Guest Psimon2001 Posted September 9, 2002 Report Posted September 9, 2002 At the invitation of Gwaihir, I respectfully and humbly present a small work for your, dare I say it... enjoyment La petite fille de la mer (The little girl of the sea) ************************************ I sat alone in the study of my tower gazing out at the ocean rolling in, kissing the shore lightly as one would softly embrace a lover I had thought myself mistaken, but no! Barely visible against the ageless sand a tiny figure, draped in similar hues of gray and black stood waiting Facing firmly to the waves, expectant. I studied the figure closely seeing it was a girl of no more than ten summers, her long blond hair flying in the breeze Hours passed and neither moved, her nor I. The sea grew dark as did the sky a gale sprang from the south and the waves began to thunder And the little girl stood watching It began to rain harshly, beating upon the little one's body without mercy. Hair soaked and flat, she stayed. My eyes wept with the strain of watching not daring to look away in case she moved. When I thought I could look no longer she turned her head and looked into my world She smiled as a tear fell from her soft gaze, turned back to her home and slowly walked into the breakers I never saw her again but I know she is happy.
Wyvern Posted September 9, 2002 Report Posted September 9, 2002 An interesting poem, Psimon... The form of the piece, which has been written as a simple narrative from the first person perspective with no specific rhyme scheme or patterns, reminds me somewhat of the medieval poetry I've been reading recently in my English Literature class... One thing I found interesting about the poem was the cluster of images related to water. References to the breakers in the Ocean, the rainfall, and the tears of the narrator and girl all hint at a certain sense of sadness and nostalgia. These images could also be pointing towards the origins of the girl, as it's apparent that she came from a land of water, the sea. The colors of the cloths that the little girl wears, "hues of gray and black", further hint at the sense of sadness of the poem. Yet at the end of the piece, after the narrator has witnessed the girl endure the ordeal of the storm, he watches her smile and is assured she'll be happy again... This ultimately points towards the theme of the poem, which is that if we keep a strong will and persevere through hard times, we will be rewarded with happiness and peace. There's one thing I'm curious about... why did you decide to write the title of the poem in french? Once again, nice work... [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.
Guest Psimon2001 Posted September 10, 2002 Report Posted September 10, 2002 Thank you for your comments... More are always welcome The title is in French (though I cannot speak or read the language to any significant degree) simply because I love the way certain phrases sound in French. I have another which I will post at another time (once I have absorbed the comments re. this piece) also titled in French, but many of my other works are only in English Thanks again
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