In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is important to understand what it is about. This section includes:
- The poem in a nutshell
- A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
- A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Elizabeth Jennings's intention and message
'Our Flesh' in a nutshell
'Our Flesh', written by the poet Elizabeth Jennings, explores intimate romantic relationships. The poem also examines how familiarity in long relationships can create distances and divisions.
'Our Flesh' breakdown
Lines 1–3
“Lying apart now, each in a separate bed,
He with a book, keeping the light on late,
She like a girl dreaming of childhood,”
Translation
- The poem describes a couple in their bedroom, but they are in their own beds
- The scene is intimate though; a light is on and the couple appear relaxed
Jennings's intention
- Jennings's poem explores a romantic relationship by depicting a private moment
- The use of third-person pronouns, though, creates a sense of detachment
Lines 4–6
“All men elsewhere – it is as if they wait
Some new event: the book he holds unread,
Her eyes fixed on the shadows overhead.”
Translation
- The couple are isolated and distant from each other as “All men” are “elsewhere”:
- This may suggest they feel alone or highlight the private nature of the scene
- They appear to be waiting for something to happen and are distracted
Jennings's intention
- Jennings describes a couple who seem uneasy in their relationship:
- They are each in their own world
- They seem isolated even though they are together
- The mention of “shadows overhead” creates an ominous tone
Lines 7–8
“Tossed up like flotsam from a former passion,
How cool they lie. They hardly ever touch,”
Translation
- These lines describe the way the relationship used to be, full of “passion”:
- Their “former passion” has been “Tossed up”, implying it has been disturbed
- The speaker describes how “cool” the room is and that they are not close
Jennings's intention
- Jennings describes their earlier passion and intimacy to present a loving relationship
- She shows how it has changed with contrasting words “passion” and “cool” and an ugly simile “like flotsam” (unwanted rubbish)
- The lines emphasise the distance between the couple with two short phrases in one line:
- The speaker sounds saddened by the situation
Lines 9–10
“Or if they do it is like a confession
Of having little feeling – or too much.”
Translation
- These lines suggest that when the couple do touch it is uncomfortable:
- This is implied with the contrasting ideas: “little” and “too much”
- The couple’s intimacy is compared to a “confession”:
- This may suggest how intimacy makes each partner feel the “truth” about their love; perhaps it makes them see that their relationship has changed
Jennings's intention
- Jennings uses religious imagery to connote, perhaps, to the disciplined, ritual-like way they touch each other
- The dash in the second line unsettles the mood and conveys imbalance
Lines 11–12
“Chastity faces them, a destination
For which their whole lives were a preparation.”
Translation
- These lines refer to a future that is chaste, without sexual intimacy (“Chastity”)
- The speaker suggests that not only is it inevitable their relationship will become this way, but also that they prepared for it
Jennings's intention
- Here, Jennings appears to imply the couple’s past has led to this moment
- There are various interpretations for this reference:
- Perhaps Jennings is referring to marriage, or to the the cycle of life, or commenting on the couple’s lack of care for their relationship
Lines 13–14
“Strangely apart, yet strangely close together,
Silence between them like a thread to hold”
Translation
- The speaker says that it is strange that their relationship has led them apart
- Referring to “Silence” implies a lack of communication
- The “thread” simile suggests their connection is thin
Jennings's intention
- Here, Jennings highlights the poem’s message about loneliness in relationships
- These lines convey, with the repetition of “strangely”, the dichotomies of love
- Comparing their bond to a “thread” implies it is fragile
Lines 15–16
“And not wind in. And time itself’s a feather
Touching them gently. Do they know they’re old,”
Translation
- Here, the poet describes time metaphorically as a feather to suggest to its soft and ephemeral qualities
- This implies the process of ageing is barely noticeable (time is “Touching them gently”)
- The poet seems to question whether the couple have noticed the changes
Jennings's intention
- Jennings comments on the process of getting old to describe the way the relationship changes without the couple’s knowledge, and to explore the way love alters over time
Line 17–18
“These two who are my father and my mother
Whose fire from which I came, has now grown cold?”
Translation
- The speaker tells readers that the poem is describing their parents
- The speaker asks how a passionate “fire” that creates life can become “cold”:
- This means that the speaker (their child) was born from their love
Jennings's intention
- Jennings uses the symbolism of “fire” to reflect the parents’ past passion
- This is contrasted with “cold” to show the changes in the relationship
- The poem’s ending raises questions about changing relationships, especially marriage