[1454] An Exile's Lament

Guest poem sent in by fellriana <fellriana@>

Beneath the golden balm
Settling on the fields
Evening steals in calm
And farmers count their yields
The bee is in the lavender,
The honey fills the comb,
But here a rain falls never-ending
And I am far from home.

 	-- Jacqueline Carey

Note: From the novel "Kushiel's Dart"

I don't know whether this poem counts, as it's a far cry from recognized
poetry -- but it's worth suggesting, at very least, as the images are
dead on, vivid without calling attention to themselves, and it's a beautiful
portrayal of a less-than-beautful kind of sadness.  It's in fact out of a
fantasy novel series (which while being exceptionally well-written and
highly entertaining is not "good literature").

[Martin adds]

I've always liked quietly atmospheric "still" poems like today's - the
imagery comes across very nicely, and while I can see it working well in a
fantasy novel, the fact is irrelevant to its appreciation.

And as for the comment on the series - well, there's all the difference
between good literature and "Good Literature", and I'm far more a fan of the
former than the latter. And it's always nice to see fantasy with *good*
poetry - there's way too much of the other kind around. I've put it on my
'to read' list.

[Links]

Jacqueline Carey's homepage:
  http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/

Biography:
  http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/bio.html


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From: Ajit Narayanan <AjitN@>

cf. poem #133, Pippa Passes. I am surprised that Martin did not comment on
this! This poem is similar enough in structure to Pippa Passes to almost be
a parody, except that it is far from humorous. (Mustn't a parody always be
funny?) It is interesting to note how the last two lines of this poem are
diametrically opposite to the last two lines of Pippa Passes, and the effect
that it has on the overall 'mood' of the piece. While it is possible that
this poem was conceived independently of Pippa, I think it is far more
likely that this was inspired by it, with the poet relying on a deft twist
in the last two lines to reverse the 'optimism' of the latter.

ajitQ