Friday 8 July 2011

Poet's Corner: Ubi Sunt


The phrase ubi sunt means "where are" and is used to describe a type of poetry that evokes a sense of nostalgia but also transience and fleeting nature of life. There are some very good examples of this in early poetry, especially in Anglo-Saxon* and Medieval literature. Some of these poems have made their way into other works; for instance, the line où sont les neiges d'antan! makes its way into The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Go to the wikipedia article for more information on this.

Last week I was in the process of moving houses. When you finally close the door of a house, having left your key behind, there is a strange eeriness. I think it's those sort of moments that ubi sunt poems capture.

Aberdeen Road

Where have the faces gone, between the walls?
Where are scolding mothers and teasing brothers,
the kettle hissing, the couple kissing?
Where are builders who put your bricks in place,
Where are the feet that first trod your creaking stairs?
Where are the men that went to war?
Where are the women that waited at the door
for news from the fields of France?
Where are the tears of infancy, of trips and bruises,
of loves lost and dreams fulfilled?
Where are the slumberers, the wakers,
the gorgers grabbing at the salt shakers?
Where is the man, who gave a last parting look,
closed the door, and as the lock clicked, sighed goodbye?

Give it a go yourself! Write your own ubi sunt poem.

*I wrote my own translations of some of them for a piece of university coursework. If you're interested, I'll see if I can fish them out.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for your post! I was looking for examples of ubi sunt poetry and stumbled upon yours. I have a couple questions: Do you advise any type of rhyme scheme? What about meter/metric feet?

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Rachael. It's up to you to be honest. If you wanted to emulate the medieval ubi sunt poems, then go for a rhyming scheme, and perhaps repeat the ubi sunt refrain at the beginning or the end of each stanza (see the 'Ballade des dames du temps jadis' for inspiration. It's in French but you can still get the gist). The Anglo-Saxon poem uses what is alliterative verse, rather than a rhyming scheme. You could try that out if you want. Metric feet again depends on your themes/style. You may want to go for long, wistful lines with a slow meter or something a bit more punchy. Or you could not have a rhyming scheme or meter at all, if you want a more modern, fluid poem.

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  3. Wow, many thanks! This gives me a lot of ideas with which to experiment. :)

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