At The Concert - A Poem by Dannie Abse

This poem is very hypocritical of itself. Normally a concert would be seen as an event where people are very involved and connected with what is going on but straight away we can see that in this poem that persona is very distracted and disconnected as he addresses what he was doing the day before. This poem is very Typical of Abse as it is concrete and the meaning is set in stone. He doesn't like where he is and is continually wishing he could be somewhere else. Each stanza typically questions the thinking of a person in terms of reflecting on their life. 

I get the impression that music in this poem acts as an instigator for the persona to remember certain events that had happened in their life.  Although he is at the concert he wants to be somewhere else - the phrase "Do you wait, as i do" suggests the generalized desire to be somewhere else constantly than where you are - the desire for bigger and better things. The persona suggests they are bored with where they are and how they spend their time - for example being at the concert as they use the phrase "same old grass, some old flavour". The idea of a concert could also suggest repetition of music e.g. repetition of the familiar - something that is well known and has become learnt. Because of this repetition Abse could suggesting how life is just a circle and is becoming significantly less diverse. For example "Lol's sloping field" could suggest the mockery on the pointlessness of life and the ever growing decrease in the importance of how you end up living your life to some people. Suggesting Abse doesn't want to become one of those people. 

The phrase ‘Prince’s Kiss’ objectifies the music coming from the orchestra as of being of high importance and almost dreamlike like a fairy-tale, not realistic or real. Which could be echoing the persona's dreamlike state of wanting to be somewhere else that isn't reality - that doesn't exist. The 4th stanza as a whole illuminates Abse's negative view in terms of the shortness and pointlessness of it. He suggests this critical thinking applies to a large amount of people “join the queue” and that this visualization and idea of a perfect lifestyle will keep haunting you for your entire life - "stretches all the way to the old people's home". Finally Abse creates the idea that he wants to escape from the concert. "Pear tree blossoming a masquerade" A reference to nature – he wants to be in a more naturalistic environment suggesting the place he is currently in is very forced and man made – maybe an element of society he wants to avoid.

Musical Moments 1 - By Dannie Abse

Musical Moments 1 - 'His last Piano Lesson'

Key theme -  The main theme of this poem is regret and disappointment when looking back on the past and the missed opportunities. The general idea of the poem is that as a child Abse was forced to undertake piano lessons's by his father and therefore felt that he missed out on a large part of his childhood - just being a kid. 

The poet describes the noise made by the children as "pointless cries of children" suggesting that their fun was not of importance and the main importance was music and having a clear focus. To me I get the impression that Abse went against his father and almost had a rebellious strike where he started to conform to the other children's behavior so his father became angry "That's his last piano lesson!". On the other hand it could suggest that Abse became completely non-compliant to continue because of his boredom and distaste towards the music. Because of this it suggest that in this period of his life it was not something that interested him - this is similar to the way Larkin describes his boredom of reading (ironic as he is a poet) in 'A study of reading habits'. Although Abse's reasoning for his distaste has a more concrete approach as he suggests it intervened with his childhood where as Larkin's is more generalized and worthy of a cynicism award. 

 

The Red Balloon - A poem by Dannie Abse

Links to other Larkin poems

This poem is very similar to 'Water'. Because both poems are focused on religion although they are different. In this poem there is evident mockery on religion but the mockery is based around Abse's personal beliefs in religion and the society in which he submerges himself in. Whereas on the other hand in Larkins poem 'Water' there is general mockery on religion as a whole, as Larkin provides his more cynical view - one may say that Larkin could have easily fitted in with the bullies who mocked Abse's religion.

This poem has an ongoing theme of conflict based around religion with the main factor occurring being prejudice towards Jews. The poem is a recollection from Abse of the hassle of his childhood whilst growing up as a Jew and having to deal with bullying because of his Faith. For me, the red balloon in the poem is a symbol of Abse's religion and was a possession of his that caused him to become bullied. The balloon is described as something that is very personal to Abse as in the 4th stanza he describes it as "my balloon, my red balloon". This shows that although he possessed something that could cause him to become a target he was proud of it and his religion was something that influenced him and made him the man he is today. Also something else that supports this is the idea that Abse refuses to give up on his religion despite the hassle that is attached to it - this becomes evident with "it would not burst". The balloon is clearly re-enforced as being extremely important to Abse - as the description make it seem as if he obsesses over it - "I breathed on it, i polished it, till it shone like living blood". The phrase 'living blood' could also be a way of Abse reminding us of the extermination of the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps and how he refuses to drop being a Jew because of the psychological fear attached to it - and wants to make all those that lost their lives proud that the Jewish religion will never die.

There can be many connotations for the colour Red. The idea that the balloon is red could suggest Love - suggesting Abse loves and cherishes his religion and it is an important part of him. On the other hand the colour red could reflect the violence and danger attached with Judaism. The idea of a single red balloon reminds me of the iconic symbolism of the girl in the red coat in the well known film directed by Steven spiel-burg 'Schindler's list' which also is based heavily on the Jewish religion in WW2. A balloon can also be seen as a fragile object which could represent the lack of Abse's safety as a child by being a Jew or alternatively the fragility of his youth when dealing with the abuse.

Taken from the Movie 'Schindler's List'

A Winter Visit - A Poem by Dannie Abse

Main theme of poem: Loss but with the element of love and appreciation from the persona towards their mother.
The poem has a continuous rhyme scheme throughout the poem, - this could suggest the quick pace of life and how life doesn't stop for anybody and death is inevitable.

"Neighboring lights come on before it's dark" - her death has approached her before she has even realized it.
The persona describes his mother as being an incredible being and full of life and prospects - on the other hand could be suggesting what an amazing life the persona sees their mother experienced -"from one pale dot of peacock's sperm spring forth all the colours of a peacock's tail?" Also the repetition of a Peacock in the poem symbolizes something that is full of life and has a lot of substance to it - this can be symbolized through the layers of the peacocks feathers and the range of colours that are reflected off the peacock. The colours could be symbolic of all the qualities of the woman's life that she has given to the world and the feathers could be symbolical of the layers of her personality suggesting the persona felt that his mother had a personality with lots of different elements suggesting why she was so special.

In this poem Abse uses a regular rhyme scheme. The regular rhyme scheme suggests a secure relationship between the persona and his mother. Despite the secure relationship suggested in the poem it is inevitable that every great thing eventually must come to an end and this is suggested with "although only nothing keeps". Emphasis on the word 'nothing' suggests that there is nothing left to form a new start or a new end - suggesting that life goes on forever in your soul - memories of that one person are eternal.

Link to other Larkin Poems
Poems that this poem reminds me of due to loss and reflection on life are 'Reference Back' and 'Home is so sad' as they also have the element of a concrete relationship.

A Scene From Married Life - A poem by Dannie Abse

Meanings of Words within the poem:

Daps- Handshakes
Tusker Rock- A rock in the Bristol channel named after a Viking
Psychopomps – Angel-like creatures who have the job of escorting newly deceased souls to where they need to go. 

Key points in this poem

•  The poem is set in Ogmore
•  A couple fight throughout this poem but then, towards the end, they agree to stop arguing but they are soon fighting afterwards (suggested by “and then…”
• Abse never actually states that the persona is fighting – he uses words like “squabble” and “squirm”. The situation is developed through the use of imagery and metaphors to add  more detail about feelings and the situation as time goes on.
• The title suggests that it is about a couple who are at a difficult time in their marriage. They feel trapped and try to keep control of the situation. The poem shows what marriage could be like and might act as a warning to those who might get married.
•  It is structured into stanzas and ‘stages’ in the argument. The structure reflects the stages in the fight and the same amount of lines in each stanza might suggest that it is normal to fight and there is a sense of repetitiveness.
•  Abse uses metaphors, imagery and is always comparing the situation with other things such as vengeance of the worm or the Cold War. This shows a use of hyperbole.
• This poem could be linked to ‘wild oats’ as Larkin also talks about a relationship.

The main theme for this Poem is Loss.

In the First stanza  Abse describes Ogmore as being 'empty' with a 'sullen beach' on 'That unreasonable July' he suggest the change in events were sudden and unexpected "nothing was happening until it happened". Abse suggests that the arguments he had with his significant other were not by choice and realistically neither of them wanted to argue with one another "fast barbed words that made the other squirm". It is suggested in the Second stanza that Abse had done something to upset his wife that she wanted to take revenge upon "verbal revenge - a dead bird eaten by the early worm" The phrase dead bird suggests that Abse had been slowly decaying and becoming weak due to the arguments with his wife and could also suggest the decaying nature of their marriage.

Final Stanza
The last stanza of the poem is extremely significant because it suggests the future steps they are going to take to their marriage in the future which shows us whether it was successful or not. The persona describes fights with his wife to wars – not just wars but cold wars. Cold wars are those that have started before and start again after breaks which could show that a marriage is one big fight that starts and stops on and off. However, he says that the fights do not happen often. He links to his family – he could sit at the desk but he will always stop for his children. ‘Armistice’ means the permanent stop yet more fighting is suggested by the last two lines after they have made up.

"Our own cold wars" suggests that their arguments were just as destructive on their relationship as a war could be on a country. - It would take years after to rebuild. Although towards the poem Abse's view on his marriage is very negative, he reveals that his children are still the priority in his life - "but children's cries were mightier than the pen". 

 "And sweet the armistice, each kiss, and then..." By using an ellipses at the end of the poem Abse creates a cliffhanger in terms of what steps are going to be made next in his marriage. The '...' suggests he either doesn't know where he wants to go from here, realizes they will both repeat their behavior and their marriage will become a never-ending cycle of unhappiness, or are going to have sex in order to feel closer to one another again and re-ignite their love. The word 'armistice' suggests the agreement to agree to disagree and stop the fighting to rebuild their relationship, but by using the phrase 'and then' to follow this it suggests there is no escaping the arguments in their marriage. The underlying thought here is that Marriage doesn't apologize for anything or wait for anybody. It is your responsibility to make it work. 

My Annotations for This poem.

This image has a link with Stanza 2 - This is an image to represent the cracks in the foundation of the marriage beginning to appear and corrupting the straight road to a happy ending.

Last Visit to 198 Cathedral Road - A poem by Dannie Abse

This poem is about somebody revisiting a house that they have previously been to that has a connection with their father. They are describing the room as they envision their memories of their father who it seems is no longer there. Abse describes the persona as sneaking into the house "like a burglar" which could suggest he hasn't been there for a very long time and isn't particularly welcome or allowed to be in the room. The persona recalls memories of his father "in my father's armchair" which show that the objects have a connection to him and this creates the theme of 'Loss'.

Abse describes the room as 'decayed' or 'decaying'. Although the room contains memories of the persona's father they aren't described as happy memories. "Living room, did i say? Dying room" could suggest that the memories associated with his father are slowly dying themselves and drifting away and becoming part of the dreary and dead atmosphere of the room. Abse uses personification to make the objects in the room seem like they are alive - a clear contrast to death. Because of this, although his father has died, this could suggest he isn't alone in the room and the objects that are left in the room are haunting him because of the memories linked with them. Abse gives the objects sinister qualities such as "the four-legged table in a fright" and "the vase that yawned hideously". For me personally i think that Abse is trying to show that the persona has negative memories linked with their father. Suspense is created in the poem by the use of the poetic device enjambment. The way the lines overspill onto the next line creates a quick breathless pace which suggests that the persona is not allowing themselves time to take-in the room but the objects are coming back to the persona in quick bursts which suggests he is suddenly remembering things that he had put to the back of his subconscious memory.

The way that Abse describes the room gives the impression of it being cluttered, damp, and not well-kept. Another idea that suggests the room is decaying is the phrase "the long, wriggling, photophobic crack in the ceiling". Photophobic means a morbid fear of light which could suggest the resistance to reach out to the outside world among the room. Which suggests how contained and trapped the people who once lived in the room - his father most likely- were. Although on the contrary "the pattern that ran up the curtain" suggests the desire to escape the room. The objects could be examples and representations of the persona's father's soul that wanted to be free but became trapped in his own depressed cycle of life and could only escape this through his penultimate death. An idea i think could work with this theory is that the objects represent little parts of the Father that the persona does not want to remember and therefore these haunt him. Overall, the message that Abse could be giving through this poem is that you should not take things for granted because once they're gone you will be filled with regret that you overlooked them and sadness that you ran out of time. - Life doesn't stop for anybody. Just as this fast paced poem infers. I think the main theme(s) of this poem is Decay with a slight hint at Loss.

The Malham Bird - A poem by Dannie Abse

Dannie Abse as a poet is a contradiction of Larkin as he presents his strong and ongoing relationship with his wife in the poem 'The Malham Bird' - Through the exposure of his experiences with his wife throughout their relationship he undercovers key positive themes such as 'The power of Love' and happy memories. Although on the other hand in this poem their is an obvious sad tone because of the way his marriage with his wife fell apart.

I think Abse presents himself to us as somebody who is likely to be extremely faithful to his wife and sees marriage as an extremely positive addition to his life. Abse suggests in the first stanza that his significant other is not a Jew - "in love - you a Gentile" whereas on the other hand he makes us aware that he is infact a Jew "and I a Jew!". The Jewish legend exists on a myth that The Malham Bird of Eden obeyed the commandment that it would not eat the forbidden fruit (taste the joys of this world such as marriage) and therefore would live in paradise. Which is a form of Larkin's thinking - in terms of paradise being by yourself and having a lot of freedom. Despite this Legend Abse is very different from Larkin and has a great deal of love towards his wife and chose to marry her because this life is so strong.

You begin to feel that Abse feels sentimental about his Marriage with his wife towards the end of the poem. We get the idea that Abse's marriage fell apart "two chalk lines kiss and slowly disappear" - but he still thinks about her all the time and deep inside his heart the love for his wife will be eternal and with that thought he can re-build his life on his journey to reaching paradise and spreading his wings just like The Malham Bird - not running away from his life even though he lost something that made him a very happy man. - "but stayed, lonely, immortal, forever winging" 

In my opinion this poem is very established around Abse's personal style of writing. Where as in a lot of Larkin's poems he finishes with a philosophical idea i feel that this poem finishes with more of a moral message and suggests that although in life we will lose things that are important to us - you should never give up and always treasure and reflect the memories instead of looking back in anger. The main message in this poem that Abse tries to get across is that he made a mistake taking on marriage as in the end he ended up lonely - and the bird in this poem symbolizes the choices. But in the end although he became lonely he "was not banished" because he remained faithful.

Peregrine Falcons at a place called 'Malham'

http://youtu.be/vp-bPAKLfx4 - I just really like this song and it makes me think of somebody continuously thinking about another person so much that they become 'the voice inside their head' although after everything - they still can't make them love them back.