18/2/2007 - Poetry - 'Father-in-law' by Derek Mahon
Father-in-Law
While your widow clatters water into a kettle
You lie at peace in your southern grave -
A sea captain who died at sea, almost.
Lost voyager, what would you think of me,
Husband of your fair daughter but impractical?
You stare from the mantelpiece, a curious ghost
In your peaked cap, as we sit down to tea.
The bungalows still signal to the sea,
Rain wanders the golf course as in your day,
The river flows past the distillery
And a watery sun shines on Portballintrae.
I think we would have had a lot in common -
Alcohol and the love of one woman
Certainly; but I failed the eyesight test
When I tried for the Merchant Navy,
And lapsed into this lyric lunacy.
When you lost your balance like Li Po
They found unfinished poems in your sea-chest.
Portballintrae: Small fishing town in the north of Northern Ireland
A few years ago I bought The Faber book of contemporary Irish poetry. In this volume, poet Paul Muldoon (a very interesting contemporary poet himself) has collected some of the best poetry of ten 20th century Irish poets. In the two years that I have had this book, it has grown to become one of my favourite volumes of poetry and I often pick one of the ten poets represented here and read a few of their poems just before I go to sleep. Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice and Seamus Heaney (see entry 15 December 2006) are just a few of the names represented in this volume.
Derek Mahon (born 1941) is one of my other favourites. In a survey conducted by the Irish Times in 1999 he was among the ten most popular writers (living and dead) in Ireland and the above illustration of his poetic craftsmanship may explain why.
When I read this poem last week, the images presented stuck in my head and for several nights I had to read it before I went to sleep. This is the sort of poetry I love best; (seemingly) simple and straightforward language creating a very poetic image.
I especially like the main theme of the poem; the idea that we can feel (for whichever reason) a connection with a mind we have never known in life, a mind that is no longer amongst the living. I avoid the word 'dead', as it is exactly the non-dead state this person has gone through that establishes this bond and that will continue to do so.
The opening lines are beautiful and captivating. The noise of the clattering water is set against the peacefulness of the grave, thus creating an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity from the start of the poem.
The poet is looking for analogies with his father in law, the fourth line is a strong indication that he has never known him in life. He almost tries to apologise for the fact he has become a poet and dedicates his time to this 'lyric lunacy' but at the end the father in law appears to have had poetic aspirations as well, but they were safely hidden in his sea-chest, only to be found after his death. The introspective mind that lies behind all this will only enhance the connection the poet feels with his father in law.
The poet Li Po who is being mentioned near the end, is one of the most famous representatives of the classical Chinse poetry from the T'ang dynasty (618-907). More about these poets in a future entry. I do not know anything about the incident Mahon refers to in this poem and that has apparently led to the death of Li Po, nor do I know anything about the way his father in law died. But I rather let the poem speak for itself.
Portballintrae is a small fishing town in the north of Northern Ireland. The tranquillity on some photos I found through the net seems to be the right background for this beautiful and introspective string of thoughts.
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