Poem
The Mermaid Smooring the Fire
| Title | The Mermaid Smooring the Fire |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul Muldoon |
Instances of Publication
A published appearance of this poem.
| Collection/Anthology | Year of Publication | Medium | View Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fifty Minute Mermaid | 2007 | Print Collection | View Details |
Publication Instance Details #798
Collection/Anthology Details
| Collection/Anthology | The Fifty Minute Mermaid |
|---|---|
| Date of Publication | 2007 |
| Publisher | The Gallery Press (Ireland) |
| Page Number(s) | 123 |
Publication Overview
| Translation | Is Multilingual | Explicit Irish Context? | Ekphrasis | Has Paratext? | Reference to News, Media or Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Details
| Human Rights Issues | |
|---|---|
| Irish Context | |
| Languages | |
| Original Language | |
| Original Poem | |
| Original Author | |
| Genre | Part Of Lyric Sequence |
| Medium | Print Collection |
| Notes | This sequence of poems, 'Na Murúcha a Thriomnaigh', makes use of the international folk tale of the mermaid to construct an allegorical world in which the merpeople have left the water and now live uneasily among humankind on earth. The speaker of the poem describes a mermaid smooring the fire, praying that every drop of water will be dried up. She invokes the name of Christ, St Brighid, and Crom, a villainous character from Irish mythology. The mermaid's aversion to water is again apparent. The Great Famine and Irish cultural loss is understood to be implicit in this sequence of poems. |
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