Thread: To his soul

Dressed his soul
in iron clades
sheltered


What do you see? What do you think it means?

Is the question is to be regarded separately?

If so, and clades is not a mis- spelling of clads, then you are describing someone who shelters in a strict code of family loyalty, in that meaning I would take 'dressed' in the sense of 'prepared', as a dish is dressed.

I can not see sufficient content to constitute a poem however, though I may be missing something.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

Is the question is to be regarded separately?

If so, and clades is not a mis- spelling of clads, then you are describing someone who shelters in a strict code of family loyalty, in that meaning I would take 'dressed' in the sense of 'prepared', as a dish is dressed.

I can not see sufficient content to constitute a poem however, though I may be missing something.

Thank you for your interpetation - Could it be a haiku related?

Having looked at some of your other work I think it is most likely that your intended meaning was 'clad in iron'. you seem to have a number of mis-spellings. I don't know if you have spell check turned on, it can be a considerable help, though it will fail you if there are two words with similar spellings and different meanings, a clade is an entire family group.

As I understand it the haiku consists of three separate syllable groups within which there is a turning point, a bit like the volta in a sonnet, where the other side of the meaning becomes clear and unites the relationship between the three. As I see it your three groups all express the same idea of protection or shelter of some kind, so no it does not form a haiku type of concept. Try this (probabply not very good) example I have based on your original.

The armoured body
shelters the calm soul,
Ready for action

The first two lines imply protection and stillness, the third aggression and movement, yet it shows the relationship, the calm and shelter are preparation for the mayhem to follow.
It also demonstrates the supportive relationship between body and soul and their relation of conflict with the outside world

This verse form is typical of Japanese culture in that it combines simplicity with the possibility of deep meditative thought. These were the people who built special balconies on hillsides so they could sit and watch the full moon, in the national religion of Shinto an altar may consist of a natural rock with a vase and a single flower placed on it. The idea of meaning within meaning is very important. In Japanese words very frequently carry dual meanings, Japanese haiku are often written so that they can be read with various meanings which are seen as relating to one another, a layer of complexity that English can not manage, however it demonstrates the importance of subtlety and depth.

I think your explanation is one way. I have read and heard other explanations. The other view involves settings and action or object. And many others. However, your explanation is quite thought out.

Without knowing exactly what you mean by "clades" (dictionary.com defines it as "a taxonomic group of organisms classified together on the basis of homologous features traced to a common ancestor"), I'd say it's about self-protection. Sheltering oneself from the world. Or perhaps the comfort of softening ones experience of an ambiguous world by imposing on oneself the safety and clarity of classifications and definitions. I am assuming that the subject is dressing himself.

There's a lot to be said for brevity in poetry. Obviously short forms like haiku are predicated on brevity, but this particular poem doesn't work. The main culprit in my opinion might be the word "soul". "Soul" can be understood in so many ways that the reader does not have a compass to aid in navigating the remainder of the poem. We are free to interpret the poem any way we want, but our interpretations can only be weakly anchored to the poem itself because the idea of "soul" (which is essential to the poem) is itself so all encompassing. In a word, it's too vague.

I think there is a kernel in the piece that deserves to be fleshed out, provided you have the inclination to play around with it. That's up to you of course.