Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Speech 2
continued from the previous post!
The idea of waking up to a tomb could be a reference to an idea that the rival symbolizes death to the poet. The use of the word mausoleum by the poet could be an allusion to the primordial enmity between life and death.
The ethereal moonlit atmosphere is transformed into a tomb like atmosphere. A Mausoleum is a stately tomb. The word mausoleum is derived from a Greek or Persian king of the ancient world called Mausolos whose tomb became one of the wonders of the ancient world.
In the mausoleum the rival taps his fingers on a marble table. Here the rival searches for cigarettes. Here the rival behaves like a spiteful woman. In the mausoleum or tomb like precincts the rival without nervousness appears to the poet as though striving to say something that would silence the poet; to have the last word; to win the argument. To silence everyone else.
This behaviour of the rival is disconcerting and abasing according to the poet.
This tendency strikes the poet as similar to the moon's tendency to abase her subjects. The poet does not explain how the moon abases her subjects except by saying that the moon is ridiculous in the day time.
The rivalry consumes the poet. According to the poet, the Rival is not happy with the poet and the says disparaging comments about the poet. The poet is aware of them. The poet is constantly updated about the dissatisfactions felt by the rival about the poet. As the poet meditates on the rival's opinion of the poet these thoughts get darker. The poet experiences these opinions as poisonous as carbon monoxide.
The poet does not wish to hear about the rival. Yet the poet gets news of the rival. The Rival is not happy with the poet and the poet is informed of these opinions with regularity.
The poet resents the fact that the poet gets to know about the rival's opinions of the poet. The rival although distant is always thinking about the poet.
If the poet were unaware of what the rival thought it would have been better for the poet.
The poet longs to not know anything about the rival because the rival although distant, as in as far as Africa and is always thinking negative thoughts about the poet.
The regularity with which the poet is updated and notified about the rival's negative thoughts about the poet makes the poet feel frustrated and helpless. No day is safe from news of you, is the line before the last line of the poem.
This poem has to do with the universal theme of rivalry and competition rampant in human societies.This is my understanding of the poem. Thank you!
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