 'I will not speak your name' is to engrave it deeply in time. It doesn't matter what or whose name it is. It names someone. The name, unuttered, is caressed in the mouth regardless, and is curiously spoken." The forgetting of a name, regardless if never uttered, is remembered on the page. The emotion is still there.
Now how does affect my reading of the poem. It's a lot more to take in that I can't account for. But the name thing sticks and comes across the page even without the notes.
Originally read: August 16, 2013
More information about the Poet: Erin Moure
Part of the fun of the poem is trying to figure out what's going on. So for the longest time I didn't look at the note attached to this poem until today. I find myself way off in interpretation versus than intention of the poet. But that's the way it goes.
When I first read the title, I thought this would be more of an experiment based on songs which was an end note. So for the numerical list, I thought they were more like drafts of tracks. Like for example, the title of the album would be "Sauna 89" and the artists would be "В. Шекспір". I don't know who that person is, but that doesn't matter -- it's looking upon a foreign work trying to state things in English.
For example, "1. And you were to leave me for my faults" is a typical love poem type of introduction which leads to, "2. I'd not defend my lameness, walking halt" and so on and so forth -- in which the poem plays with a chronological order of events, I want to forget you or "7. I will not speak of you" in which the title tracks create a narrative.
The narrative being, I love you, but I want to forget you,
So the structure depersonalizes the experience of the poem due to the lines appearing synthetic, but comes back to the personal through the humor of the end note.
---
I'm pretty wrong with this interpretation, or maybe there's some things I have to consider now based on some knowledge.
This poem is actually a cut up of William Shakespeare's, "Sonnet 89" and, yes, there's some lines that don't mesh with the poem, but the core of the poem feels like a response to this form.
And here's what the poet states about the creation of her poem:
About this poem:
"The poem was an imitation of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 89 for Sharmila Cohen's and Paul Legault's wonderful The Sonnets: Translating and Rewriting Shakespeare, though I did not submit this version. This sonnet now ends Kapusta (or Cabbage), a sequel to The Unmemntioable. The lyric address woven like a thread of water across The Unmemntioable ("dearest trout") appears here in a ghostly way. To repeat so many times and ways that 'I will not speak your name' is to engrave it deeply in time. It doesn't matter what or whose name it is. It names someone. The name, unuttered, is caressed in the mouth regardless, and is curiously spoken."
—Erín Moure -
And Erin Moure brings up this big point about the piece, "To repeat so many times and ways that 'I will not speak your name' is to engrave it deeply in time. It doesn't matter what or whose name it is. It names someone. The name, unuttered, is caressed in the mouth regardless, and is curiously spoken." The forgetting of a name, regardless if never uttered, is remembered on the page. The emotion is still there.
Now how does affect my reading of the poem. It's a lot more to take in that I can't account for. But the name thing sticks and comes across the page even without the notes.
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