A poem 'VISIBILITY LIMITED'
A poem 'VISIBILITY LIMITED' is written by a highly accomplished translator and poet William I. Elliott. I suppose that a lot of readers might not know his face as a great poet. So I would like to introduce his poem 'VISIBILITY LIMITED' here.
A poem 'VISIBILITY LIMITED' is written by a highly accomplished translator and poet William I. Elliott. I suppose that a lot of readers might not know his face as a great poet. So I would like to introduce his poem 'VISIBILITY LIMITED' here.
Whether they are wide open,
cracked open an inch or two
or closed but transparent,
or
closed but translucent,
words are windows; yet
I see you see me
only so far,
for soon we run
smack into
a stone wall
opaque;
can’t see
at
all.
The sonnet captures
the essence of language. It calls to mind poems: ‘The Altar’ and ‘Easter Wings’
by George Herbert; ‘A Conch from Sicily’ by Alfred Corn; ‘The Window’ by Derek
Mahon; and ‘War Symphony’ by Chen Li, as concrete poems. It could be shaped like inverted-triangular,
slant light via a window, that is, rays through window glass get thick, gradually,
thinner. Finally the last three lines as conclusion echo with complicated
feelings. The number of syllables in each line is reduced in the last five
lines, suggesting visibility/invisibility
of a description.
The 5th-line
"words are windows" could be the core of the sonnet. The use of the
windows with rich metaphors results in that the line has excellent ambiguity as
if adjusting an aperture and lenses. The syntax of the 3rd-and-4th six-syllable
lines makes the 5th-line more effective. Mystery and depth of words – I affirm
in the poem, also as in a handful of micro poems or haiku.
(Photos by Masao Gozu)
https://www.placartphoto.com/book/1342/in_new_york_(set_of_3_volumes)_(signed)-masao_gozu