Document <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><?xml-model href="https://tei-c.org/release/xml/tei/custom/schema/relaxng/tei_all.rng" type="application/xml" schematypens="http://relaxng.org/ns/structure/1.0"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" href="https://cwrc.ca/templates/css/tei.css"?><TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"> <teiHeader> <fileDesc> <titleStmt> <title>Political Meeting</title> <author>A. M. Klein</author> <respStmt> <name role="editor">Zailig Pollock</name> <resp></resp> </respStmt> </titleStmt> <publicationStmt> <p></p> </publicationStmt> <sourceDesc> <p>This sample poem is based on the version in the Complete Poems of A. M. Klein, ed. Zailig Pollock (Toronto: U of Toronto Press, 1990)</p> </sourceDesc> </fileDesc> </teiHeader> <text> <body> <div type="poem" subtype="terzarima"> <head type="poem">Political Meeting (For <persName cert="medium" ref="42172560">Camillien Houde</persName>)</head> <docAuthor>by A.M. Klein</docAuthor> <lg> <l>On the school platform, draping the folding seats,</l><l>they wait the chairman's praise and glass of water.</l><l>Upon the wall the agonized Y initials their faith.</l> </lg> <lg> <l>Here all are laic; the skirted brothers have gone.</l><l>Still, their equivocal absence is felt, like a breeze</l><l>that gives curtains the sounds of surplices.</l> </lg> <lg> <l>The hall is yellow with light, and jocular;</l><l>suddenly some one lets loose upon the air</l><l>the ritual bird which the crowd in snares of singing</l> </lg> <lg> <l>catches and plucks, throat, wings, and little limbs.</l><l>Fall the feathers of sound, like <foreign>alouette</foreign>'s.</l><l>The chairman, now, is charming, full of asides and wit,</l> </lg> <lg> <l>building his orators, and chipping off</l><l>the heckling gargoyles popping in the hall.</l><l>(Outside, in the dark, the street is body-tall,</l> </lg> <lg> <l>flowered with faces intent on the scarecrow thing</l><l>that shouts to thousands the echoing</l><l>of their own wishes.) The Orator has risen!</l> </lg> <lg> <l>Worshipped and loved, their favourite visitor,</l><l>a country uncle with sunflower seeds in his pockets,</l><l>full of wonderful moods, tricks, imitative talk,</l> </lg> <lg> <l>he is their idol: like themselves, not handsome,</l><l>not snobbish, not of the <foreign>Grande Allée! Un homme!</foreign> </l><l>Intimate, informal, he makes bear's compliments</l> </lg> <lg> <l>to the ladies; is gallant; and grins;</l><l>goes for the balloon, his opposition, with pins;</l><l>jokes also on himself, speaks of himself</l> </lg> <lg> <l>in the third person, slings slang, and winks with folklore;</l><l>and knows now that he has them, kith and kin.</l><l>Calmly, therefore, he begins to speak of war,</l> </lg> <lg> <l>praises the virtue of being <foreign>Canadien</foreign>,</l><l>of being at peace, of faith, of family,</l><l>and suddenly his other voice: <emph>Where are your sons?</emph> </l> </lg> <lg> <l>He is tearful, choking tears; but not he</l><l>would blame the clever English; in their place</l><l>he'd do the same; maybe.</l> </lg> <lg> <l part="I">Where <emph>are</emph> your sons?</l><l part="F">The whole street wears one face,</l><l>shadowed and grim; and in the darkness rises</l><l>the body-odour of race.</l> </lg> </div> </body> </text> </TEI> Document Download Object Type XML document Related Item No Related Item Type host
