Lockdown - a poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage

 

Lockdown by Simon Armitage

This blog is written as a task assigned by Prof. and Dr. Dilip Barad, Head of the Department of English at MKBU. For background reading, refer to the professor's research article available at this [Click Here ]. 

You can also explore the related TED-ED lesson by clicking [Here].

About Poet : 

Simon Armitage is the renowned British poet, playwright, and novelist. His accessible, relatable poetry explores themes of the everyday experience as well as modern life.  Armitage was appointed the Poet Laureate of Great Britain in 2019.  In his poetry, Armitage is known for using everyday speech and is even noted to possess dark humor intertwined with social commentary. Armitage won several awards for his poems, which include the Forward Prize and the Lannan Award. His poems are on varied themes such as family and relationships with others, loss, and natural environment. Armitage's poetry has been widely anthologized and translated into various languages. He is regarded one of the most robust poets to have appeared in his generation. 

Poem : Lockdown

 And I couldn’t escape the waking dream

of infected fleas

in the warp and weft of soggy cloth

by the tailor’s hearth

in ye olde Eyam.

Then couldn’t un-see

the Boundary Stone,

that cock-eyed dice with its six dark holes,

thimbles brimming with vinegar wine

purging the plagued coins.

Which brought to mind the sorry story

of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre,

star-crossed lovers on either side

of the quarantine line

whose wordless courtship spanned the river

till she came no longer.

But slept again,

and dreamt this time

of the exiled yaksha sending word

to his lost wife on a passing cloud,

a cloud that followed an earthly map

of camel trails and cattle tracks,

streams like necklaces,

fan-tailed peacocks, painted elephants,

embroidered bedspreads

of meadows and hedges,

bamboo forests and snow-hatted peaks,

waterfalls, creeks,

the hieroglyphs of wide-winged cranes

and the glistening lotus flower after rain,

the air

hypnotically see-through, rare,

the journey a ponderous one at times, long and slow

but necessarily so.

About Poem : 

 Thoughts on Simon Armitage's "Lockdown"

Art shines out as a well of hope and thought in times of trouble. The lockdown poem, written in the shadow of COVID-19 by Simon Armitage, reminds us how powerful poetry can be as comfort and uniter. With historical events, classic literature, and modern experience woven together, Armitage forms a rich tapestry of power and reflection that speaks very strongly to our common human experience.

Exploring Central Themes

The themes of loneliness and connection with others, as well as the importance of staying strong, mark Armitage's poem, "Lockdown". It begins with a legend about Eyam, a village in Derbyshire, England, which had to face one of the worst plagues in the 17th century. The villagers decided to lock themselves away from the rest of the world, comparable to the global lockdown enforced in the COVID-19 pandemic. This simile exemplifies man's resilience and the sacrifices made for others' protection. This poem is also inspired by the old Sanskrit poem "Meghadūta" composed by Kālidāsa. In this one, a banished spirit sends word to his wife by appealing to a passing cloud. The thought of a cloud carrying the words of love and consolation represent the theme of connection, even though they were far apart.

Armitage, using this ancient text, makes his poem so timeless by actually proving that the urge for connection and hope lies beyond distinct periods and cultures.

Language and Imagery

Armitage uses strong, and clear language to convey the history and myth. He vividly writes the event of the plague in Eyam: "there is a stone," with holes filled "with vinegar to clean all coins." This raises an image not only for the past but also depicts the care and caution that the villagers had about their actions.

The reference to "Meghadūta" introduces a contrast yet complementary set of images; and the cloud, which is persuaded by promises of beautiful landscapes to carry the exile's message, represents hope and the power that love has to endure. Armitage chooses the imagery in order to remind that even in isolation, there are ways of reaching out and being connected.

Personal Resonance To most, the poem "Lockdown" has deeper meanings. Separation feelings in this and imaginative ways people stayed in touch during the pandemic are experiences everyone can understand. The importance that Armitage places on patience and trust in the Earth ensures that people have shared desires to rush less and ponder over busy lives. His poem inspires one to recognize loveliness in small pieces of life and care for each other and for the world. Integration of Ideas

Indeed, the ideas in Armitage's poem are analogous to what seems to be depicted in the video and article: it depicts how poetry and art bring people comfort and help them think when the times are hard. By bringing history and mythological background into the poem "Lockdown," the reader can better relate how old stories and past events connected to our current experiences.

This assimilation of ideas shows how human resilience has been for ages and how art endures to console and inspire people.

Conclusion In the case of Simon Armitage's "Lockdown", this is a testament that speaks well for the consoling qualities of poetry, drawing on history and ancient texts as well as everyday life, and thus linking it directly to our own human experience. His bright words and strong images make the themes of loneliness, communicating with others, and holding your head high come alive. They bring a light of hope and an opportunity to reflect at darker moments. As we face the challenges of modern life, "Lockdown" reminds us that art has the enduring power to unite us, to comfort, and to remind us to care more about one another and the world we live in.

References:

Flood, Alison, et al. “Lockdown: Simon Armitage writes poem about coronavirus outbreak.” The Guardian, 21 March 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/21/lockdown-simon-armitage-writes-poem-about-coronavirus-outbreak . Accessed 16 September 2024.