Water Garden is a poem in the poetry collection' The Drowned Book' by Seas O' Brien, which was published in 2007. It is an unified collection of related poems. The poem vividly portrays industrial revolution's negative influences. And also nature's place in our social history.
Here water plays an important role as the carrier of civilization.
Water and culture are inseparable elements of human life. The way water is used and valued constitutes an integral part of a society’s cultural identity. It encompasses lifestyles, value systems, traditions and beliefs.
The Drowned Book is more a book than it is a poetry collection. Many of the poems relate to water, and not only under water—rivers, boats, ports, lighthouses, water gardens, ferries, drains, fish, bayous and meres. This is one example:
The poem Water Garden open with an image of mirror. It shows that water garden looks like a mirror. Just like a mirror gives the reflection of a person who looks at, water garden reflects one' s culture, civilization, social values.. etc.
Waterways give way to another potent symbol of Victorian industrial endeavour. Waterways like river, drainage, water garden.... etc regularly feature in O'Brien's work. Metaphorically river and waterways are closely allied and both symbolise life's journey pathways towards death.
Water looked up through the lawn
Like a half buried mirror
Left out by the people before
There were faces in there
We had seen in the hallways
Of octogenarian specialists.
This stanza shows that when we look at the water garden, we can see the faces of our ancestors who brought up these civilization. The pain and sufferings they had in their life.
In victorian era, infectious disease were the greatest cause of victorian mortality. Slowly it was understood that it was spread by water contaminated by sewage. These were the aftermath of industralisation in England.
Were feeding the river with souls
They left us their things
Reef of blue ware.
These lines tell that how our forefathers keep our nature.
They fed the rivers with their soul.
They left valuable things for us without failing to protect all the natural resources. Sustainablity of natural resources has a big impact on human health. But after industrial revolution, things go beyond and natural resources began to decaying.
In the elder- clumps,
Tin full of rust in the shed,
And on the bookshelves
Here it shows that the knowledge
Imparted by the elders or past writers had gone rust in the shed. Bookshelves are remained untouched. People do not bother about the values left by forefathers. Our ancestors remained as forbeares of values and sacrifices. But the followers neglect what they upholded.
English poet, all gone damp
With good intention, never read.
Their mailed of flooded graves
Were traffic jams of stone
Where patient amphibians angels
Here the lines mention the writers and poets who wrote books with good intention and motives. But the people didn't read them. All these shows the condition where people are not ready to accept moral values and knowledge. They upheld false consciousness and that result in cultural degradation and Immoral behavior.
/Their miles of flooded Graves / indicates the death rate which was the aftermath of industrial revolution, where poor working class had lost their livelihood and waterways heavily polluted with human waste and garbage. That killed more than 4000 people during the course of time.
They are like a patient amphibian angels rode in the grave. And their voice came from the sinks and gratings. It also shows the exploitation of proletariat by the bourgeoisie. The capitalist who were the real 'treasure seekers' made the life of poor working class people in trouble. But their voices are coming out as a resonant.
/ while all the times
In King Death's rainy garden
We were playing out.
The poem concludes with that the death is Playing the dance and we were also playing it unknowingly. It can take away us anytime. If we go like a treasure seeker without bothering about the consequences, that led us in to King of death. That's is the total destruction of world.
So the poem is also gives the message that people are busy to make new Revolutions by exploiting all the natural resources and human values. Water Garden gives a convincing vision of our future as well as our past.
