Know the one? Insolent Ontology and Mahon's revisions

Pe e Know he One?Insolen On ology and Mahon's Re isions You bes poem, you know he one I mean, The e y language in which he poem Was w i en, and he idea o language, All hese hings will pass away in ime. De ek Mahon, on Ri e s " (1979)was in e ec a olume o " new and selec ed I d ew on h ee books: Nigh - C ossing Li es (1972)and Snow Pa y and added some nine een pieces no p e iously in book o m. Ele en yea s la e came Selec ed Poems, a la ge olume han he 1979 one, con aining 102 poems as agains 88. Onlyone i em, " Dawn a S had no been published in book o mbe o e. The Selec ed Poems had a g ea e body o wo k o selec om, o he nine een eigh ies had seen publica ion o The Hun by Nigh (1982) and wo " in e im " collec ions: Cou ya ds in (1980) which was subsumed in o Hun by Nigh , and An a c ica (1985). P ac icallyall o he new i ems in Poems a e p ese edin he Selec ed Poems, as a e all o he poems om he subsequen books, wi h he excep ion o one o he pai en i led " B ech in S endbo g " in Hun by Nigh . The e was a conside able p uning o he selec ions om he books ha had p eceded Poems he ep esen a ion o Nigh - C ossing sh ank om wen y - ou o hi een, ou o a possible wen y - eigh ; o Li es om wen y - one o se en een, ou o wen y - six; and o The Snow Pa y om nine een o ele en, ou o wen y - ou . The o ganisa ion o he books, especiallyo he ea lie ones, seems o ha e had some a chi ec onic signi icance: o ins ance, C ossing achie es closu e wi h " The Poe s Lie Whe e They Fell " and " Legacies " he la e a e sion o es amen in ballad o m; and he opening poem in The Snow Pa y, he collec ion ollowing Nigh - C ossing (London: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1968) (N - C); (London: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1972) (L); The Snow Pa y (London: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1975) (TSP);Poems (Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess,1979) (P); Cou ya ds in (Dublin: The Galle y P ess, 1981) (CID); The Hun by Nigh (Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1982) (THN);An a c ica (Dublin: The Galle y P ess, 1985) (A); Selec ed Poems (London: Loughc ew; Ox o d: Viking, Galle y, Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 1991) Subsequen e e ences a e o hese edi ions, as abb e ia ed. The numbe s gi en o he ep esen a ion o poems om he a ious collec ions a e no o be aken as ha d - and - as o , as will be seen, he iden i y o some poems is no absolu e. IRISH REVIEW Li es, is called " A e li es " . Nei he Poems no Selec ed Poems p ese es he names o he a ious collec ions on which hey d aw. The ph ase " nigh - c ossing " , used as he i le o he i s collec ion, was aken om he las line o " The P isone " (N - C, p. 32); his poem is called 'Jail Jou nal " in P, and is omi ed om SP. The eponymous poems o Li es and The Pa y su i e in P and SP, bu he o ganisa ion o he books does no . Along wi h he omission o poems, and he ew i ing o some o hose ha a e e ained, he in eg i y o he g oupings ep esen ed by he collec ions is e oded; poems o iginally om a e likely o be ound in among pieces om Nigh - C ossing and so on. The ex s ha ha e appea ed be ween book co e s display a complex ex ual his o y. I is e iden om he publishing his o y ha p ac ically all his poems so a ha e been conside ed o publica ion in book o m on wo o h ee occasions. Apa om he appea ance o indi idual poems in pe iodicals and magazines, he e ha e been pamphle s, collec ions, in e im collec ions, and wo selec ions. This has a o ded oppo uni ies o omission, ea angemen , e i ling, ew i ing, expansion o ab idgemen o poems. Fo ins ance, " J.P. Donlea y's Dublin " (L) is included in Poems as " Dog Days " and in Selec ed Poems as " D eam Days " . " Day T ip o Donegal " (N - C)appea s in P wi h a s anza d opped and ou e bal changes; his is subs an i ely he e sion in SP, bu wi h wo u he e bal adjus men s. The omission o he s anza is signi ican in he con ex o Mahon's wo k gene ally, as shall be seen below. Some o he changes made o poems a e simply explained. In he Selec ed Poems he language ends o be modi ied in he di ec ion o gen ili y, so ha " To sca e you shi less " in " Table Talk " p. 27) becomes " To sca e you pan s o " (SP, p.139); he line " Dog o shi bu ials " in " A Disused Shed in Co. Wex o d " (TSP, p. 36) is changed o " Dog co ne s o bone bu ials " (P, p. 79, SP, p. 62);and he expos ula o y " Wha middle - class we a e " ( " A e li es " ,TSP, p. P, p. 57) dwindles o " Wha middle - class wi s we a e " (SP, p. E o s a e co ec ed, so ha he ph ase " bland wi h age " in " Rock Music " (THN, p. 25) becomes " blind wi h age " (SP, p. 100). Else - whe e, wha seems o be a new e o slips in. The e e ence o " a no he nland o ain and mu k " ( " Dea hand heSun " , A, p. 36) eads . . ain and in SP (p.192); he change loses an end - hyme wi h " da k " in his o he wise hymed poem. had a poem called " Gipsies " ; he nex collec ion, Li es, con ained " Gipsies Re isi ed " . The ea lie (and o my mind 2. In an in e iew in The Supplemen , (Fall 1991) Mahon commen s ha he o iginal line was unaccep able and ha he change was p omp ed by " good manne s " (p. 28). KNOW THE ONE? poem is no ep in ed, bu he la e one is ound in bo h and Selec ed Poems; i s i le, howe e , is al e ed o as he in e ex ual hin ha he subjec is being e isi ed is longe app op ia e. In e ec , he ea lie poem is no simply omi ed unw i en, wi h i s i le being ans e ed o he la e Tha 's no qui e all: Mahon's hi d collec ion, The Snow Pa y, a hi d poem on he subjec , " The Poems i , bu his ime as he hi d in a g oup o pieces iden i ied as Poems a e Jacco e " . " Th ee Poems by Philippe Jacco e " appea in in Selec ed Poems, bu he hi d poem is no longe " The bu an al oge he di e en piece, " Wo ds in he Ai " . The and nomadic cou se o hese poems is ep esen a i e. The e a e wo p ose - poems in The Snow " A He mi " and " The Apo heosis o Tins " . Nei he o hem su i es in subsequen selec ions,al hough bo h a e included p ac ically wo d o wo d in P ph ases added o " The Apo heosis o Tins " , he i le and one wo d change in " A He mi " ). On hei second ime ou , hey a e no as p ose - poems, bu in i egula s anzas. The added linea ion al e s hem adically. Line endings p i ilege ph ases such as " e minal democ acy " and " he no ion o pe manence " , and he iso - la ion o a sen ence such as " We esis you pa onage, you e lec i e leisu e " gi es i a gnomic signi icance; in he p ose - poems hese we e pa o a con inuous discu si e low. Then he e is he case o " Going Home " . A poem o his i le is included in The Snow Pa y, and ep in ed in Poems Also in Poems is a poem called " The Re um " . In Selec ed Poems, we ind he i le " Going Home " , bu he poem o e which i s ands is, wo d o wo d, " The Re um " , changed only by he addi ion o an epig aph om Wu he ing Heigh s. Is his la es e sion " Going Home " ew i en, o is i " The Re u n " e i led? In he In oduc ion o Penguin Book Con empo a y I ish Poe y, which Mahon edi ed wi h Pe e he e is he obse a ion ha " he wo d mos equen ly dwel on in [ he poems an hologised] ... is p obably 'home', as i an unce ain y exis s as o whe e ha ac ually In Mahon's own case, ha unce ain y ex ends as o whe e he e y poem w i en abou home is. Men ion o The Penguin Book o Con empo a y Poe y b ings o mind one u he example o ex ual inde e minacy. " Cou ya ds in Del " exis s in wo e sions. In he 1981 in e im collec ion o which i is he i le poem, i has ou s anzas; by he ollowing yea , placed as 3. TSP, p. 24. Only h ough a sc u iny o he p elimina y page o " Acknowl - edgemen s " does one lea n ha i is a e sion o Jacco e 's " Les Gi ans " . Penguin Book o Con empo a y edd. Pe e and Mahon (Ha mondswo h: Penguin Books, p. xxii. UNIVERSITY he i s poem o The by Nigh , i has i e.The 1990 Selec ed Poems e e s o ou s anzas (wi ha sligh change o he wo ding o he las wo lines). Bu les we ake his as he de ini i e e sion, i should be no ed ha The Penguin Book o Con empo a y I ish Poe y, also published in 1990 and join ly edi ed byMahon and Pe e ( he publishe o Cou ya ds in and he Selec ed Poems), includes " Cou ya ds in Del " - bu gi es he i e - s anza e sion om The Hun by Nigh . The cumula i e e ec o he e idence is ha Mahon's poe y esis s ixi y. I is in a s a e o p ocess, wi hou any inished absolu e being on o e . This, o cou se, is a heme o his wo k. In " Li es " , he mul iple possibili ies o exis ence a e sampled in a lis ; he plu ali y o he i le de ies any " insolen on ology " . Mahon e u ns o make changes in his wo k wi h a equency ha migh be ega ded as ca alie o sc upulous, depending on he poin o iew. He will no lea e i alone. I no hing else, he e isions asse hiscon inuing igh as he au ho o he poems. How a e we o ega d hese ew i ings?They a e no simply an i i a ion o edi o s who will ha e o es ablish ex s o he poems. Clea ly, as ye he e is no inal au ho ial in en ion on which o base a choice. The ex s o Mahon's poems change om book o book - and I am conside ing he e only he ex s p in ed in collec ions and 'selec ed' edi ions; his is o lea e ou he pe iodical and magazine le alone any conside - a ion o ypesc ip s, no es and d a s, p oo s and e ises, all o which would in oduce u he a ian s a es o he ex s. Mahon has no ye become his admi e s - o his c i ics and edi o s, who look o a ixed and s eady s a e in he ex . They - we - canno plead lack o wa ning.The e is an ea ly poem by Mahon called " The Fo ge " , which begins: When I sold my ake Ve mee s o Goe ing Nobody knew, nobody guessed The agony, he ana icism O wo king beyond c i icism And be e han he bes . (N - C, p. 20; SP, p. 19) The unnamed imagined speake is he pain e Hans an Meege en, who, like Mahon, had a pa icula ondness o he Del school. Van Meege en's ploy was o call in o being wo ks o a ha ook on a pa allel exis ence o hose com o ably assumed o be genuine, and by ha calling in o being he called in o ques ion no ions o o iginali y. We can unde s and Mahon's being a ac ed o Van Meege en, o Mahon oo is some hing o a o ge . Mos no ably, he has o ged a Paul Du can poem, " Poe A es ed o Dis ibu ing Da odils in This does no appea in his books, bu he e a e o ge ies 5. " O pheus Ascending: The poe y o Paul The I ish 1 p. 15. KNOW THE ONE? in he manne o " - such as " A Kensing on " The Joycen ena y Ode " (SP, p. 145) o " Epi aph o (TSP, p. in each which Mahon's own oice is a pa odic swe e owa ds he idioms o Pound, espec i ely. Mahon's o ge y o imi a ion is compli - me n a y in in en , an ac o homage: as he has s a ed, " i 's he whoa e habi o pa ody and pas iche is o a kind wi h Mahon's ac i e wi h adap a ion and ansla ion. Such en e p ises a e he p emise ha a wo k can exis in an al e na i e o m, om ye ecognisably sha ing an iden i y wi h he o iginal. esul in a poem whose exis ence is, in a pa icula sense, The ope a ions pe o med on Rimbaud's " Le sho ened, ansla ed in o ano he language and in o o he - o on de Ne al show ansmu a ions o language. The no ion o an " au ho 's in en ion " , asenuncia ed by G eg Bowe s, is gen ly challenged, concep ually i no bibliog aphi - cally, by a ansla ion which ca ies he wo k o e in o ano he s a e. o iginal wo ks - he poems by o de Ne al, he play by he no el by Elizabe h Bowen - become p e - ex s o Mahon's. Two poems gi en some p ominence in Mahon's wo k a e he ex ended e se - le e s " Beyond How h Head " and " The Sea in Win e " .The o me was i s published sepa a ely as a pamphle and hen included in Li es, whe e i s ood as he longes and inal poem o ha book. " The Sea in Win e " occupied a simila posi ion on i s i s appea ance be ween ha d co e s, in Poems o which i is he longes poem - apa om " Beyond How h Head " . Bo h poemssha e a e se o m: hymed eigh - line s anzas o oc osyllabics and, as hey s and in P, a e o equal leng h wi h 176 lines each. Bo h a e la e included in Selec ed Poems, bu wi h u he e isions and, in he case o " TheSea in Win e " ,sho ened by ou s anzas. The e a e a leas h ee e sions o " BeyondHow h Head " ,and wo o " The Sea in Win e " . Compa ison o he L and P ex s o " Beyond How h Head' shows mino changes: he explana o y no es which we e a ea u e o L ha e disappea ed? bu he allusi eness which seemed o make hem necessa y emains: Yea s, Shakespea e, Pope, Spense , Becke , Dylan Mil on, Raleigh, Cha eaub iand, Tho eau, D Johnson, Joyce and No man a e among he au ho s in oked, ei he explici ly o by he bo owing o a ph ase. Some o he in oca ions a e mo e occluded han o he s: Spense 's 6. Ibid., p. 15. 7. The no es we e also a ea u e o he ea lie pamphle publica ion, Beyond How h (Dublin:Dolmen P ess, 1970). IRISH UNIVERSITY REVIEW " lewde libe ie " is in aised commas and glossed in he no es, bu we a e le o conjec u e he e e ence o Cha eaub iand in " ou e - ombe " . Wha e e he pa icula signi icance o each allusion, he p esence o such a ange o exempla s p o ides a pe sonal li e a y analogy o he poem's gene al heme - hesweep o la ge cu en s, imaged by he wind and ide, h ough he ac u ed pe cep ion o he immedia e. A numbe o hechanges made in he ex bea on place names: he hi d s anza in L and SP begins " and shakes he adio - se s ha play/ om he Twel e Pins o Dublin Bay " ; his becomes " om Ca a oe o Dublin Bay " in SP. A line in L, ' om Chel enham o Inishmaan " becomes " om o om Cushendun " in P and SP. One pa - icula ly esonan name ge s elided om he las s anza. The ea lie e sion uns: and he e I close my Do e Beach scena io, o look! he wa ch - ul Baily winks beyond How h Head, My liessnug in bed and he moon a les he los s ones among he ocks and he s ic bones o he d owned as I pu ou he ligh on o he (L, p. 38) In P and SP his becomes And he e I close; o look, ac oss da k wa eswhe e bell - buoys dimly oss, he Bailey winks beyond How h Head and sleepcalls om he silen bed; while he moon d agshe kind ed s ones among he ocks and he bones o he d owned, and I pu ou he ligh onshadowso he enc oaching nigh . (SP, p. 49) The emo al o " Do e Beach " acili a es an easie hyme o comple e he couple ; spli hyme - wo ds a line endings a e no in equen in Mahon's poems, bu hey end o be emo ed in his la e e sions. The e e ence o Do e Beach is mo e ex ual han geog aphical. The allusion is o Ma hew poem, and he o iginal las s anza ep oduces a epe o y o images om " Do e Beach " : he moon, he momen a y ligh , he implied p esence o a companionable woman, he sweep o he sea on he sho eline - and o cou se book i le is coined om las line, " Whe e igno an a mies clash by nigh " . The scena io o " Beyond How h Head " is, like " Do e Beach " , based on a li o al medi a ion. poem, wi h i s sense o los gods and a sea ch o cons an s, migh se e as a p e ex in his and much o Mahon's o he wo k. KNOW THE ONE? Sea in Win e " is ano he li o al medi a ion, his no he n coas . In his poem he e is less sense o a " be yon d u , an imagined sense o he Medi e anean whe e he add e s see , is loca ed: You oo ha e known he cu ious sense O wo king on he ci cum e ence - (P, p. 111) e ision be ween P and SP, ou s anzas a e disca ded om di e en pa s o he poem: he i h, en h, eigh een h and wen ie h. new s anzas a e inse ed, one o hem in place o he d opped s anza; i s ands se en een h in he e ised e sion, wi h o he new s anza ( " O in he open ai en h. Th ee he ou s anzaic omissions a ec he eading o he poem as a whole. The hi d las s anza o he ex men ions Bo icelli's " neglec edd awings " o The Di ine Comedy, Diag amso ha pa adise Each has his ision o . I ace The u u ein a colou - scheme, Colou swesca cely da e od eam. (P, p. 114) Two s anzas be o e ha , ano he omi ed passage had also dwel on he u u eand i s possibili ies: And will he yea wo housand ind Mes ill a a window, pen in hand, Wa ching long b eake scu l on sand E osion makes o e e ine ? I hope so, o he sake o hese Subsidized se endipi ies. 'Ghos lie dema ca ions,keene Sounds' a e needed mo e han e e . (P, p. 113) An ea lie omission simila ly emo es a empo al ma ke , his ime one poin ing o hepas : I e u nedone yea ago I el like Tonio - slow Tocome o e ms wi h my own pas ... (P, p. 111) This emo al o pe spec i es on he pas and u u e, on any empo al " beyond " , is ein o ced by he second o he wo new s anzas added o he poem in he SP p in ing. This insis s on he he e and now o he poem's momen and enounces he glanceaway om he p esen : Bu le me ne e o ge he wei d haeccei y o hiss ange sea - boa d, he he oismand cowa dice REVIEW o li ingon he edge o space, o e e again con emp uously e use i s pligh ; o his o y igno es hose who igno e i , no he igno an whom i bego . (SP, p. 117) As a esul o he changes, his la e e sion o " The Sea in Win e " is mo e insis en on pe iphe ali y. The consola ions o his o y a e emo ed, ex ending e en o he disappea ance o he da ing Oc appended o he ea lie p in - ing. Now he poem exis s unda ed; he conjec u al glance ahead o ano he da e, " he yea wo housand " , is aken away in he e ision, as is he ain an icipa ion o " ha pa adise/ Each has his ision o " (P, p p 113 - 4). The loss o loca ion and da ing means ha he poe on he sho eline is in a posi ion, a he ci cum e ence bu wi hou any de ining Places a e no de ined. In successi e e sions o di e en poems, placenames ge subs i u ed: I haca o Ca hage in " Li es " (L, p. 14; P, p. 41, SP, p. o Lake Ga da in " A Kensing on (A, p. 10; SP, p. 91). He himsel has assu ed us ha he ga age desc ibed in " A Ga age in Co. was p obably no in Co k a all? The inal s anza o ha begins " We migh be anywhe e bu a e in one place only " (SP, p. an idea echoed wice in " A Ligh house in Maine " , in i sopeningline and in I migh be anywhe e - Hokkaido,No mandy, Maine; Bu i is in Maine. p. 44) In SP he second line eads " Hokkaido, Mayo, Maine " (p. 143);as he poem says,i migh be anywhe e, and he subs i u ion is o li le o no impo . Hokkaido, No mandy, Mayo, Maine, a e equi alen s in he gaze ee o Ano he poem ha occu s in wo e sions is " The Globe in No h Ca olina " . In a se en - s anza e sion i s ands as he closing poem o in and, wi h ou inse ed s anzas and one subs i u ed, i is simila ly posi ioned in The Hun by Nigh . This shows some a ini y o he wo e se - le e s, " Beyond How h Head " and " The Sea in Win e " . I oo is se beside an ocean a nigh , bu emb aces a con inen al, e en global scale; i oo is a so o sho eline poem which 8. C . Hugh Haugh on, " 'E en now he e a e places whe e a hough migh g ow'; Place and Displacemen in he Poe y o Mahon " in The Chosen G ound: Essays on he Con empo a y Poe y o ed. Neil Co co an (B idgend, Books, pp. 87 - 120. 9. " De ek Mahon w i es Poe y Book Socie y Bulle in, 115 (Win e 1982). In THN he same wo dsoccu bu a e sp ead ou o e an addi ional penul ima e s anza, d opped om he la e e sion. KNOW THE ONE? he g ea issue o banished gods ocus o he p esence o a single indi idual. The ea h spins o my inge - ipsand Pauses benea hmy ou s e ched hand; Whi ewa e see hes agains he g een Capes whe e he con inen s begin. Wa m b eezes mo e he pines and s i The ho dus o he piedmon whe e Nigh glides inland F om own o own. I lo e osee ha sun godown. (CD, p. 28, SP, p. 163) The e is an in e play o scale: he wo ld is bo h i sel and a desk - op he speake is a once in a domes ic in e io and in in e - plane a y space. Ou in he oid and s a ing ha d A hedim s one whe e we we e ea ed, G ea mo he , now he gods ha e gone, We place ou ai h in you alone, In e ing he p ocedu es which Knel us o hingsbeyond ou each. (SP, p. 165) The eis, as eme ges in he penul ima e s anza, an implici add essee in he poem. ...You lie,an ocean o he eas , You limbscomposed, you mind a es , Asleep in a sun ise whichwill be You mid - day when i eaches me; And wha misgi ings I migh ha e Abou he ue impo ance o The 'me ely human' pale be o e The me e ac o you being he e. (SP, p. 165) The mo e owa ds companionship is ambiguous. Does ha las line asse p esence o absence? " Being he e " migh insis onexis ence, o i migh be poin ing o he ac she is " he e " , an ocean away, as opposed o " he e " . The ambigui y is in pa a legacy o he e ision. In he ea lie e sion, he wo p eceding s anzas lead di ec ly o he in oduc ion o his in oked add essee, making a clea ansi ion om he cosmic o he pa icula . Ou in he oid and s a ing ha d A hedim s one whe e we we e ea ed, G ea mo he , now he gods dispe se, We h ow ou sel es upon you g ace, In e ing he p ocedu es which