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Louise Gluck - Parable Of The Dove

A dove lived in a village.
When it opened its mouth
sweetness came out, sound
like a silver light around
the cherry bough. But
the dove wasn't satisfied.

It saw the villagers
gathered to listen under
the blossoming tree.
It didn't think: I
am higher that they are.
It wanted to wealk among them,
to experience the violence of human feeling,
in part for its song's sake.

So it became human.
It found passion, it found violence,
first conflated, then
as separate emotions
and these were not
contained by music. Thus
its song changed,
the sweet notes of its longing to become human
soured and flattened. Then

the world drew back; the mutant
fell from love
as from the cherry branch,
it fell stained with the bloody
fruit of the tree.

So it is true after all, not merely
a rule of art:
change your form and you change your nature.
And time does this to us.

Added: Feb 20 2003 | Viewed: 1994 times | Comments and analysis of Parable Of The Dove by Louise Gluck Comments (0)


Parable Of The Dove - Comments and Information

Poet: Louise Gluck
Poem: Parable Of The Dove
Volume: Meadowlands
Year: Published/Written in 1996
Poem of the Day: Sep 16 2006
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