Saturday, June 27, 2009

Death by Drowning

Steck

The illustration on
EVERY PHOTO TELLS A STORY
inspired me to find an 'Ophelia' illustration.

This it.

DEATH BY DROWNING.

In every picture that I've seen
Ophelia looks neat and clean
Laid out in a tidy way
Unruffled by the river spray.
Always clutching to her heart
A bunch of flowers, works of art.
Nothing ugly, nothing crude,
Nothing of a morbid mood.
She's always floating with her face,
Still alight with warmth and grace,
Pointing upward to the sky,
Like Dresden China, smooth and dry.
But I have found this little gem
Showing the green weeds round her hem,
Showing her face all pale and wan
As it would be when life had gone.
Her hair is streaming out behind,
Her gown falls loose, all unconfined.
She is drifting on the tide
Like a corpse and not a bride.
The picture's morbid, but, for me,
There's a powerful sense of reality.


An interesting fact about Ophelia here:


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very powerful, yes. And very interesting verse, as well!

Kat said...

Even if she looks pale and wan, and even if Ophelia seems lifeless, the artist has made her still look cute..!!!