You must forgive me. Don't look so surprised, by Unknown — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

You must forgive me. Don't look so surprised, perplexed , and eager to be gone balancing on your hands or on the tightrope You would rather run than walk, rather climb than run rather leap from a height than anything. I have spoiled this body we once shared. Look at the scars, and watch the way I move, careful of a bad back or a bruised foot. Do you remember how, three minutes after waking we'd jump straight out of the ground floor window into the summer morning That dream we had, no doubt it's as fresh in your mind as the white paper to write it on. We made a start, but something else came up - a baby vole, or a bag of sherbet lemons - and besides that summer of ambition created an ice-lolly factory, a wasp trap and a den by a cesspit I'd like to say we could be friends but the truth is we have nothing in common beyond a few shared years. I won't keep you then. Time to pick rosehips for tuppence a pound, time to hide down scared lanes from men in cars after girl-children or to lunge out over the water on the rope that swings from that tree long buried in housing - But no, I shan't cloud your morning. God knows I have fears enough for us both - I leave you in an ecstasy of concentration slowly peeling a ripe scab from your knee to taste it on your tongue.

Translation (English)

You need to forgive me. Don't be so shocked, confused, and eager to leave balancing on your hands or on the tightrope You'd rather run than walk, rather climb than run rather jump from a height than anything else. I've damaged this body we once shared. Look at the scars, and see how I move, careful of a bad back or a hurt foot. Do you remember how, three minutes after waking we'd jump right out of the ground floor window into the summer morning That dream we had, surely it's as fresh in your mind as the blank paper to write it on. We started, but something else came up - a baby vole, or a bag of sherbet lemons - and besides that summer of ambition made an ice-lolly factory, a wasp trap and a den by a cesspit I'd like to say we could be friends but the truth is we have nothing in common beyond a few shared years. I won't keep you then. Time to pick rosehips for two pennies a pound, time to hide down scared lanes from men in cars after girl-children or to swing out over the water on the rope that hangs from that tree long buried in housing - But no, I won't ruin your morning. God knows I have enough fears for both of us - I leave you deeply focused slowly peeling a ripe scab from your knee to taste it on your tongue.

About the Poet

Unknown (Modern)

The poet of this piece is unknown, and it appears to be a modern work reflecting on personal and nostalgic themes.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Modern era
Background: The poem reflects on nostalgia, personal growth, and the passage of time, possibly exploring the relationship between one's past and present self.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_poetry

Detailed Explanation

This poem is a reflective piece that explores themes of nostalgia, personal growth, and the passage of time. The speaker appears to be addressing their past self or a younger version of themselves, asking for forgiveness for the changes and damage that time has wrought on their shared body. The poem evokes a sense of longing for the carefree days of youth, when risks were taken without thought, and dreams were fresh and untainted by reality. The imagery of scars and careful movements contrasts with the youthful exuberance of jumping out of windows into summer mornings, highlighting the physical and emotional toll of aging. The poem also touches on the idea of lost ambitions and the distractions that life presents, symbolized by trivial pursuits like a baby vole or a bag of sherbet lemons. Ultimately, the speaker acknowledges that they have grown apart from their past self, with little in common beyond shared memories. The poem ends on a poignant note, as the speaker leaves their past self to their innocent pleasures, while they themselves are burdened with fears and responsibilities.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
perplexed	confused	unable to understand something clearly	per-plekst
tightrope	rope for acrobatics	a rope or wire stretched high above the ground, used for balancing acts	tait-rohp
scars	marks from wounds	marks left on the skin after a wound has healed	skahrs
ambition	strong desire to achieve	wanting to do something very much	am-bish-un
cesspit	waste pit	a pit for the disposal of liquid waste and sewage	ses-pit
rosehips	fruit of a rose plant	the fruit of the rose plant, often used in jams and teas	rohz-hips
tuppence	two pennies	a British term for two pennies	tuh-puhns
lunge	sudden forward movement	a sudden forward thrust or movement	luhnj
ecstasy	intense joy	an overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement	ek-stuh-see
concentration	focus	the action or power of focusing one's attention or mental effort	kon-sen-tray-shun