I wheel my bike under — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

I wheel my bike under the cathedral’s1 dark overhang. Seized by a rictus2 of the wind, the trees shed rain. Rain slides down 5 Wale Street’s sleek, steep fall: air is an ocean booming round high, bare walls. My hands freeze on the bike’s crossbar, 10 seek the sodden saddle, toy with the ice-cold bell: I am suddenly fugitive, homeless and cornered in a caprice3 of pressure and cloud. 15 Then they cough and I know I am not alone: far back, against the great, nailed doors, they huddle: troglodytes4 of night’s alcoves, 20 daytime’s shopping-malls, parking lots, sparse green lawns, municipal benches where lunchtime’s city workers, stripping down their food-packs, sit 25 in sober rows. 5 I fear to turn around, stiffen in expectation of the inevitable tugging at my sleeve, wonder if I have any coins, 30 wonder why they do not bicker, as they always do, cursing their mother’s wombs in tired robots’ tones, why only this 35 curious, chuckling, liquid sound drawing me around. She has the usual wrappings on stick-thin, brittle shins, patchy-purple, quietly rotting 40 methylated spirits6 skin: doekie7 of incongruous8 elegance crowns the scabrous, half-bald skull. Her man, grotesque as a gargoyle9 roused from stone, 45 cradles an infant on his lap, feeds it from a bottle with a teat, makes the chuckling, crooning sounds that turned me round, that hold me now spellbound. 50 ‘Good morning, sir,’ he says, and his voice is grave as a paterfamilias10 in his lounge. Only the odd man out, leaning against the harsh grey walls, 55 looks at me with carefully indifferent eyes, finding me, alien on his home ground wishing the clouds would break and I be gone, ringing my bike’s absurd, small bell.

Translation (English)

I push my bike under the cathedral’s dark covering. The wind's grip makes the trees lose their rain. Rain flows down Wale Street’s smooth, steep slope: the air is like a loud ocean around tall, bare walls. My hands are cold on the bike’s crossbar, search for the wet seat, play with the freezing bell: I suddenly feel like a runaway, without a home, trapped in a whim of weather and clouds. Then I hear coughing and realize I am not alone: far back, against the large, nailed doors, they gather: cave-dwellers of night’s hiding places, daytime’s shopping centers, parking lots, sparse green lawns, public benches where city workers, during lunch, unpack their meals, sitting in neat rows. I am afraid to turn around, become tense expecting the usual pull at my sleeve, wonder if I have any money, wonder why they aren’t arguing, like they usually do, cursing their birth in tired, robotic voices, why only this strange, laughing, flowing sound makes me turn around. She wears the usual layers on thin, fragile legs, skin discolored and quietly decaying from drinking spirits: a headscarf of unexpected elegance sits on her rough, half-bald head. Her man, as grotesque as a stone gargoyle come to life, holds a baby on his lap, feeds it from a bottle with a nipple, makes the laughing, singing sounds that made me turn, that keep me captivated. ‘Good morning, sir,’ he says, and his voice is serious like a family head in his living room. Only the outsider, leaning against the hard grey walls, looks at me with carefully neutral eyes, seeing me as a stranger in his territory hoping the clouds would clear and I would leave, ringing my bike’s silly, small bell.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Contemporary
Background: The poem reflects themes of urban alienation, homelessness, and the stark contrasts between different social classes. It captures a moment of introspection and societal observation, possibly inspired by the poet's own experiences or observations in a city environment.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_poetry, https://www.gulliverprep.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Muse_2023-24.pdf

Detailed Explanation

This poem paints a vivid picture of urban life and the stark realities of homelessness. The narrator, while wheeling their bike under the cathedral's overhang, is caught in a moment of reflection as the wind and rain create a dramatic backdrop. The poem captures the sense of being trapped and vulnerable, as the narrator feels like a fugitive in the city's harsh environment. The presence of homeless individuals, described as 'troglodytes' of the city's hidden spaces, adds a layer of social commentary. The poem contrasts the lives of city workers and the homeless, highlighting the disparity and indifference in urban settings. The imagery of the homeless woman and her partner, who is described as a gargoyle, evokes a sense of empathy and connection, as the narrator is drawn to their humanity despite the harsh conditions. The poem ends with a reflection on alienation and the desire to escape, symbolized by the ringing of the bike's bell.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
cathedral’s	large church's	belonging to a large church	kuh-thee-druhlz
rictus	grimace	a fixed, grim smile or expression	rik-tuhs
troglodytes	cave dwellers	people living in seclusion or primitive conditions	trog-luh-dyts
caprice	whim	a sudden change or impulse	kuh-prees
doekie	headscarf	a small scarf worn on the head	doo-kee
incongruous	out of place	not in harmony with surroundings	in-kong-groo-uhs
gargoyle	stone creature	a grotesque carved figure	gahr-goyl
paterfamilias	head of family	male head of a family or household	pay-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs
methylated spirits	denatured alcohol	alcohol made undrinkable by adding chemicals	meth-uh-lay-tid spir-its
alcoves	recesses	small, recessed sections of a room or area	al-kohvz
sodden	soaked	thoroughly wet	sod-uhn
scabrous	rough	having a rough surface	skab-ruhs
fugitive	runaway	someone running away or escaping	fyoo-juh-tiv
cradles	holds gently	holds or supports tenderly	kray-duhlz
spellbound	captivated	completely fascinated or absorbed	spel-bound