Politicians provoke poet's ire

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Politicians provoke poet's ire 政治家引起诗人不满

The new poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has chosen to attack politicians in her first composition in the post.

 

Her poem, Politics, published in the Guardian¹, is a cutting attack on the political world in the wake of the scandal over MPs' expenses.

 

In the poem Ms Duffy makes sarcastic（讽刺的） use of phrases such as Tony Blair's "education, education, education" and Gordon Brown's "moral compass".

 

Duffy is the first female poet laureate in the post's 341-year history.

 

The poem aims to attack the effect of politics on idealism.

 

It begins: "How it makes of your face a stone that aches to weep, of your heart a fist, clenched（紧握的） or thumping（敲击，打击）, sweating blood, of your tongue an iron latch² with no door."

 

Plank³ walk

 

Duffy builds up the intensity⁴ of her attack as the poem progresses.

 

It reads: "How it takes the breath away, the piss, makes of your kiss a dropped pound coin, makes of your promises latin, gibberish（急促而不清楚的话）, feedback, static（静电）, of your hair a wig⁵, of your gait a plank walk."

 

"How it says this - politics - to your education education education; shouts this - Politics! - to your health and wealth; how it roars（怒吼）, to your conscience moral compass truth," it goes on.

 

Duffy took over from Andrew Motion - knighted in the Queen's birthday honours - as poet laureate in May.

 

Her choice of politics as the subject matter for her first composition indicates that she will not shy away from the controversial topics of the day.

 

When she took on the role she told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: "Poetry is all around us, all of the time, whether in song or in speech or on the page, and we turn to it when events, personal or public, matter most." (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

 

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