Tuesday 4 September 2012

Day 74: Tiger, Tiger




Tigers seem a cherished animal totem of writers. It's not hard to see why - their majesty, mystique and general all-round compelling intensity.

Poet Ruth Padel has written an enthralling travelogue book on her adventures tracking tigers in Asia. The poem below comes from the book. It offers an exacting description of the tiger, touching on everything it represents.

And also, a hint at why they have so much appeal - 'Haven, in the mind, to anyone hurt by littleness.' Tigers, in all their natural glory and magnificence, are the complete opposite of littleness and a symbol and example of all the amazing beauty this world has to offer.


Tiger Drinking at Forest Pool - Ruth Padel

Water, moonlight, danger, dream.
Bronze urn, angled on a tree root: one
Slash of light, then gone. A red moon
Seen through clouds, or almost seen.

Treasure found but lost, flirting between
The worlds of lost and found. An unjust law
Repealed, a wish come true, a lifelong
Sadness healed. Haven, in the mind,

To anyone hurt by littleness. A prayer
For the moment, saved; treachery forgiven.
Flame of the crackle-glaze tangle, amber
Reflected in grey milk-jade. An old song
Remembered, long debt paid.
A painting on silk, which may fade.

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