“The Petite Mort” – Jueju
The Petite Mort
Some Renaissance poets called coming
“dying”; climax a seeming summing
of all life’s varied rites.
But, for women, whose plights
of troth and womb were
coupled (their harvest so unsure),
the metaphor tolled a bell–
fate’s arrival in passion’s swell.
************************************************
Agh. The above is my offering for Kerry O’Connor’s cool challenge on With Real Toads to write an English version of a Chinese form called Jueju involving quatrains and 5 word lines. (Kerry is very industrious with these things.) The poem is also supposed often to be suggestive of erotic love. I’m not sure mine qualifies, but it is certainly true that John Donne and Shakespeare (among others) used dying as a sexual metaphor. The French also sometimes call orgasm, “la petite mort.”
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Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: "The Petite Mort", coming and going poem, death in Renaissance poetry modern poem, even harder to be a woman long ago poem, great cobweb pic, Jueju, manicddaily, poem about dying as sexual metaphor
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ManicDDaily 
October 21, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Karin, this is beautifully done–and meaningful –I still feel that for many women in 3rd world countries–the threat of death is very real—probably not at all what you were thinking!!
October 21, 2012 at 7:54 pm
You know, you are right. I did not think of that, but, of course, it’s true. Thanks much, Audrey. k.
October 21, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Hi Audrey, in case I was unclear, I was thinking of death in childbirth but more in historical context, though of course you are right about today too. K.
October 21, 2012 at 9:03 pm
I too thought of death in childbirth–maybe the Renaissance connection–but I can also see uncertainty of the life being transferred, and the changed life ahead. Not exactly erotic for me, but made me think, and the language is solemn, measured, indeed like a bell tolling, especially liked
‘..a seeming summing
of all life’s varied rites…’ The couplets were an added pleasure, subtly rhymed and balanced without feeling marched in lockstep. I’m glad you decided to do one, k–I like very much what you did with it, and they are kind of fun in their own hair-pulling way.
October 21, 2012 at 9:11 pm
No, not erotic– ha! Yours was wonderful that way. I can’t say I had a headache exactly! But in a more serious mood.
October 21, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Hi Joy – I’m withdrawing my previous comment in case you looked at it. I’m a bit stressed on the blogging front tonight and sometimes feel like my writing becomes a bit incoherent. You make a very good point (as always)–the uncertainty of what married (or unmarried) life would be must have been very difficult. Thanks k.
October 22, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Well, I think you just clarified that I did read something in the poem you intended, which is always nice on both sides, so no problems here. Sorry to hear you are stressed today, k. Hope things calm down.
October 22, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Me too. Thanks. k.
October 22, 2012 at 12:05 am
Beautifully done!
October 22, 2012 at 12:41 am
awesome. Love the linguistics here, I’m a huge fan of medieval voice and you did such a nice job playing around with it, nailing down the internal rhyme that is often found in the best of them.
October 22, 2012 at 6:11 am
Lovely. For what it’s worth, the phrase also signifies that part of you has died as a result of some loss or traumatic experience. Hardy uses it that way in Tess of the D’Urbervilles . You were well advised, though, to stick to the sexual one. Your poem is a perfect little jewel.
October 22, 2012 at 9:29 am
Reblogged this on shafiqah1 and commented:
I’ve been writing some Jue Je as well thanks to “In the Corner of my Eye,” I like what you have come up with also!!
October 22, 2012 at 9:41 am
Thanks, Shafiqah!
October 22, 2012 at 10:49 am
This is brilliant in the turn of phrase, so well-rhymed, and the subtle social commentary. I find this to be such a powerful piece.
October 22, 2012 at 10:51 am
Thanks so much, Kerry. k.
October 22, 2012 at 11:00 am
I agree with David, this is a jewel. I didn’t know the old poets’ takes on climax until I this read. The metaphor of death fits…surrender and death. Beautiful, really. On the much broader scale, we know death often accompanied birth back then. Women had to weigh the fates. We weigh different fates these days.
And the web picture! oh my. what a fantastic shot. Some species of spiders die after laying their eggs, some female spiders eat the male after fertilization, and of course there is the certain death of an insect caught. Death and birth-all around. A wonderful poem, with stunning little couplets and lyrical ease.
October 22, 2012 at 11:04 am
Ha, thanks so much Jane. I take my iPhone with me on all walks lately, which is very fun especially if you are walking by yourself and feel a need of more motivation somehow. It’s not a fabulous camera – but great for me, who is not a learned photographer – I tend to believe in the maxim that the best camera is the one you have in your hand. So I happened onto this web this weekend, and thought it would sort of fit after I did the poem. k .
October 22, 2012 at 11:05 am
PS – I hadn’t thought of the females eating the males here – but of course you are right. I was just going for the idea of the web. k.
October 22, 2012 at 8:17 pm
First, I like the picture ~
Second, intriguing take on climax and dying, as I also thought of female animal species killing their mate ~ The second stanza, tolled a bell, was particularly strong for me ~
October 22, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Thanks so much, Grace. k.
October 22, 2012 at 9:12 pm
smiles…it is a little death…a giving up of yourself in that moment…but dang if you do it right it will get your heart going enough …hehe..smiles…the unsure harvest is what made me stop and think…or feel…many friends struggling to have kids or have and know too the pain it has caused them…
October 22, 2012 at 9:40 pm
An interesting take – I always am thinking of women, and their dying –
October 22, 2012 at 10:36 pm
…for men, it is truly a different thing as it is a woman’s body that is the “reservoir” of all that “dying”! 🙂 Even Shakespeare understood the importance of spicing things up. ha.
October 25, 2012 at 12:15 pm
‘la petite’ ~~~ certainly does not apply to your poem … I love it!!