Blog is given by Dilip sir

 To Critically analyze the poem Lockdown by Simon Armitage. 

British Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, has written a poem for the current world COVID- 19 crisis. 'Lockdown' was published in The Guardian, 21 March 2020.

In this poem we can see creative impulse such as landscapes and spontaneous step out side of our comfort zone as well as pictorial journey. This poem has two dreams Sequences. The speaker the voice in the poem is having dream sequence. 

Hallucinating dream sequence. In 1665-1666 plague stricken in village Eyam. Thousands and Millions people had died in this pandemic. These days are known as Black Death. London's Village Eyam was greatly affected. Pictorial graphic says that people were dying on the road. 

   
  This is all about something that happen in small village .
 
     Here, poet also reminds us wonderful poetic expression  of  Kalida's मेघदूतम. Second dream sequence is Exotic dream. 

And I couldn't escape the waking dream of infected fleas...

 This is how poet wrote his poem in the beginning. Infected fleas is symbol of the Plague. 
          
                           the Boundary Stone, that cock-eyed
                           dice with its six dark holes,
                           thimbles brimming with vinegar wine purging
                           the plagued coins.  

 The word Boundary Stone cited something that people could not go to another village. There were not supposed to enter to another village. Here we can relate our pandemic situation with this history. On the stone's hole they put coins and vinegar wine . In these era we used to with sanitization and at that time hoe people beautifully find the way of sanitization. 
                        
                          star-crossed lovers on either side
                           of the quarantine line
  Star Crossed Lovers .... means in this condition lovers also decided by themselves that in this worse time they also avoid to meet because they can stop to other community to meet. We can see one emotional attachment also stop to meet physically . This bond could feel their emotions by holy  hearts. As well as we can see in Kalidas work Meghdutam  Yaksh sent his messages  through the clouds. 
   Today, we can see church of Eyam wonderful glass painting  ,
                      


In this image last picture temptation for the viewers : river is like neckless  and this river is between two lovers. As well Kalidas brings beautiful Meghduta's story with beautiful imagination. 


                         of the exiled yaksha sending word to 
                         his lost wife on a passing cloud,

                        a cloud that followed an earthly map 
                           of camel trails and cattle tracks,

                      कर्तुं यच्च प्रभवति महीमुच्छिलीन्ध्रामवन्ध्यां 
                      तच्छ्रुवा ते श्रवणसुभगं गर्जितं मानसोत्काः । 
                      आ कैलासाद्विसकिसलयच्छेदपाथेयवन्तः
                        संपत्स्यन्ते नभसि भवतो राजहंसाः सहायाः ॥
When they heard the sound of the Lord’s power to make the earth barren of rocks and holes, they were overwhelmed with joy. The royal swans will fly in the sky to help you from the mountain known as Kailāsa.

              Through this shlok we can see Kalidas has wiled knowledge of geography.  In the description of nature there are beautiful deserts , huge pine, bamboo tress, waterfall, hills, claves and obviously when we reaches Himalaya snow headed peaks are such a beautiful. Kalidas imagination is very powerful. Nuance of Kalidas is very powerful which is sharply caught by Simon.      
             
             
                               

                                    the air hypnotically see-through, rare
                       The air being "rare" and "hypnotically see-through" could also refer to the unusual stillness and quietness during lockdown. With less traffic and human activity, the environment feels different, almost otherworldly. 
 
References: 
 https://ed.ted.com/on/nvZdQQLH?authuser=0
 DR.Patel,Gautam.March,2024. 

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