January 17, 2008

The Fallen Deer


My book of poetry for paintings is now one third of its way towards completion. In celebration of this milestone I am posting an excerpt from the book, the painting and poem "The Fallen Deer." The model for this painting, Dr. Jacqueline Paskow, posed a number of years ago when we met in Konstanz, Germany. I was impressed by her intellect and facility with language. She had read all of Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past in the original French. (I had finished it as well but in English which is not really the same thing). Like many scholars who are genuine, however, she was quite modest about her accomplishments.
Generally, I choose the props and subject matter in my paintings, but in painting Dr. Paskow, I did something different. In deference to my being in the presence of someone several tiers above me in intellect, I thought to let her choose her own subject around which I would build a painting. When I asked her what she would like to be painted with, however, she surprised me by saying "A dead deer." I did comply, however, folding the form of a deer into the drapery as I painted.
Despite the unusual subject matter, the image of the dead deer resonated with me because I had earlier published some translations of Chinese poetry from the Book of Songs which included the poem "Dead Deer in the Wilderness." There are some vestiges of that poem in the one I wrote for this painting.


The Fallen Deer


The deer lies where she was felled
when footsteps taken without caution caught the eager raised ears of the hound
and the attention of his hunter master
In that moment of discovery an ancient arrow pierced her heart
forcing a last breath of life from her raised nose
She lies motionless on the dry brown leaves of an autumn woods
The soft breeze ruffles her fur in waves
Her outstretched neck and parted lips crane...as if to speak
Her legs are bent as if to run still and leap once again
With tenderness she is bound
a white cloth wrapped around her supple form
He folds and tucks as for a swaddled babe
Then lifts his precious bounty
And escorts her gently home

No comments: