Poem
Melusine
| Title | Melusine |
|---|---|
| Author | Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill |
Instances of Publication
A published appearance of this poem.
| Collection/Anthology | Year of Publication | Medium | View Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cead Aighnis | 1998 | Print Collection | View Details |
| Feis agus Cead Aighnis | 2015 | Print Collection | View Details |
| The Fifty Minute Mermaid | 2007 | Print Collection | View Details |
Publication Instance Details #867
Collection/Anthology Details
| Collection/Anthology | The Fifty Minute Mermaid |
|---|---|
| Date of Publication | 2007 |
| Publisher | The Gallery Press (Ireland) |
| Page Number(s) | 136, 138 |
Publication Overview
| Translation | Is Multilingual | Explicit Irish Context? | Ekphrasis | Has Paratext? | Reference to News, Media or Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Details
| Human Rights Issues | |
|---|---|
| Irish Context | |
| Languages | |
| Genre | Part Of Lyric Sequence |
| Medium | Print Collection |
| Notes | The sequence of poems, 'Na Murúcha a Thriomaigh', makes use of the international folktale of the mermaid to construct an allegorical world in which the merpeople have left the water and now live uneasily among humankind on land. The cause of their displacement is not specified, although ethnic cleansing is mentioned in one poem in the sequence. This poem draws specifically on European folklore: Melusine is a mermaid-like water spirit associated with freshwater, holy wells, or rivers. Building on the overall themes of displacement and culture shock in the sequence, this poem raises questions about intergenerational violence and trauma. |
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