Babble

'Babel' by Cildo Meireles. Tate Modern, London

This poem is a response triggered by the installation 'Babel' by Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles, which can be seen and heard at Tate Modern in London. In simple terms, it's a stack of radios, all tuned to different stations. It's eight metres high... There are links below for more info about 'Babel'. And here's my 'Babble' ...

Babble

Everyone is talking at once and

a babble spreads out across all the

universe.  Voices and songs from the whole

world echo from one room on the Earth,

random snippets telling how it was,

but there’s no conversation to speak of.

No-one listens to anyone

in this great tower of language

where words pour out and

no one understands anything of

what is said and no-one

ever really hears anyone else’s speech.

 

No-one really hears anyone else’s speech

whatever is said, and no-one,

no-one, understands anything of

what words pour out and

in this great tower of language

no one listens to anyone

and there’s no conversation to speak of,

just random snippets telling how it was

echo from one room on Earth,

just voices and songs, bits and pieces from the whole

and a babble spreads out across all the

world and everyone is talking at once,

           and no-one really ever hears anyone else.

 

The poem is actually a 'Golden Shovel', which uses the words in the following quotation from Genesis (referenced by Meireles in his talks about this artwork) at the end of each line. It's also a specular poem, the second half is a repeat of the first half, repeated backwards... !

 ‘And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech’  Genesis 11:1

More info on this artwork here:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/meireles-babel-t14041

And there's a video description, with the all-important sound of the installation, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYlRn64Cj4I

 

Will you bang your head on my wall?

Will you bang your head on my wall?

(in the Rothko Room, Tate Modern, London, January 2016)

Come into my prison,

come

be my guest,

feel what I know.

Spend time in my darkness

among the colours of my night,

here in my place of shades,

where doors are blocked,

no light comes in,

and everything fades.

Will you bang your head on my wall,

or will you see your way?

Do you think, or do you only stare?

There are bars on the window

to keep you safe, but does that mean

there must be something out there?

Do you dare to dwell in my space,

make it your own?

Why don’t you come in,

bring the horrors that you face?

Your mind can take you anywhere –

through walls, closed windows and doors,

but do stay right here,

among my soft maroons and dim lights.

This haven I made for us all

is the perfect place for those lonely nights.

Why would you want to break out of here,

what do you think you would find?

Will you bang your head on my wall?