تحلیل شعر

My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't handle being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

truthfully. It's not something you should say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide the fact that terrible

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are hell; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She turned to me, once,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in complete darkness) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's a living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope for a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it must have been the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground majestic

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's beautiful out there." Dying hasn't made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

any more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

Adam Thorpe's poem 'On Her Blindness' is a poignant exploration of his mother's experience with blindness. The poem begins with a candid admission that his mother could not bear her blindness, challenging the societal expectation to endure such hardships stoically. The poem is structured around personal anecdotes, such as a moment in a Paris restaurant where his mother struggles to find her food, highlighting the everyday challenges of her condition. The poem's tone is intimate and confessional, as Thorpe shares his mother's candid admission of her suffering and her contemplation of suicide if she lost hope for a cure. Despite her struggles, she maintains her dignity, even when facing physical obstacles. The poem also reflects on the beauty of the world that his mother can no longer see, emphasizing the tragedy of her condition. In the end, the poem contemplates her death, suggesting that she is now free from the pretense of sight, leaving the living to imagine her watching from beyond. Thorpe's use of vivid imagery and honest language creates a moving tribute to his mother's resilience and the profound impact of her blindness on their lives.

Word Dictionary11

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	bair
catastrophic	disastrous	extremely harmful or damaging	cat-uh-strof-ic
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit a person's movements, senses, or activities	hand-i-caps
Roman	stoic	someone who is very strong and unemotional	roh-muhn
dodgem	bumper car	a small electric car driven for fun in an amusement park	dah-juhm
ablaze	brightly lit	filled with bright light or color	uh-blayz
royal	majestic	having the status or grandeur of a king or queen	roi-al
leaf-fall	fallen leaves	leaves that have fallen from trees	leaf-fall
sop	consolation	something given to pacify or appease	saap
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true when it is not	pre-tend
coffin	casket	a box in which a dead body is buried	cof-fin

Poet & Context

PoetAdam Thorpe

EraContemporary

Adam Thorpe is a contemporary English poet, novelist, and playwright. He is known for his diverse literary works that often explore themes of history, identity, and personal experience. Thorpe's poetry is characterized by its emotional depth and attention to detail.

View on Wikipedia

WhenContemporary period

WhyThe poem 'On Her Blindness' by Adam Thorpe is a personal reflection on the poet's mother's struggle with blindness. It explores the emotional and psychological impact of losing sight, both on the individual and their family. The poem challenges societal expectations of stoicism in the face of disability, offering a raw and honest portrayal of suffering.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

DisabilityFamilyHonestyDignity

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of blindness and the world around the mother.Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds, e.g., 'bear being blind'.Metaphor: Comparing the mother's struggle to a 'living hell'.Enjambment: Sentences and phrases that continue beyond the line breaks.

تحلیل شعر

My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't handle being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

truthfully. It's not something you should say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide the fact that terrible

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are hell; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She turned to me, once,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in complete darkness) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's a living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope for a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it must have been the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground majestic

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's beautiful out there." Dying hasn't made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

any more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

Word Dictionary11

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	bair
catastrophic	disastrous	extremely harmful or damaging	cat-uh-strof-ic
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit a person's movements, senses, or activities	hand-i-caps
Roman	stoic	someone who is very strong and unemotional	roh-muhn
dodgem	bumper car	a small electric car driven for fun in an amusement park	dah-juhm
ablaze	brightly lit	filled with bright light or color	uh-blayz
royal	majestic	having the status or grandeur of a king or queen	roi-al
leaf-fall	fallen leaves	leaves that have fallen from trees	leaf-fall
sop	consolation	something given to pacify or appease	saap
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true when it is not	pre-tend
coffin	casket	a box in which a dead body is buried	cof-fin

Poet & Context

PoetAdam Thorpe

EraContemporary

View on Wikipedia

WhenContemporary period

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

DisabilityFamilyHonestyDignity

Literary devices