Gedicht
Michael Hartnett
Death of an Irishwoman
Death of an Irishwoman
Death of an Irishwoman
Ignorant, in the senseshe ate monotonous food
and thought the world was flat,
and pagan, in the sense
she knew the things that moved
at night were neither dogs nor cats
but púcas and darkfaced men,
she nevertheless had fierce pride.
But sentenced in the end
to eat thin diminishing porridge
in a stone-cold kitchen
she clenched her brittle hands
around a world
she could not understand.
I loved her from the day she died.
She was a summer dance at the crossroads.
She was a card game where a nose was broken.
She was a song that nobody sings.
She was a house ransacked by soldiers.
She was a language seldom spoken.
She was a child’s purse, full of useless things.
© 1975, The Estate of Michael Hartnett
From: Collected Poems
Publisher: The Gallery Press, Oldcastle
púcas: pookas, hobgoblins. In the Irish language a man of African descent is described as a "blue man", fear ghoirm. In Irish, "an fear dubh" ("the black man") exclusively denotes the devil. The "darkfaced men" of this poem does not have a racial connotation.
From: Collected Poems
Publisher: The Gallery Press, Oldcastle
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Death of an Irishwoman
Ignorant, in the senseshe ate monotonous food
and thought the world was flat,
and pagan, in the sense
she knew the things that moved
at night were neither dogs nor cats
but púcas and darkfaced men,
she nevertheless had fierce pride.
But sentenced in the end
to eat thin diminishing porridge
in a stone-cold kitchen
she clenched her brittle hands
around a world
she could not understand.
I loved her from the day she died.
She was a summer dance at the crossroads.
She was a card game where a nose was broken.
She was a song that nobody sings.
She was a house ransacked by soldiers.
She was a language seldom spoken.
She was a child’s purse, full of useless things.
From: Collected Poems
púcas: pookas, hobgoblins. In the Irish language a man of African descent is described as a "blue man", fear ghoirm. In Irish, "an fear dubh" ("the black man") exclusively denotes the devil. The "darkfaced men" of this poem does not have a racial connotation.
Death of an Irishwoman
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