My mother could not bear being blind, by Adam Thorpe — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

My mother could not bear being blind, to be honest. One shouldn’t say it. One should hide the fact that catastrophic handicaps are hell; one tends to hear, publicly from those who bear it like a Roman, or somehow find joy in the fight. She turned to me, once, in a Paris restaurant, still not finding the food on the plate with her fork, or not so that it stayed on (try it in a pitch-black room) and whispered, “It’s living hell, to be honest Adam. If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied, but it must have been the usual sop, inadequate: the locked-in son. She kept her dignity, though, even when bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense My mother could not bear being blind, to be honest. One shouldn’t say it. One should hide the fact that catastrophic handicaps are hell; one tends to hear, publicly from those who bear it like a Roman, or somehow find joy in the fight. She turned to me, once, in a Paris restaurant, still not finding the food on the plate with her fork, or not so that it stayed on (try it in a pitch-black room) and whispered, “It’s living hell, to be honest Adam. If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied, but it must have been the usual sop, inadequate: the locked-in son. She kept her dignity, though, even when bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense ablaze with colour, the ground royal with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting, as she sat too weak to move, staring at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said, “it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her no more sightless, but now she can’t pretend. Her eyelids were closed in the coffin; it was up to us to believe she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Translation (English)

My mother couldn't handle being blind, truthfully. It's something you shouldn't say. You should hide that terrible disabilities are hell; you often hear, publicly from those who endure it like a stoic, or somehow find joy in the struggle. She turned to me, once, in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find the food on her plate with her fork, or not so that it stayed on (try it in a completely dark room) and whispered, "It's living hell, to be honest Adam. If I lost hope of a cure, I'd end my life." I don't remember what I replied, but it must have been the usual comfort, inadequate: the trapped son. She maintained her dignity, though, even when bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense alive with color, the ground regal with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting, as she sat too weak to move, staring at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said, "it's lovely out there." Dying has made her no more blind, but now she can't pretend. Her eyelids were closed in the coffin; it was up to us to believe she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

About the Poet

Adam Thorpe (Contemporary)

Adam Thorpe is a contemporary British poet, novelist, and playwright. He is known for his rich and varied literary works that often explore themes of history, memory, and personal experience. Thorpe's writing is characterized by its emotional depth and attention to detail.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Published in 2005
Background: The poem 'On Her Blindness' by Adam Thorpe is a deeply personal reflection on the poet's mother's struggle with blindness. It explores themes of suffering, dignity, and the societal expectations of stoicism in the face of disability. The poem is a poignant commentary on the emotional realities of living with a disability and the challenges of communication between loved ones.

Sources: https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/adam-thorpe/on-her-blindness, https://genius.com/Adam-thorpe-on-her-blindness-annotated, https://poemanalysis.com/adam-thorpe/on-her-blindness/

Detailed Explanation

Adam Thorpe's poem 'On Her Blindness' is a poignant exploration of his mother's struggle with blindness and the emotional toll it takes on both her and her family. The poem begins with the stark admission that his mother found her blindness unbearable, a truth often hidden due to societal expectations of stoicism. The poem uses vivid imagery to convey the everyday challenges she faced, such as struggling to find food on her plate. Despite these difficulties, she maintained her dignity, even joking about her condition. The poem also reflects on the emotional burden carried by the speaker, who feels inadequate in providing comfort. The narrative shifts to a moment of reflection on the beauty of the world outside, which his mother acknowledges despite her inability to see it. The poem concludes with a meditation on death, suggesting that in death, his mother is no longer bound by the limitations of blindness, and it is left to the living to imagine her watching from beyond. The poem is rich with themes of suffering, dignity, and the complex dynamics of family relationships in the face of disability.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	bair
catastrophic	disastrous	causing great damage or suffering	cat-uh-strof-ik
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit activities	han-di-caps
Roman	stoic person	someone who is very strong and unemotional	roh-man
dodgem	bumper car	an amusement park ride where cars bump into each other	doj-em
ablaze	brightly lit	shining brightly with light or color	uh-blayz
royal	majestic	having the status of a king or queen	roy-al
sop	consolation	something given to appease or comfort	saap
inadequate	insufficient	not enough or not good enough	in-ad-uh-kwit
dignity	self-respect	the state of being worthy of honor	dig-ni-tee
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true when it is not	pri-tend
coffin	casket	a box in which a dead body is buried	kof-in
sightless	blind	not able to see	sight-less
whispered	spoke softly	spoke in a quiet voice	whis-perd