Text
of Poem
Your ode to death is in the lifting of a
single eyebrow. Lift it and see. (Conrad Aiken)
Death is more than certain, says e.e Cummings,
But the clocks go on ticking as before
And in every particle of carbon dust
There lives a diamond dream
How many galaxies yet to be explored-
How many seeds in the pomegranate of time?
The pine tree blasted by last year’s
Thunderbolt
And the burn out match stick in my ashtray
Look so terribly alike
I have sat by your bedside and felt
Your sinking pulse. Are the hair and bones
Really indestructible and how long
Does it take for the eyes
To dissolve in the grave?
Two streams mingle in a forgotten river.
Between the eye and the tear
There is the archipelago of naked rocks
Only sleep and silence there-
No anchorage for grief.
I, too, have wandered in a forest of symbols
And clutched at the harlots of memory.
I have seen the “stars plummet to their dark
addresses”
I have felt your absence around my neck
But let bygones be bygones
Who was the deceiver and who the deceived
Was I on a floating island
And were you on the shore?
Which one of us moved away?
Daud Kamal's Ode to Death is about the certainty of death, the pain it brings to the bereaved, and the mystery it entails.
Overview
An ode, traditionally, is a solemn
song of praise and celebration, but Kamal has chosen to sing about death. One
is reminded of Donne's vigorous and defiant sonnet, "Death be not
proud...", and of Dickinson's musical, happy "Because I could not
stop for death...' By contrast, our poet is cynical and questioning. I feel
that death here also denotes deception...the death of love.
Summary and Analysis
Kamal sets the serious tone and theme by opening his poem with lines from Aiken and Cummings, giving credibility to his viewpoint: Death is always close and inescapable. However, this is his poem and his characteristic, all-pervasive imagery says it loud and clear. The use of assonance and longer lines gives a slow pace, adding to the solemn, reflective tone. We have clocks to depict the monotony and continuity of Father Time; death is certain, but life goes on.
There is the geological process of carbon transforming into diamonds, the unexplored galaxies, and the countless sparkling pomegranate seeds symbolizing human dreams and aspirations. Then comes the religious concept of everything, great or small, coming to an end: the pine tree and the match stick both are destroyed, one by the heavens, the other by man.
The sudden
transition to the person is very dramatic and poignant,
"I have sat
by your bedside and felt / Your sinking pulse..."
Once the person
has passed, it doesn't seem true that the hair and bones live on. He wonders,
in an understandably morbid manner, at how long it takes for the eyes, the most
alive part of the face, to dissolve.
One can imagine
the tearful speaker standing in a silent, sleeping graveyard, staring at the
archipelago of naked rocks, is the scattered graves that provide no real
solace, neither to the dead nor to the bereaved.
He has been
groping for meaning and anchorage, in images, in symbols, in poems, clutching
at his cruel, deceptive memories, but it is like being lost in a forest. The
pain of loss can only be expressed through the oft-repeated adage the
heartbroken Sylvia Plath uses in one of her poems, "stars plummeted to
their dark addresses".
Instead of
loving arms, "I have felt your absence around my neck", like a
strangling noose. The striking imagery of death pervades the ode, the thudding
‘d’ and the hissing 's' sound heightening the themes of loss and deception.
"The
harlots of memory" makes one think of deception and the ensuing grief.
Though he wants
to let bygones be bygones, he cannot help questioning "Who was the
deceiver and who was the deceived...? It seems to carry a double meaning: was
he left restless and lost, while the deceiver was at peace, or is the one taken
away by death on the shore of eternity, while he is the lost one, bereft on a
floating island?
Themes
A brief poem on the universal attitude to dying is called an ode
to death. The poet's primary concern is death. It implies that death is not a
mystery, but rather something that can be comprehended via life observation.
"Your ode to death is in the raising of a single eyebrow," says
Conrad Aiken. Lift it and have a look."
Theme of Deterioration
The issue of deterioration and decline is explored in this poem, "An Ode to Death." Not only human people, but everything in our universe, including materialistic objects, is prone to degradation. Daud Kamal's use of the word 'clock' conveys the uncertainty of time, and behind it, he has the belief that all will be completed with time. Similarly, our creator determines when we are born and when we die.
If we buy anything from a Bazar,
for example, the salesperson ensures the consumer that the item will be
guaranteed for three or four years. It signifies that goods will expire when
the specified guarantee period has passed. Human life and death are in a
similar situation. According to Stephen Crane:
“Death is a secret of life”
The theme of the delicacy of life and impermanence:
Life is described as transient in this poetry, whereas death is
described as forever. Death is the only thing that is permanent in this world.
There is no possibility of life after a close encounter with death. Life is
precarious, and people are no exception. Things that are weak can't last for
very long.
The theme of materialism and eagerness:
Death is the process through which spiritual knowledge destroys materialistic parts of life. Death is not simply a theme, but also a repeating motif in the film. One can deduce from this poetry that Death is unconcerned with specific human beings, ethnic groups, or religions. Everyone must experience the taste of death.
