v2:
Young Woman Powdering Herself
Seurat didn’t need the study of optics
to tell him what his eyes saw,
the softness of a woman, whose love
Georges carried everywhere
--secretly, like a small sketch
in his coat’s inner pocket.
In the painting her breasts rise like clouds
from the thin horizon
of a lacy neckline. Madeleine
is not a Botticelli beauty,
with a long neck like a cello’s.
She owns a short round one,
as kissable as her petite mouth
and round face. How can she know
that within a year Georges
will be dead? At the time
she will be carrying
their second child.
Heartbroken--
like a burst pipe, sobbing
long into the night
she will remain grateful
for Georges’ life, brief as it was,
like a fading blush.
v1:
Young Woman Powdering Herself
Seurat didn’t need the study of optics
to tell him what his eyes saw,
the softness of a woman, whose love
Georges carried everywhere
--secretly, like a small sketch
in his coat’s inner pocket.
In the painting her breasts rise like clouds
from the thin horizon
of a lacy neckline. Madeleine
is not a Botticelli beauty,
with a long neck like a cello’s.
She owns a short round one,
as kissable as her petite mouth
and round face. Delicately
she holds a powder puff
in her right hand, as if studying
a chrysanthemum. A pink powder
dusts her white cheeks,
set off by the soft bluish light
of the wall behind her. Georges
will be dead within a year,
Only two days before he dies,
he will introduce his love
to his parents. Will they too observe
how an ordinary woman and man
are changed by being
paired together—the way distinct
but separate colors resonate
a shared beauty, and bond?
What were Georges’ last thoughts?
Was he grateful for his life
and love—brief as they were,
and meant to last longer
than a fading blush?
Link to the painting: https://neoimpressionism.net/neoimpress ... dering.jpg
Young Woman Powdering Herself
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- Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03
Re: Young Woman Powdering Herself
Simplified.
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- Posts: 2154
- Joined: 18 Apr 2005, 04:57
Re: Young Woman Powdering Herself
Hi Bob,
Your ekphrasis took me back to one that was an early model for me -
https://sites.google.com/a/g.clemson.ed ... g-her-neck
Thanks for the ekphrastic memory,
Michael (MV)
BobBradshaw wrote: ↑08 Sep 2021, 01:26v2:
Young Woman Powdering Herself
Seurat didn’t need the study of optics
to tell him what his eyes saw,
the softness of a woman, whose love
Georges carried everywhere
--secretly, like a small sketch
in his coat’s inner pocket.
In the painting her breasts rise like clouds
from the thin horizon
of a lacy neckline. Madeleine
is not a Botticelli beauty,
with a long neck like a cello’s.
She owns a short round one,
as kissable as her petite mouth
and round face. How can she know
that within a year Georges
will be dead? At the time
she will be carrying
their second child.
Heartbroken--
like a burst pipe, sobbing
long into the night
she will remain grateful
for Georges’ life, brief as it was,
like a fading blush.
v1:
Young Woman Powdering Herself
Seurat didn’t need the study of optics
to tell him what his eyes saw,
the softness of a woman, whose love
Georges carried everywhere
--secretly, like a small sketch
in his coat’s inner pocket.
In the painting her breasts rise like clouds
from the thin horizon
of a lacy neckline. Madeleine
is not a Botticelli beauty,
with a long neck like a cello’s.
She owns a short round one,
as kissable as her petite mouth
and round face. Delicately
she holds a powder puff
in her right hand, as if studying
a chrysanthemum. A pink powder
dusts her white cheeks,
set off by the soft bluish light
of the wall behind her. Georges
will be dead within a year,
Only two days before he dies,
he will introduce his love
to his parents. Will they too observe
how an ordinary woman and man
are changed by being
paired together—the way distinct
but separate colors resonate
a shared beauty, and bond?
What were Georges’ last thoughts?
Was he grateful for his life
and love—brief as they were,
and meant to last longer
than a fading blush?
Link to the painting: https://neoimpressionism.net/neoimpress ... dering.jpg
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- Posts: 2683
- Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03
Re: Young Woman Powdering Herself
Yes, a gorgeous poem! I've loved that poem since I saw it in Cathy Song's first book....thx for sharing it ....wow, stunning piece
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- Posts: 1983
- Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
- Location: Between the mountains and the sea
Re: Young Woman Powdering Herself
I much prefer the poem to the painting.