कविता विश्लेषण

I wheel my bike under

Original Poetry

Translation

I wheel my bike under

I push my bike under

the cathedral’s1 dark overhang.

the cathedral’s dark covering.

Seized by a rictus2 of the wind,

The wind's grip makes the trees lose their rain.

the trees shed rain.

Rain flows down

Rain slides down 5

Wale Street’s smooth, steep slope:

Wale Street’s sleek, steep fall:

the air is like a loud ocean around

air is an ocean booming round

tall, bare walls.

high, bare walls.

My hands are cold on

My hands freeze on

the bike’s crossbar,

the bike’s crossbar, 10

search for the wet seat, play

seek the sodden saddle, toy

with the freezing bell:

with the ice-cold bell:

I suddenly feel like a runaway,

I am suddenly fugitive,

without a home, trapped in

homeless and cornered in

a whim of weather and clouds.

a caprice3 of pressure and cloud. 15

Then I hear coughing and realize

Then they cough and I know

I am not alone:

far back, against the large, nailed doors,

far back, against the great, nailed doors,

they gather: cave-dwellers

they huddle: troglodytes4

of night’s hiding places,

of night’s alcoves, 20

daytime’s shopping centers,

daytime’s shopping-malls,

parking lots, sparse green lawns,

public benches where

municipal benches where

city workers, during lunch, unpack

lunchtime’s city workers, stripping down

their meals, sitting

their food-packs, sit 25

in neat rows.

in sober rows. 5

I am afraid to turn around,

I fear to turn around,

become tense expecting

stiffen in expectation

the usual pull at my sleeve,

of the inevitable tugging at my sleeve,

wonder if I have any money,

wonder if I have any coins, 30

wonder why they aren’t arguing,

wonder why they do not bicker,

like they usually do,

as they always do,

cursing their birth

cursing their mother’s wombs

in tired, robotic voices,

in tired robots’ tones,

why only this

why only this 35

strange, laughing, flowing sound

curious, chuckling, liquid sound

makes me turn around.

drawing me around.

She wears the usual layers on

She has the usual wrappings on

thin, fragile legs,

stick-thin, brittle shins,

skin discolored and quietly decaying

patchy-purple, quietly rotting 40

from drinking spirits:

methylated spirits6 skin:

a headscarf of unexpected elegance sits on

doekie7 of incongruous8 elegance crowns

her rough, half-bald head.

the scabrous, half-bald skull.

Her man, as grotesque

Her man, grotesque

as a stone gargoyle come to life,

as a gargoyle9 roused from stone, 45

holds a baby on his lap,

cradles an infant on his lap,

feeds it from a bottle with a nipple,

feeds it from a bottle with a teat,

makes the laughing, singing sounds

makes the chuckling, crooning sounds

that made me turn,

that turned me round,

that keep me captivated.

that hold me now spellbound. 50

‘Good morning, sir,’ he says,

and his voice is serious

and his voice is grave

like a family head in his living room.

as a paterfamilias10 in his lounge.

Only the outsider,

Only the odd man out,

leaning against the hard grey walls,

leaning against the harsh grey walls, 55

looks at me with carefully neutral eyes,

looks at me with carefully indifferent eyes,

seeing me as a stranger in his territory

finding me, alien on his home ground

hoping the clouds would clear and I would leave,

wishing the clouds would break and I be gone,

ringing my bike’s silly, small bell.

ringing my bike’s absurd, small bell.

Explanation

This poem paints a vivid picture of urban life and the stark realities of homelessness. The narrator, while wheeling their bike under the cathedral's overhang, is caught in a moment of reflection as the wind and rain create a dramatic backdrop. The poem captures the sense of being trapped and vulnerable, as the narrator feels like a fugitive in the city's harsh environment. The presence of homeless individuals, described as 'troglodytes' of the city's hidden spaces, adds a layer of social commentary. The poem contrasts the lives of city workers and the homeless, highlighting the disparity and indifference in urban settings. The imagery of the homeless woman and her partner, who is described as a gargoyle, evokes a sense of empathy and connection, as the narrator is drawn to their humanity despite the harsh conditions. The poem ends with a reflection on alienation and the desire to escape, symbolized by the ringing of the bike's bell.

Word Dictionary15

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
cathedral’s	large church's	belonging to a large church	kuh-thee-druhlz
rictus	grimace	a fixed, grim smile or expression	rik-tuhs
troglodytes	cave dwellers	people living in seclusion or primitive conditions	trog-luh-dyts
caprice	whim	a sudden change or impulse	kuh-prees
doekie	headscarf	a small scarf worn on the head	doo-kee
incongruous	out of place	not in harmony with surroundings	in-kong-groo-uhs
gargoyle	stone creature	a grotesque carved figure	gahr-goyl
paterfamilias	head of family	male head of a family or household	pay-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs
methylated spirits	denatured alcohol	alcohol made undrinkable by adding chemicals	meth-uh-lay-tid spir-its
alcoves	recesses	small, recessed sections of a room or area	al-kohvz
sodden	soaked	thoroughly wet	sod-uhn
scabrous	rough	having a rough surface	skab-ruhs
fugitive	runaway	someone running away or escaping	fyoo-juh-tiv
cradles	holds gently	holds or supports tenderly	kray-duhlz
spellbound	captivated	completely fascinated or absorbed	spel-bound

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraContemporary

The poet of this piece is unknown. The poem appears to be a contemporary work, reflecting modern urban life and its challenges.

WhenContemporary

WhyThe poem reflects themes of urban alienation, homelessness, and the stark contrasts between different social classes. It captures a moment of introspection and societal observation, possibly inspired by the poet's own experiences or observations in a city environment.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

urban alienationhomelessnesssocial disparityempathy

Literary devices

imagery: vivid descriptions of the urban environment and weathermetaphor: air is described as an oceanpersonification: wind is given human-like qualitiescontrast: between city workers and homeless individualssymbolism: the bike's bell represents a desire to escape

कविता विश्लेषण

I wheel my bike under

Original Poetry

Translation

I wheel my bike under

I push my bike under

the cathedral’s1 dark overhang.

the cathedral’s dark covering.

Seized by a rictus2 of the wind,

The wind's grip makes the trees lose their rain.

the trees shed rain.

Rain flows down

Rain slides down 5

Wale Street’s smooth, steep slope:

Wale Street’s sleek, steep fall:

the air is like a loud ocean around

air is an ocean booming round

tall, bare walls.

high, bare walls.

My hands are cold on

My hands freeze on

the bike’s crossbar,

the bike’s crossbar, 10

search for the wet seat, play

seek the sodden saddle, toy

with the freezing bell:

with the ice-cold bell:

I suddenly feel like a runaway,

I am suddenly fugitive,

without a home, trapped in

homeless and cornered in

a whim of weather and clouds.

a caprice3 of pressure and cloud. 15

Then I hear coughing and realize

Then they cough and I know

I am not alone:

far back, against the large, nailed doors,

far back, against the great, nailed doors,

they gather: cave-dwellers

they huddle: troglodytes4

of night’s hiding places,

of night’s alcoves, 20

daytime’s shopping centers,

daytime’s shopping-malls,

parking lots, sparse green lawns,

public benches where

municipal benches where

city workers, during lunch, unpack

lunchtime’s city workers, stripping down

their meals, sitting

their food-packs, sit 25

in neat rows.

in sober rows. 5

I am afraid to turn around,

I fear to turn around,

become tense expecting

stiffen in expectation

the usual pull at my sleeve,

of the inevitable tugging at my sleeve,

wonder if I have any money,

wonder if I have any coins, 30

wonder why they aren’t arguing,

wonder why they do not bicker,

like they usually do,

as they always do,

cursing their birth

cursing their mother’s wombs

in tired, robotic voices,

in tired robots’ tones,

why only this

why only this 35

strange, laughing, flowing sound

curious, chuckling, liquid sound

makes me turn around.

drawing me around.

She wears the usual layers on

She has the usual wrappings on

thin, fragile legs,

stick-thin, brittle shins,

skin discolored and quietly decaying

patchy-purple, quietly rotting 40

from drinking spirits:

methylated spirits6 skin:

a headscarf of unexpected elegance sits on

doekie7 of incongruous8 elegance crowns

her rough, half-bald head.

the scabrous, half-bald skull.

Her man, as grotesque

Her man, grotesque

as a stone gargoyle come to life,

as a gargoyle9 roused from stone, 45

holds a baby on his lap,

cradles an infant on his lap,

feeds it from a bottle with a nipple,

feeds it from a bottle with a teat,

makes the laughing, singing sounds

makes the chuckling, crooning sounds

that made me turn,

that turned me round,

that keep me captivated.

that hold me now spellbound. 50

‘Good morning, sir,’ he says,

and his voice is serious

and his voice is grave

like a family head in his living room.

as a paterfamilias10 in his lounge.

Only the outsider,

Only the odd man out,

leaning against the hard grey walls,

leaning against the harsh grey walls, 55

looks at me with carefully neutral eyes,

looks at me with carefully indifferent eyes,

seeing me as a stranger in his territory

finding me, alien on his home ground

hoping the clouds would clear and I would leave,

wishing the clouds would break and I be gone,

ringing my bike’s silly, small bell.

ringing my bike’s absurd, small bell.

Explanation

Word Dictionary15

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
cathedral’s	large church's	belonging to a large church	kuh-thee-druhlz
rictus	grimace	a fixed, grim smile or expression	rik-tuhs
troglodytes	cave dwellers	people living in seclusion or primitive conditions	trog-luh-dyts
caprice	whim	a sudden change or impulse	kuh-prees
doekie	headscarf	a small scarf worn on the head	doo-kee
incongruous	out of place	not in harmony with surroundings	in-kong-groo-uhs
gargoyle	stone creature	a grotesque carved figure	gahr-goyl
paterfamilias	head of family	male head of a family or household	pay-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs
methylated spirits	denatured alcohol	alcohol made undrinkable by adding chemicals	meth-uh-lay-tid spir-its
alcoves	recesses	small, recessed sections of a room or area	al-kohvz
sodden	soaked	thoroughly wet	sod-uhn
scabrous	rough	having a rough surface	skab-ruhs
fugitive	runaway	someone running away or escaping	fyoo-juh-tiv
cradles	holds gently	holds or supports tenderly	kray-duhlz
spellbound	captivated	completely fascinated or absorbed	spel-bound

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraContemporary

The poet of this piece is unknown. The poem appears to be a contemporary work, reflecting modern urban life and its challenges.

WhenContemporary

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

urban alienationhomelessnesssocial disparityempathy

Literary devices