[Ttha-potm] re: Runic Stone

[carolyn mcgrath]

Dear all

I think the 'zone to zone' refers to the two
compartments of an hourglass, as alluded to in the
previous line, 'As in a glass,'. This gives the
conclusion of the poem a strong visual image: 'to
see/...Time toss their history/From zone to zone!' as
well as connect it to the poem as a whole. The second
stanza states the couple's lack of such a timepiece:
'there was nothing to let them know/What hours had
flown.' Their having no conception of time/Time is a
contributing factor to the 'inevitably unfavourable'
conclusion to their history, as Betty rightly put it,
and every line of the poem leads us down that grassy
slope. 

What do people make of the word 'might' in the final
stanza? Is it not surprising that, given the
circumstances, 'would' was not selected? Could the
choice of 'might' suggest that the power of 'zest' is
such that it might not respond to the 'if I knew then
what I know now' line of thought? That this couple
'chattered', the colour of their hats or clothing
being highlighted rather than the topic of their
conversation, does not bode well. Their 'Pink-faced,
breeze-blown' excitement is due to their 'talking
so/In such a place' so they are not only oblivious to
the nature of time, but to the nature of their
relationship. They were 'heedless' of how such a
relationship could possibly fare once it was 'Time
tossed' and I suppose it is for this that they
'might' feel pangs of guilt or remorse. However,
qualms are felt in the present for acts in the past
and maybe it is as difficult to project those emotions
back in time as it is to confidently divine the
future, even for those who are not so oblivious. 

best wishes

Carolyn

Carolyn McGrath


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