Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Tuesday Platform






The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 

by T.S Eliot 

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin —
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.





One of the first true modernist poems, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a shifting, repetitive monologue, the thoughts of a mature male as he searches for love and meaning in an uncertain, twilight world.

Eliot's poem caught the changes in consciousness perfectly. At the time of writing, class systems that had been in place for centuries were under pressure like never before. Society was changing, and a new order was forming. World War 1 was on the horizon and the struggles for power were beginning to alter the way people lived and thought and loved.

Greetings poets, wayfarers and friends. It's a beautiful day here and I am looking forward to reading some poetry with a lovely cup of mochaccino.

Before we begin there is an important announcement that I'd like to make, as of September 1, The Tuesday Open Link Platform will fall away. The Weekly prompts will shift to Monday and the Weekend prompts to Friday. See you on the poetry trail! 🍣

SHARE * READ * COMMENT * ENJOY

24 comments:

Thotpurge said...

Sorry to hear the Tuesday Platform will be discontinued. Was a great place to read poetry mid-week. Will be missed. Thanks to all who hosted it.

Jim said...

I too will miss the Tuesday Platform. It is such a nice place to write as we please, follow an impulse and maybe even let the reins loose for a wild ride. Someone will come to read. We can do that without a gathering place and cross our fingers the poem will have an audience but things won't be nearly so good.
Adios, farewell Tuesday friend.
..

Jim said...

I like Eliot. And Prufrock. Thank you, Sanaa, for bringing them.
..

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Thotpurge; Thank you for always being here 😊 and joining us on Tuesdays with your wonderful poems 💞☕

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Thank you so much, Jim 😊 heading over to read you 💞☕

Kerry O'Connor said...

So happy to be a part of the final Tuesday Platform, with grateful thanks to all who have hosted and posted over the years.
Salut!

Cressida de Nova said...

Adieu !

Lori said...

"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each" and the reverie, the dream broken "Till human voices wake us, and we drown" I too have measured out my life in coffee spoons. Have always loved this poem.

Marian said...

I had to post today.
Sanaa, I adore this poem and have probably read it more often than any other. I am glad to find Prufrock here today! Love, love.
Had a sharp intake of breath upon reading the announcement, and held it for a few moments in a bit of panic, even though I knew it was coming. *release* It's okay, change is good, we are all here and we will continue together!
Love to all of you, always. xo Marian

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Kerry; Thank you for being an amazing leader 😘😘

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Cressida; Adieu 😊

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Lori; Thank you so much 😊 so glad you enjoyed it 💞☕

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Marian; Definitely!💞 We will always be a part of each other's lives 😊 xo

tonispencer said...

One of my favorite poems ever. I remember reading it for the first time when I was 12. Although the ending of open link is sad, it is also the beginning of something fresh and new. After all we can post what we choose on our own blogs. I am grateful to all who have hosted this through the years. You all have done an amazing job! Kudos.

Linda Lee Lyberg said...

Hello Sanaa- and thank you for sharing this poem. Sad to see there will no longer be a Tuesday Platform.

Revived Writer said...

I will miss the Tuesday platform, but we will all still be here, just not quite as often. 🙂 Thank you, Sanaa, for sharing Eliot and Prufrock. I won't pretend to understand that poem very well, but from the time I first read it at 17, it has fascinated me.

brudberg said...

I have to link up to the final Tuesday Platform... will be back tomorrow and read (it's already late)

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Toni; Thank you so much 😊 heading over to read you 💞☕

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Linda; We will still be together in the blogosphere 😘😘

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Revived writer; The poem fascinates me too 😊 and I believe it has multiple layers of meaning .. discerned every time I read it💞☕

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Bjorn; Thank you so much 😊 heading over to read you💞☕

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I so love Prufrock, more and more with time. Thank you, and for your excellent commentary on it too.
And thanks to 'toads' for many enjoyable Tuesday Platforms; glad I'm still in time to include myself in this last.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

@Rosemary; Thank you so much 😊 heading over to read you 💞☕

colleen said...

That is so sad. I don't do well with or enjoy prompts and have enjoyed sharing poems with other poets here.