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Peace Winged mirror pounded gold Tell me what this life doth hold Speak to me of love’s lament Winter nights of discontent Clouded days of mental flight Words escape me out of sight Tell me how to understand All the lines upon my hands Mystic revolution dreams Petty lies and hurtful schemes How my life must be redeemed You must tell me everything Tell me mirror of winged gold How my Soul will at last repose. |
This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2004-07-03 13:44:35
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.96296
Dear Jana:
Stunning with its formal meter and high diction, this poem is reminiscent of
"Sleeping Beauty" from which the famous 'mirror, mirror on the wall' phrase
came. But this speaker doesn't ask for the sake of vanity, doesn't ask if
she is 'fairest' but truly asks a question worthy of a "winged mirror"
of "pounded gold." Her experience, thus farm seems to consist of
"love's lament" and "winter nights of discontent." She turns to the
mirror, I think, for hope. The magical association of mirrors in
folklore and fairy tales suggest that it is a doorway between this
world and other realms. Psychologists associate mirrors with hidden
memories, or subconscious motivations. In Feng Shui, mirrors are
used to deflect unfavorable influences. As a poet, you use this
symbol with a brilliant multiplicity of meanings. I think that the
strongest use suggested here is self-contemplation and the turning
of one's thoughts inward, to reflect unpon the "Soul's. . .repose."
Clouded days of mental flight
Words escape me out of sight
Tell me how to understand
All the lines upon my hands
The final two lines above refer to the ancient practice of palmistry.
The many lines suggest many experiences, and the tone of the poem
suggests that these are perplexing and troubling to the speaker.
The speaker hopes for direction from the mirror, for understanding
from the lines on her hands. The meter and rhyming of this poem are
superb. It carries the reader along, chant-like, so strongly that
I almost expect to hear an answer from the 'winged mirror' addressed.
The speaker delves into deeper realms with each stanza. No superficial
'fortune-telling' is sought out, but rather, the speaker searches
for the ultimate answer to life's troubling questions:
"How my life must be redeemed."
Tell me mirror of winged gold
How my Soul will at last repose.
The meter is absolute until the final line, when it varies slightly, as if
with uncertainty. It is easier to ask the mirror about the lines found
in one's hands, I believe, than to ask for the final 'repose' of one's
soul. I think that the answer to the questions posed must reflect back
to the poem's title of "Peace." The speaker desires this above all things,
if I interpret your intent for this work correctly. "Repose" suggests
rest, or lying down at last, finished with one's work. Entering a period
of renewal and restoration after hard labor. I think that you direct each
reader to look into her or his own "winged mirror" to search out each one's
culmination of life's experiences thus far; at least this is the effect on
me of this splendid work.
Brava, my friend! Kudos for a deftly limned poem, and for giving us a
mirror in which we may see our own soul's reflection.
Peace to you.
All my best,
Joanne