We spend our morning
in the flower stalls counting
the dark tongues of bells
that hang from ropes waiting
for the silence of an hour.
We spend our morning in the flower stalls counting the stamen of the flowers hanging from ropes waiting for an hour of silence.
We find a table, ask for paella,
cold soup and wine, where a calm
light trembles years behind us.
We find a table, ask for paella which is the national dish of Spain, cold soup and wine, where years ago, lights were on behind us.
In Buenos Aires only three
years ago, it was the last time his hand
slipped into her dress, with pearls
cooling her throat and bells like
these, chipping at the night—
Three years ago, in Buenos Aires, it was the last time his hand slipped into her dress, she was wearing pearls around her throat and the wedding bells were ringing.
As she talks, the hollow
clopping of a horse, the sound
of bones touched together.
As she talks, the sound of the horses clopping blends in with her voice as well as those of bones touching together.
The paella comes, a bed of rice
and camarones, fingers and shells,
the lips of those whose lips
have been removed, mussels
the soft blue of a leg socket.
The paella has: rice, camarones (shrimp), the shells of shrimps and fingers, and lipis of those whose lips have been removed, mussels and leg sockets.
This is not paella, this is what
has become of those who remained
in Buenos Aires. This is the ring
of a rifle report on the stones,
her hand over her mouth,
her husband falling against her.
This is not the dish paella, but rather what has become of the people who remained in Buenos Aires. This is the barrel of the rifle on top of the stones, her hand over her mouth, her husband falling against her because he got shot.
These are the flowers we bought
this morning, the dahlias tossed
on his grave and bells
waiting with their tongues cut out
for this particular silence.
The dahlias are the flowers we brought this morning are tossed on his grave and bells waiting to ring but they cannot.
In this poem, the author utilizes personification, imagery, and symbolism. The author personifies the bells in the last stanza, "... and bells waiting with their tongues cut out..." Bells do not wait, only humans wait and they do not have tongues. The bells in the line mentioned above is also a symbol. It is a symbol of silence, which is also ironic because bells are not usually silence; however these have had their tongues cut out. Therefore, they were forcefully quieted. The author used imagery throughout the poem to paint a picture of the paella dish and her husband being shot. "The paella comes, a bed of rice and camarones, fingers and shells, the lips of those whose lips have been removed, mussels the soft blue of a leg socket." This line gives the readers an image in their minds as to what the dish looks like and the significance it holds to the author.
The tone is nostalgic throughout as the author reminisces about Buenos Aires, paella, her husband, their memories, and his death. "In Buenos Aires three years ago, it was the last time..." She is remembering the events of what happened: the dish she ordered, the last time her husband slipped his hand in her dress, the rifle, and her husband falling against her. The tone is nostalgic and mourning... Mourning over the loss of her husband who was killed in Buenos Aires.
In the beginning, the tone was very nostalgic as she says "In Buenos Aires, only three years ago..." However, as the poem progressed, it began to grow gloomy and morbid as she describes that it is the last time. When she begins to describe the paella, the tone shifts to a morbid atmosphere. "The paella comes, a bed of rice and camarones, fingers and shells, the lips of those whose lips have been removed, mussels the soft blue of a leg socket." It begins with her describing the dish, but further along the sentence, there is a darker tone as she includes "fingers" , "lips" , and "leg socket." Even without knowing anything about the dish, we can assume that those are not the ingredients that is used. They are human parts that she adds into this line to give it a morbid mood.
The title is "The Memory of Elena," and it is about the memory of a woman named Elena whose husband died in Buenos Aires. The poem is to being attention to the violence in Buenos Aires because a result of it was the death of someone's loved one.
The poem is about Elena's recollection of Buenos Aires. The theme is violence and silence. The theme that the author is conveying in this poem is about the violence within cities and countries and how people who witnessed it are silenced, but they shouldn't be. Witnesses of tragedies should have a chance to speak of their experiences in order to bring into light, a larger issue. Such as this poem is about the experience of Elena, whose husband died. This brings forth light onto the subject of violence within cities.
Works Cited:
Forché, Carolyn. “The Memory of Elena by Carolyn Forché.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47217/the-memory-of-elena.
In this poem, the author utilizes personification, imagery, and symbolism. The author personifies the bells in the last stanza, "... and bells waiting with their tongues cut out..." Bells do not wait, only humans wait and they do not have tongues. The bells in the line mentioned above is also a symbol. It is a symbol of silence, which is also ironic because bells are not usually silence; however these have had their tongues cut out. Therefore, they were forcefully quieted. The author used imagery throughout the poem to paint a picture of the paella dish and her husband being shot. "The paella comes, a bed of rice and camarones, fingers and shells, the lips of those whose lips have been removed, mussels the soft blue of a leg socket." This line gives the readers an image in their minds as to what the dish looks like and the significance it holds to the author.
The tone is nostalgic throughout as the author reminisces about Buenos Aires, paella, her husband, their memories, and his death. "In Buenos Aires three years ago, it was the last time..." She is remembering the events of what happened: the dish she ordered, the last time her husband slipped his hand in her dress, the rifle, and her husband falling against her. The tone is nostalgic and mourning... Mourning over the loss of her husband who was killed in Buenos Aires.
In the beginning, the tone was very nostalgic as she says "In Buenos Aires, only three years ago..." However, as the poem progressed, it began to grow gloomy and morbid as she describes that it is the last time. When she begins to describe the paella, the tone shifts to a morbid atmosphere. "The paella comes, a bed of rice and camarones, fingers and shells, the lips of those whose lips have been removed, mussels the soft blue of a leg socket." It begins with her describing the dish, but further along the sentence, there is a darker tone as she includes "fingers" , "lips" , and "leg socket." Even without knowing anything about the dish, we can assume that those are not the ingredients that is used. They are human parts that she adds into this line to give it a morbid mood.
The title is "The Memory of Elena," and it is about the memory of a woman named Elena whose husband died in Buenos Aires. The poem is to being attention to the violence in Buenos Aires because a result of it was the death of someone's loved one.
The poem is about Elena's recollection of Buenos Aires. The theme is violence and silence. The theme that the author is conveying in this poem is about the violence within cities and countries and how people who witnessed it are silenced, but they shouldn't be. Witnesses of tragedies should have a chance to speak of their experiences in order to bring into light, a larger issue. Such as this poem is about the experience of Elena, whose husband died. This brings forth light onto the subject of violence within cities.
Works Cited:
Forché, Carolyn. “The Memory of Elena by Carolyn Forché.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47217/the-memory-of-elena.
