All About Books discussion

Meeting Point by Louis MacNeice


Time was away and somewhere else,
There were two glasses and two chairs
And two people with the one pulse
(Somebody stopped the moving stairs)
Time was away and somewhere else.

And they were neither up nor down;
The stream's music did not stop
Flowing through heather, limpid brown,
Although they sat in a coffee shop
And they were neither up nor down.

The bell was silent in the air
Holding its inverted poise -
Between the clang and clang a flower,
A brazen calyx of no noise:
The bell was silent in the air.

The camels crossed the miles of sand
That stretched around the cups and plates;
The desert was their own, they planned
To portion out the stars and dates:
The camels crossed the miles of sand.

Time was away and somewhere else.
The waiter did not come, the clock
Forgot them and the radio waltz
Came out like water from a rock:
Time was away and somewhere else.

Her fingers flicked away the ash
That bloomed again in tropic trees:
Not caring if the markets crash
When they had forests such as these,
Her fingers flicked away the ash.

God or whatever means the Good
Be praised that time can stop like this,
That what the heart has understood
Can verify in the body's peace
God or whatever means the Good.

Time was away and she was here
And life no longer what it was,
The bell was silent in the air
And all the room one glow because
Time was away and she was here.

I first read this poem a long time ago, and it stuck in my memory. I couldn't remember who it was by, but I came across a reference to it recently.
I've decided that I want to read more poems by Louis MacNeice. The one I'm especially interested in is Autumn Journal.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia article about MacNeice:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis...

Here's a link to some more of his poems:

http://www.poemhunter.com/louis-macne...

I like this a lot Gill! Not just the content but the meter, the way it trips off the tongue.

Thanks for introducing me to a new-to-me poet.

How strange, I thought there was a comment from Bette on here? Anyway, I've just got an ebook credit, so I'll be using it to buy a book by Louis MacNeice, I've decided.

There was, Gill, then I realized it was your 'poem week' and not The Monday Poem. I moved my comment over there so as not to hijack your thread. :)

I love MacNeice's work, particularly Autumn Journal poem.

Great selection, Gill. Like Leslie, the meter really appeals to me. I love the repeat of the line "Time was away and somewhere else."

God or whatever means the good is also repeated, makes one think. I really like this poem, Gill.

Love this Gill, a beautiful poem. I haven't resd much MacNeice, but I think I should!!

What a delightful poem with all the fanciful imagery. My favorite phrase in terms of image/sound is: "the bell .. a brazen calyx of no noise." What an absolutely unique and lovely way of seeing a bell stopped in the middle of ringing. Makes me think of sound waves just beginning to emanate from a bell but stopped in mid air, the invisible waves stopped mid-bloom like a flower.

But my favorite lines are the heart of the poem:

"God or whatever means the Good
Be praised that time can stop like this,
That what the heart has understood
Can verify in the body's peace"

And isn't that the truth? The body's peace verifies that the heart has understood correctly. There's a perfect peace in this shared moment between these two people that belong together and understand each other, whether friends or something more .. I'm guessing probably something more in this case, but who knows. Friendship is full of those sacred communions too!