O woman, shapely as the swan,
On your account I shall not die:
The men you've slain — a trivial clan —
Were less than I.
I ask me shall I die for these —
For blossom teeth and scarlet lips —
And shall that delicate swan-shape
Bring me eclipse?
Well-shaped the breasts and smooth the skin,
The cheeks are fair, the tresses free —
And yet I shall not suffer death,
God over me!
Those even brows, that hair like gold,
Those languorous tones, that virgin way,
The flowing limbs, the rounded heel
Slight men betray!
Thy spirit keen through radiant mien,
Thy shining throat and smiling eye,
Thy little palm, thy side like foam —
I cannot die!
O woman, shapely as the swan,
In a cunning house hard-reared was I:
O bosom white, O well-shaped palm,
I shall not die!
Frank O'Connor translation
I Shall Not Die
I shall not die because of you,
O woman, though you shame the swan;
They were foolish men you killed;
Do not think me a foolish man.
Why should I leave the world behind
For the soft hand, the dreaming eye,
The scarlet mouth, the breasts of snow,
Is it for these you'd have me die ?
The joyous air, the fancy free,
The slender palm, the eye of blue,
The side like foam, the virgin neck ?
I shall not die because of you.
The devil take the golden hair!
The maiden thought, the voice so gay,
The rounded heel, the pillared calf
Only some foolish man would slay.
O woman, though you shame the swan,
A wise man taught me all he knew,
I know the subtleties of love,
I shall not die because of you.
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the goddess swan, the glass unicorn
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Well, life has taught him to toughen up and take disappointments stoically, but still you can sense in him the terrible strain the swan shaped lovely places on his will to maintain probity.
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This is so funny! Most oldpoetry I read usally takes be a couple of reads through to understand it, but this one had a plain and simple message...Im not quite sure exactly what it was, but I do know that "he would not die for love" and I say "go him!" because Im not sure if I would eighther.
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2.9 on 4 thumbs
I think he would not die for love but me more willing to kill for love. "I shall not die!" His description of her in his eyes she was a 10.
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You have heard of men dying for love or of love of a beautiful woman, but not this guy, he is too hard-hearted hence the line
"In a cunning house hard-reared was I"
just my interpretation of this. -
I feel it is about heartbreak somewhat. And it is a lash of some sort. I don't know, I am off my rocker today for some reason. Or maybe this week in general.
Tho, I did find it to be a good piece, it is well written. -
Now he is either talking about resisting a woman or not wanting to die by this womans hand. It says I cannot die, then I shall not die, either a saint is talking, or a warrior maybe speaking about a famous female warrior, It gives a lot to the imagination, food for thought............
Sanity. -
Sounds to me like this he is trying to resist a beautiful woman. I like the language, the way the words flow. (My first oldpoetry read) I enjoyed reading this poem over again, and also once outloud
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