Another old assignment
Lady with the frilled blouse
And simple tartan skirt,
Since you have left the house
Its emptiness has hurt
All thought. In your presence
Time rode easy, anchored
On a smile; but absence
Rocked love’s balance, unmoored
The days. They buck and bound
Across the calendar
Pitched from the quiet sound
Of your flower-tender
Voice. Need breaks on my strand;
You’ve gone, I am at sea.
Until you resume command
Self is in mutiny.
The poem ‘Valediction’ by the Nobel prize winning poet is about the feelings of the writer, for a woman who is either deceased or gone for sometime on a cruise, and it explores the feelings and thoughts of a man struck with pain and awaiting her return. It is a rather short love poem, with simple a stance and narrative, which makes the message clear and easy to understand, and this very style makes the poem honest.
The poem begins with a descriptive statement of ‘ Lady with the frilled blouse’, which leaves the mysterious woman with an image, but no name, so it almost as if he is recalling her by trace of memory, as if he has begun to forget her personality or traits already due to the separation. She is also wearing a ‘Tartan skirt’, which gives a the poem a sense of nationality and nationalism, which is something Heaney believed in greatly, and wrote widely about, so this lady love of his who has no name thus far is someone who personifies his love for his culture.
He continues to write that her absence has him deep and that his thoughts have been disfigured ever since, which adds an essence of a mourning lover to the narration. By this point we do not know if either his lover has left for a voyage, or if she has passed away, but whatever the cause, the poet is deeply moved and struck imbalanced by the separation. We can see his dependence and need for her, that is so necessary that even his health is beginning to diminish. And thus far there is still no grand information about her, and only a slight detail of how the poet feels now that she is gone. So this short, sweet and honest love poem is somber and melancholic almost, as it deals with the nostalgic thoughts about a lost lover. A lost love, that maybe a woman, the past and time itself, one’s own youth, or a dream that never took place.
In the following lines, the poet recalls her smiles and he uses certain words that are generally associated with sailing, boats and the sea, like ‘rocked’, ‘anchored’ and ‘rode’. By doing so he adds a sense of stability to the poem, and the poems continues to dwell in nostalgia, and it metaphorically talks about how the poet felt secure, in the presence of this woman. She was someone who sailed through life with him, and without her he feels weak or defeated.
“But absence – rocked loves balance”
So this particular love poem, which is brief, focuses entirely on one person and one feeling or time, in the relationship. His love either does not need to be grandly gestured by him stating that he loved her, like the case with many sonnets, which are intended to be read by someone. This is a very emotionally secure poem, but it feels very personal, as if there is nothing to say to the lover, but only to make the man feel better by talking about his woes.
Then suddenly the poem picks up an abrupt speed, reflecting the urgency in the poet’s heart, ‘You’ve gone- I am at sea’. The poets is distressed due to the absence, making his love grow stronger, within the endless mist of the sea, yet it is strange that he is the one at sea but he says that the lady has left. Perhaps there was a fight or something which caused a separation, and it is only now that the poet finally realizes how deep and unshaken his love is. It a symbolic revelation because he is at sea, which is a strong feminine symbol, often linked to women and the female psyche. Maybe that is why he feels so strongly about her memory, the sea has given him time to ponder and think about his life, and all he seems to remember is a woman who brought some love stability into his life.
H clearly wants her to return in his life, so he may feel the same way, allowing peace to come back to him. He writes that he wants her to take command, which is rather strange, even for a love since they mostly express mutual love through the male gaze, and unlike the convention of the man fighting or proving his love for his lady, in order to win her he is actually giving himself up to her. Which implies a level of trust and understanding between the two, that they both know that they love each other.
The ending line also assures the reader the poet is his own individual, he may be in awe or woe of his love, but he has a strong sense and awareness of being his own person. He does not blame anyone of love for his internal conflict, but is aware that resuming his hearts love, he may be saved from his own ‘mutiny’.
Maheen's Muse 