Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Tales of the Island: 3. La Belle Qui Fut" by Derek Walcott presents a poignant portrait of Miss Rossignol, an elderly woman living in a lazaretto—a hospital or shelter for those with infectious diseases or marginalized members of society. Walcott uses rich, sensory imagery to explore themes of aging, loss, and the contrast between past beauty and present decay. Through Miss Rossignol, the poem reflects on the transience of physical beauty, the passage of time, and the burden of memory, all while evoking the colonial history that underpins the Caribbean setting.

Miss Rossignol, whose name means "nightingale" in French, is introduced as an old woman living among other "Roman Catholic crones." Her "white skin" and "fine, old-fashioned bones" indicate her former beauty, now fading with age. The imagery of "fine, old-fashioned bones" suggests not only physical fragility but also a connection to an earlier era, one defined by elegance and refinement. The contrast between her present condition and her past is stark, as her graceful bones are now hidden beneath the frailty of old age.

Walcott’s description of Miss Rossignol attending vespers—"flying like bats to vespers every twilight"—conjures an image of both devotion and decay. The comparison to bats, creatures associated with the night and darkness, emphasizes the woman's eerie transformation as she grows older, and her religious routine becomes a marker of her decline. The reference to her as "The living Magdalen of Donatello" connects her to the biblical figure of Mary Magdalene, who is often portrayed as a symbol of repentance and transformation. Donatello's famous sculpture of Magdalene depicts her as emaciated, worn down by years of penance, and Walcott’s invocation of this imagery suggests that Miss Rossignol, too, has lived through suffering and loss.

The next few lines provide a glimpse of Miss Rossignol’s everyday life. She is "tipsy as a bottle" as she walks to fetch milk, her once elegant body now unsteady and weak. The "black shawl harnessed by rusty brooches" symbolizes the decline of her former grandeur, with her clothing no longer refined but rather worn down by time. The "rusty brooches" signify not only the passage of time but also the loss of wealth and status that she once enjoyed.

Walcott's mother, who warns the speaker about Miss Rossignol, provides another layer of perspective on the character. The mother recalls Miss Rossignol’s youth, when "that flesh knew silk / Coursing a green estate in gilded coaches." This image transports the reader to a past where Miss Rossignol was a woman of wealth and privilege, gliding through life in luxury. The use of "flesh" emphasizes the physicality of her past beauty, while the "gilded coaches" evoke the opulence of colonial estates and the rigid class divisions of the time. The memory of this former life contrasts sharply with Miss Rossignol’s present, where she is reduced to a shadow of her former self, an aging woman navigating the mundane act of fetching milk.

In the poem’s final lines, we see Miss Rossignol in the cathedral loft, singing to her "one dead child." This tragic detail adds a deep sense of loss and sorrow to her story, revealing that not only has she lost her beauty and wealth, but she has also endured profound personal grief. Her singing, though a sign of her devotion, is also an act of mourning. She becomes "a tattered saint," a figure of broken beauty and faded grace, who once embodied the ideals of femininity and privilege but has now been reduced to near poverty. Her pride, which once may have been tied to her beauty and status, has "paupered" her, leaving her as a "witch" figure, worn down by life and time.

The final line, "who was so fine once, whose hands were so soft," encapsulates the poem’s central theme of the inevitable passage of time and the decline of physical beauty. Miss Rossignol, who was once admired for her elegance and refinement, is now remembered only as a relic of the past. The focus on her hands, once "soft" but now presumably hardened by age and work, symbolizes the transformation of her entire being—from a life of privilege and ease to one of hardship and sorrow.

In "Tales of the Island: 3. La Belle Qui Fut," Derek Walcott creates a deeply moving portrayal of an aging woman whose life is marked by loss, decline, and the burden of memory. Through vivid imagery and subtle references to colonial history, the poem explores the themes of beauty, pride, and the ravages of time, while also reflecting on the broader cultural and social dynamics of the Caribbean. Miss Rossignol’s story is one of personal tragedy, but it also serves as a reflection on the fleeting nature of privilege and the inevitable fading of even the most admired lives.

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