Poetry Analysis

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My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't stand being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

really. It's something you shouldn't say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide the fact that severe

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are awful; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

with bravery, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She once turned to me,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in complete darkness) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's a living hell, honestly Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope for a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I said back,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it was probably the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

She maintained her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground majestic

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's beautiful out there." Dying hasn't made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

any more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

This poem explores the profound personal struggle of the poet's mother dealing with blindness. The speaker reflects on the societal expectation to endure such hardships with stoicism, yet reveals the raw truth of the suffering involved. The mother, despite her blindness, tries to maintain her dignity and composure, even when faced with the practical challenges of her condition, such as finding food on her plate. The poem captures a poignant moment in a Paris restaurant where the mother confesses to her son the living hell she experiences due to her blindness. The son, feeling inadequate, offers the usual comforting words. The poem further explores the mother's resilience, her ability to find beauty in the world despite her condition, and the ultimate acceptance of her fate as she passes away. The imagery of autumn leaves and the mention of her closed eyelids in the coffin evoke a sense of finality and peace, leaving the reader to ponder whether she is watching from beyond.

Word Dictionary10

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	behr
catastrophic	disastrous	extremely bad or harmful	kat-uh-strof-ik
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit activities	han-di-kaps
Roman	stoic	showing endurance and courage	roh-muhn
dodgem	bumper car	a small electric car used in amusement parks	doj-em
ablaze	brightly colored	filled with bright colors	uh-bleyz
royal	majestic	grand or magnificent	roi-uhl
leaf-fall	fallen leaves	leaves that have fallen from trees	leef-fawl
sop	comfort	something given to appease	sop
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true	pri-tend

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraUnknown

The poet of this work remains unidentified. The poem does not appear to be attributed to a widely recognized author.

View on Wikipedia

WhenUnknown

WhyThe poem reflects on the personal and emotional challenges faced by someone dealing with blindness, possibly inspired by the poet's own experiences or observations.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

BlindnessResilienceFamilySufferingAcceptance

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of blindness and the mother's struggle.Metaphor: Comparing the mother's endurance to that of a Roman.Repetition: The phrase 'to be honest' emphasizes the raw truth.Irony: The mother is no more sightless in death, yet she can no longer pretend.

Poetry Analysis

Back to poet

My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't stand being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

really. It's something you shouldn't say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide the fact that severe

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are awful; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

with bravery, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She once turned to me,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in complete darkness) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's a living hell, honestly Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope for a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I said back,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it was probably the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

She maintained her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground majestic

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's beautiful out there." Dying hasn't made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

any more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

Word Dictionary10

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	behr
catastrophic	disastrous	extremely bad or harmful	kat-uh-strof-ik
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit activities	han-di-kaps
Roman	stoic	showing endurance and courage	roh-muhn
dodgem	bumper car	a small electric car used in amusement parks	doj-em
ablaze	brightly colored	filled with bright colors	uh-bleyz
royal	majestic	grand or magnificent	roi-uhl
leaf-fall	fallen leaves	leaves that have fallen from trees	leef-fawl
sop	comfort	something given to appease	sop
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true	pri-tend

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraUnknown

The poet of this work remains unidentified. The poem does not appear to be attributed to a widely recognized author.

View on Wikipedia

WhenUnknown

WhyThe poem reflects on the personal and emotional challenges faced by someone dealing with blindness, possibly inspired by the poet's own experiences or observations.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

BlindnessResilienceFamilySufferingAcceptance

Literary devices