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I watched the movie “Gravity” recently and was really struck with how the story parallels a poem I wrote in 2008 called “Fare Thee Well MechWarrior”. Even my wife noticed it. Admittedly, I seem to have unintentionally written a lot of common themes into the poem, but still, I think the resemblance is remarkable.
Below, I first present the poem with the word “Astronaut” replacing the word “MechWarrior”. I think it describes the film very closely. Then, I present the poem line-by-line showing the parallel in the movie. See what you think. (This may not make a lot of sense if you have not seen the movie.)
Astronaut, cling thee not to this world,
As it holds for you no more.
But listen! Listen for the song from afar,
And heed the lilting call of the land that awaits.
Let the final breath slip from your pierced chest,
And your broken hands fall from the stick.
Bend your bloodied brow to this life,
And let tumble the shattered helm that once cradled your head.
Leave behind these acrid smokes of the fields,
These swirling battlegrounds of charred metal, bone and flesh.
Depart from the flashing fires that filled your eyes with destruction,
And abandon the burning hulk of steel and crimson that was your mount.
Hold not to this realm,
But hasten! Hasten down the twisting path to the mountains.
To the dark mountains and beyond,
And across the shimmering sea.
Voyage then. Voyage thee well Astronaut.
Voyage thee well and long.
Cross the great divide,
And find the land that beckons with its Siren’s song.
Where swords and strife cannot follow,
Nor can cruel laser and cold gauss reach.
Where rolling hills of soft sun and velvet grasses embrace,
And quiet waters sooth your beleaguered soul.
Then, lay thee down Astronaut,
Lay thee down and sleep.
Dream the dreams of victors…
Loose the silver cord…
And find your peace complete.
Fare thee well Astronaut.
Fare thee well.
Here is the line-by-line analysis, again with the word “Astronaut” replacing the word “MechWarrior” (Spoilers ahead):
Poem: Astronaut, cling thee not to this world,
Movie: Ryan (Sandra Bullock) clings to the wildly spinning robot arm of the space shuttle.
Ryan feels her situation is hopeless and turns off her oxygen.
Poem: As it holds for you no more.
Movie: Ryan tumbles off into space after the initial debris hit.
Ryan feels her situation is hopeless and turns off her oxygen
Ryan can't stay in space. She must escape to the Earth.
Poem: But listen! Listen for the song from afar,
Movie: Matt (George Clooney) makes radio contact with the tumbling Ryan and comes to her rescue.
As Matt drifts away to his death, he gives survival instructions to Ryan.
The dead Matt (George Clooney) knocks on the capsule window to give instructions to Ryan.
The Chinese Ham radio operator’s voice comes to Ryan over the comms.
Mission control’s voice comes over the radio after Ryan’s splashdown.
Poem: And heed the lilting call of the land that awaits.
Movie: Ryan listens to and acts on Matt’s instructions as he drifts away to his death.
Poem: Let the final breath slip from your pierced chest,
Movie: Ryan gives up and turns off her oxygen supply.
Poem: And your broken hands fall from the stick.
Movie: Deadly injuries to the other astronauts.
Poem: Bend your bloodied brow to this life,
Movie: Ryan was knocked on the head and later gives up and turns off her oxygen supply.
Poem: And let tumble the shattered helm that once cradled your head.
Movie: Ryan’s space helmet floats around her.
Ryan floats in a fetal position as if in a womb (cradle = birth = womb)
Poem: Leave behind these acrid smokes of the fields,
Movie: The abandoned station is filled with smoke
Poem: These swirling battlegrounds of charred metal, bone and flesh.
Movie: Debris is everywhere, dead bodies float in the station
Poem: Depart from the flashing fires that filled your eyes with destruction,
Movie: A fire breaks out on the station
Poem: And abandon the burning hulk of steel and crimson that was your mount.
Movie: She abandons not just the Space Shuttle, but the ISS and the Chinese station as well.
Poem: Hold not to this realm,
Movie: Again, she abandons not just the Space Shuttle, but the ISS and the Chinese station as well.
She abandons space for the safety of the Earth.
Poem: But hasten! Hasten down the twisting path to the mountains.
Movie: She’s moves swiftly between the various stations as the debris field closes in.
Poem: To the dark mountains and beyond,
Movie: Her initial tumbling in space before she is rescued by Matt.
Poem: And across the shimmering sea.
Movie: This could be the shinning Earth below and/or the stars above.
Poem: Voyage then. Voyage thee well Astronaut.
Movie: Ryan does a lot of voyaging in this movie, between the stations and eventually to Earth.
Poem: Voyage thee well and long.
Movie: See above.
Poem: Cross the great divide,
Movie: The space between the stations.
The journey to Earth
Poem: And find the land that beckons with its Siren’s song.
Movie: The promise of each individual station and eventually the Earth itself.
Poem: Where swords and strife cannot follow,
Movie: The swords and strife are the deadly debris field.
Ryan escapes and splashes down in a paradise (is she in heaven perhaps?) away from all possible harm.
Poem: Nor can cruel laser and cold gauss reach.
Movie: The deadly debris field full of kinetic missiles.
Poem: Where rolling hills of soft sun and velvet grasses embrace,
Movie: The paradise where Ryan splashes down.
Poem: And quiet waters sooth your beleaguered soul.
Movie: The water Ryan splashes down into.
Poem: Then, lay thee down Astronaut,
Movie: Ryan lies down on the shore of the waters.
Poem: Lay thee down and sleep.
Movie: Ryan turns of the oxygen supply and starts to fall asleep.
Ryan rests on the shore of the water where she splashed down.
Poem: Dream the dreams of victors…
Movie: After Ryan turns off her oxygen her entire adventure can be interpreted as a dying dream ending in the victory of her splash down on Earth.
Poem: Loose the silver cord…
Movie: Ryan gives up and turns off her oxygen.
Matt lets go of the umbilical cord and floats away to his death.
Poem: And find your peace complete.
Movie: Ryan finds herself safe in a paradise.
Poem: Fare thee well Astronaut.
Movie: Ryan eventually fares well on her voyage.
Poem: Fare thee well.
Movie: See above.
Finally, as reference, here is the original poem in its entirety:
Fare Thee Well MechWarrior
MechWarrior, cling thee not to this world,
As it holds for you no more.
But listen! Listen for the song from afar,
And heed the lilting call of the land that awaits.
Let the final breath slip from your pierced chest,
And your broken hands fall from the stick.
Bend your bloodied brow to this life,
And let tumble the shattered helm that once cradled your head.
Leave behind these acrid smokes of the fields,
These swirling battlegrounds of charred metal, bone and flesh.
Depart from the flashing fires that filled your eyes with destruction,
And abandon the burning hulk of steel and crimson that was your mount.
Hold not to this realm,
But hasten! Hasten down the twisting path to the mountains.
To the dark mountains and beyond,
And across the shimmering sea.
Voyage then. Voyage thee well MechWarrior.
Voyage thee well and long.
Cross the great divide,
And find the land that beckons with its Siren’s song.
Where swords and strife cannot follow,
Nor can cruel laser and cold gauss reach.
Where rolling hills of soft sun and velvet grasses embrace,
And quiet waters sooth your beleaguered soul.
Then, lay thee down MechWarrior,
Lay thee down and sleep.
Dream the dreams of victors…
Loose the silver cord…
And find your peace complete.
Fare thee well MechWarrior.
Fare thee well.
OK, this may all be a little crazy, but I just had to get this down in a post. Hope you enjoyed it.
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Edited by nano, 26 June 2014 - 09:38 AM.
