Marrysong
“He never learned her, quite. Year after year
That territory, without seasons, shifted
under his eye...”
Dennis Scott
(Full poem unable to be reproduced due to copyright)
VOCABULARY
Quarried — a quarry is a place in the landscape where they cut into and my rock, “to quarry” means to
cut out a stone from a larger piece of rock.
Faultlessly — without a problem or defect.
Jaunty — happy / confident / bouncy.
Charted — “to chart” is a verb meaning to draw outlines on a map and record the landscape of a place.
STORY / SUMMARY
There are two characters in the poem. One of them is a male and the other a
female. The male is describing the female in terms of the natural landscapes
and the ever-changing geography, which is her emotions. Her emotions
fluctuate and the man is trying to work out her feelings but they change a lot;
at the start, she is angry and feels hurt while the man is trying to figure out
why. Suddenly, her emotions change into a happy mood but straight after
she becomes “faultlessly calm”. The man knows that it’s nearly impossible
to know her emotions however he finds it extraordinary and wonders what
kind of things go through her head - he is trying to “chart” her behaviour,
to record it and make a note so that he can understand and predict it better,
but every time he feels he’s recorded or understood her, she changes
unexpectedly. The title sheds light on this lyric poem, showing that these are
the characters’ experiences of marriage and partnership.
Copyright © 2021 Scrbbly
“He never learned her, quite. Year after year
That territory, without seasons, shifted
under his eye...”
Dennis Scott
(Full poem unable to be reproduced due to copyright)
VOCABULARY
Quarried — a quarry is a place in the landscape where they cut into and my rock, “to quarry” means to
cut out a stone from a larger piece of rock.
Faultlessly — without a problem or defect.
Jaunty — happy / confident / bouncy.
Charted — “to chart” is a verb meaning to draw outlines on a map and record the landscape of a place.
STORY / SUMMARY
There are two characters in the poem. One of them is a male and the other a
female. The male is describing the female in terms of the natural landscapes
and the ever-changing geography, which is her emotions. Her emotions
fluctuate and the man is trying to work out her feelings but they change a lot;
at the start, she is angry and feels hurt while the man is trying to figure out
why. Suddenly, her emotions change into a happy mood but straight after
she becomes “faultlessly calm”. The man knows that it’s nearly impossible
to know her emotions however he finds it extraordinary and wonders what
kind of things go through her head - he is trying to “chart” her behaviour,
to record it and make a note so that he can understand and predict it better,
but every time he feels he’s recorded or understood her, she changes
unexpectedly. The title sheds light on this lyric poem, showing that these are
the characters’ experiences of marriage and partnership.
Copyright © 2021 Scrbbly
