Decay and Mortality in Sean O'Brien's 'Water-Gardens'
Sean O'Brien
Sean
O'Brien, a distinguished poet hailing from the United Kingdom, has etched his
name in literary history as one of the rare individuals to clinch both the T.S.
Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for a singular poetry collection.
Currently holding the position of a creative writing professor at Newcastle
University, O'Brien's literary prowess extends far beyond his award-winning
collection, "The Drowned Book," published in 2007. In addition to his
11 poetry collections, O'Brien has left an indelible mark as a critic,
essayist, short story writer, novelist, and playwright. His multifaceted
contributions to the literary world have earned him not only prestigious awards
but also a coveted membership in the Royal Society of Literature.
"The
Drowned Book," a masterpiece penned by Sean O'Brien, represents a unique
departure from conventional poetry collections. Published in 2007, this
collection stands out for its exceptional unity, a departure from the typical
thematic divisions found in poetry compilations. The collection is described as
“a sustained elegy for lost friends, landscapes and decaying culture”. O'Brien,
influenced significantly by his contemporaneous translation of Dante's Inferno,
infuses the collection with themes of darkness, water, and the underworld. In
describing "The Drowned Book," O'Brien emphasizes its comprehensive
nature, portraying it not merely as a poetry collection but as a cohesive
literary work. The themes explored in the collection range from rivers, boats,
and lighthouses to water gardens, ferries, and fish, creating a rich tapestry
that showcases O'Brien's profound exploration of the elements and the depths of
human experience.
O'Brien's
poetic vision is deeply rooted in his life and career, as well as his literary
influences. Born and raised in Hull, a port city in northern England, O'Brien
developed a keen interest in maritime culture and history, which is reflected
in his frequent use of water and sea imagery in his poems. His literary
contributions extend beyond poetry; O'Brien founded the literary magazine The
Printer's Devil, co-wrote a radio adaptation of Yevgeny Zamyatin's dystopian
novel "We," and has been a regular broadcaster on radio. Drawing from
the tradition of English Romantic poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge, O'Brien
explores the sublime and the natural world, but with a darker and more ironic
tone.
Poems
in "The Drowned Book" such as "The Drowned Book," a
haunting elegy for his father who died in a boating accident, "The
River," a lyrical meditation on the flow of time and history, and
"The Lighthouse," a metaphorical journey to the underworld,
illustrate O'Brien's mastery of imagery, symbolism, and language.
“Water-Gardens”
by Sean O’Brien is a poem about a water garden that is full of history and
memories. The speaker describes the faces and objects left behind by the people
who came before and imagines the spirits of those who have passed on still
lingering in the garden. The poem also explores the passage of time and the
decay that comes with it, as evidenced by the damp books and flooded graves.
The poem creates a haunting and somewhat unsettling atmosphere as if the water
garden is a place that is both beautiful and haunted by the past.
The poem uses the water garden as a
metaphor for the human condition, which is subject to death, change, and loss.
The water garden is both a source of life and beauty and a reminder of
mortality and decay. The speaker reflects on the transience of human existence
and the fragility of memory.
The poem is set in Hull, O’Brien’s
hometown, and references some of its local landmarks, such as the Boulevard
mansions and the King Death pub. The poem also evokes the history and culture
of Hull, which was heavily bombed during World War II and suffered economic
decline in the post-war era. The water garden represents the survival and
resilience of the city and its people, as well as the traces of their past.
The poem employs a tercet form, which
consists of three-line stanzas with a variable rhyme scheme. The tercet form is
often used in lyric poetry, which expresses the emotions and thoughts of the
speaker. The poem uses enjambment (the continuation of a sentence or phrase
across a line break, to create a flowing and natural rhythm), alliteration,
assonance, and consonance.
Water looked up through the lawn
Like a
half-buried mirror
Left out
by the people before.
The
poem begins with the image of water in a garden reflecting the surroundings
like a mirror. The water is described as half-buried, suggesting that it is not
entirely visible, and it is left out by people who came before. This sets up
the idea of the water garden as a place with a long history.
There were faces in there
We had seen in the hallways
Of octogenarian specialists,
The
next lines introduce the idea of mortality through the image of faces in the
water. These faces are likened to those seen in the hallways of specialists who
deal with bronchial matters, suggesting a connection to illness and death.
Octogenarian means someone who is between 80 and 89 years old, implying that
the faces are old and frail.
Mortality-vendors consulted
On bronchial matters
In rot-smelling Boulevard mansions.
The
stanza continues with the idea of specialists as “mortality-vendors,” selling
their services to those facing mortality. The reference to “rot-smelling
Boulevard mansions” suggests a sense of grandeur and a connection to decay and
death. The word rot suggests a state of decay, and the Boulevard mansion
suggests a sense of wealth and luxury. But now the mansion has fallen to
neglect and disrepair. The glory days of those mansions are long gone. (The
Boulevard mansions are located in Hull, the poet’s hometown, and they were once
prestigious residences for wealthy merchants and industrialists.)
We stood on their lino
And breathed, and below us
The dark, peopled water
Was leaning and listening.
The speaker
then describes standing on the linoleum floor (a material with a hard shiny
surface, used for covering the floors. The linoleum floor is also a sign of
decay and cheapness, as it is a synthetic material that replaced the original
wooden or stone floors.) and breathing, while the dark water below is
personified as "peopled" and listening. This suggests a sense of
unease and the idea that the water garden has a life of its own.
There on
the steps of the cellar,
Black-clad
Victorians
Were
feeding the river with souls.
The
second part takes a darker turn, introducing the idea of Victorians feeding
souls to the river. The Victorians are described as “black-clad,” suggesting
mourning or death, and the idea of feeding souls to the river creates a
connection between the water and death. The cellar is also a symbol of death
and darkness, as it is the lowest part of the house and is often used for
storing wine or other perishable goods.
They left us their things,
Reefs of
blue ware
In the
elder-clumps,
The
stanza continues with the idea of the Victorians leaving behind their
possessions, including blue ware and elder-clumps. These objects suggest a
connection to the past and a sense of time passing. The blue ware is a type of
pottery that is glazed with cobalt oxide, giving it a distinctive blue color.
It is also associated with the Victorian era and the British Empire. The elder
clumps refer to clusters of elder shrubs or trees growing in the water garden.
Elder also suggests a connection to the past or older generations, which in
turn suggests the passing of time.
Tins full of rust in the shed,
And on the bookshelves
English poets, all gone damp
With good intentions, never read.
The
poem then describes the objects left behind more specifically, including tins
full of rust in the shed and English poets on the bookshelves. The reference to
the poet's being “gone damp with good intentions” suggests a sense of decay and
neglect. The owners of the books had intended to read those books, but for some
reason, they could not follow through on those intentions. This phrase suggests
a sense of loss or missed opportunities. The English poets on the bookshelves
are likely to be the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley,
and Keats, who wrote about nature, emotion, and imagination. They also died
young or tragically, which adds to the sense of mortality and loss. (gone damp
suggests that the books have been affected by moisture)
Their miles of flooded graves
Were traffic jams of stone
Where patient amphibian angels
Rode them under, slowly
These
lines describe the miles of flooded graves as "traffic jams of stone"
where patient amphibian angels ride the graves under slowly. This creates a
sense of movement and transition, and the idea of amphibian angels suggests a
connection to the natural world and the idea of life continuing after death.
(Traffic jams of stones- the graves are so densely packed that they resemble a
crowded scene of traffic jams. It implies a sense of disorder and confusion.)
Their voices came back
From sinks and gratings,
The treasure seekers
Gone downstairs, while all the time
In King Death’s rainy garden
We were playing out.
The
speaker hears the voices of the dead coming back from the sinks and gratings,
where the treasure seekers have gone downstairs, implying a connection to the
water garden and the idea of death. The treasure seekers are the children who
are playing in the water garden, looking for objects or secrets, but they are
also metaphorically descending into the underworld, where death awaits them.
The
speaker contrasts the innocence and ignorance of the children with the reality
and inevitability of death, using the phrase “while all the time”. The water
garden is also called “King Death’s rainy garden”, implying that death is the
ruler and owner of the garden and that the rain is a symbol of sorrow and
mourning. The speaker concludes the poem by saying that the children are
playing out their lives in the water garden, implying that they are unaware of
the dark and sinister implications of their surroundings. (sink suggests a
connection to drainage system, gratings refers to the metal cover used to cover
the openings of drains. The echoes are coming from the people who came before
and left their mark on the water garden.)
"Water-Gardens"
by Sean O'Brien is a poem that explores the themes of decay, time, and
mortality through the metaphor of a water garden. The speaker observes the
faces and objects left behind by those who came before and imagines the spirits
of the dead still lingering in the garden. The overall tone of the poem is
haunting and evocative, with a sense of mystery and intrigue that is created by
the interplay between past and present.
The
poem begins with the image of water looking up through the lawn like a
half-buried mirror, left behind by people before. This image suggests that the
garden is a place where the past is still visible and active, and that the
speaker can see reflections of what has come before. The faces that the speaker
sees in the water are those of "octogenarian specialists" who were
once consulted on "bronchial matters" in "rot-smelling Boulevard
mansions." This suggests that the water garden is a place where memories
of the past are preserved, even as the people and places that created those
memories have decayed and faded away.
The
next stanza describes the speaker standing on the lino of the garden and
breathing, while below them the dark, peopled water is "leaning and
listening." This creates a sense of intimacy and connection between the
speaker and the garden, as if they are both part of the same living, breathing
entity. The black-clad Victorians on the steps of the cellar feeding the river
with souls further emphasizes the idea that the garden is a place where the
past is still alive and present, and where the dead still have a voice.
The
following stanza describes the objects left behind by those who came before,
including reefs of blue ware in the elder-clumps, tins full of rust in the
shed, and on the bookshelves, English poets gone damp with good intentions.
These objects suggest that the garden is a repository for memories and history,
and that the things that people leave behind are a way of preserving their
legacy. The use of the phrase "gone damp with good intentions"
emphasizes the idea that even the best of intentions can be forgotten and lost
over time, and that the passage of time can erode even the most enduring of
legacies.
The final stanza describes the miles of
flooded graves in the water garden as "traffic jams of stone," where
patient amphibian angels ride them under slowly. This suggests that the garden
is a place where the dead are remembered and celebrated, but also a place where
the passage of time is evident and irreversible. The use of the phrase
"patient amphibian angels" emphasizes the idea that the garden is a
place where nature and the supernatural are intertwined and that the forces of
nature are ultimately more powerful than anything that humans can create.
"Water-Gardens" is a haunting
and evocative poem that explores the themes of decay, time, and mortality
through the metaphor of a water garden. The interplay between past and present
creates a sense of mystery and intrigue, while the use of vivid imagery and
metaphorical language creates a powerful and evocative atmosphere.