19-01-2024 To Sandeep and Rakesh-my love

 

19-01-2024

To Sandeep and Rakesh-my love

Ah! I recall Ralph Hodgson’s poem- "Time, You Old Gipsy Man" where ‘Time’ is personified as an old gipsy man who travels from place to place, never staying in one location for long. The two ‘Mamtur -Poftur’ travel from place to place never staying in one location for long, meeting at international airports. Both rush.  It shows the transient and fleeting nature of time, highlighting the impermanence of moments and civilisations.

Time, You Old Gipsy Man by Ralph Hodgson (1871–1962)

 

TIME, you old gipsy man, Will you not stay,

 

Put up your caravan, just for one day?

 

All things I’ll give you, Will you be my guest,

 

Bells for your jennet, Of silver the best,

 

Goldsmiths shall beat you, A great golden ring,

 

Peacocks shall bow to you, little boys sing,

 

Oh, and sweet girls will, Festoon you with may.

 

Time, you old gipsy, Why hasten away?

 

Last week in Babylon, Last night in Rome,

 

Morning, and in the crush; Under Paul’s dome.

 

Under Paul’s dial, you tighten your rein—

 

Only a moment, And off once again.

 

Off to some city, now blind in the womb.

 

Off to another, Ere that’s in the tomb.

 

Time, you old gipsy man, Will you not stay,

 

Put up your caravan! just for one day?

 

How beautifully Ralph Hodgson humanizes time. The poet characterizes time with an old gipsy man who travels from place to place. The poet invites him to stay, asking him to put up his caravan for just one day.

"Time, You Old Gipsy Man" by Ralph Hodgson is a poem that personifies time as an old gipsy man who travels from place to place, never staying in one location for long. The speaker of the poem addresses Time, inviting him to stay and be a guest for just one day. The poem explores the transient and fleeting nature of time, highlighting the impermanence of moments and civilizations.

The poet wants to make several deals with ‘Time’. He offers various things to Time, such as bells, a silver bridle for his horse (jennet), and a golden ring made by goldsmiths. The poet paints a vivid picture of luxury, with peacocks bowing and little boys singing. Sweet girls are mentioned, who will festoon and garland Time with May (flowers), suggesting a celebration.

Ralph Hodgson, the poet questions why Time is in such a hurry to move on, referencing historical cities like Babylon and Rome. The mention of being "in the crush under Paul’s dome" could refer to the crowds at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Time is portrayed as constantly moving, tightening his rein on the dial of a clock, and rushing off to the next destination.

Time is described as moving from one city to another, leaving one city (now blind in the womb) and moving on to another before the previous one is even in the tomb. This emphasizes the ceaseless progression of time and the transitory nature of civilizations.

In the end, the poet echoes, and the poet repeats the invitation for Time to stay, asking him to put up his caravan for just one day. The poem concludes with a plea for a brief respite from the relentless march of time.

Overall, the poem captures the theme of the fleeting nature of time, the inevitability of change, and the impermanence of human achievements. The metaphor of the gipsy man and his caravan serves as a powerful image for the constant journey of time, never settling in one place for long.