Chantefleurie, La Poupée De Temps: Ein Märchen Poem by Nika McGuin
Chantefleurie, La Poupée De Temps: Ein Märchen
There was once a doll, so cruelly enchanted by Father Time
her name was Chantefleurie, and this is her märchen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draped in shimmering turquoise threads
every night she sat alone at her table
never making eye contact with those around her
yet, at every move she was aware of being watched
even if that in itself was some unfulfilled fantasy
it was as if she was just waiting to be noticed
hoping to be swept off of her feet
praying to be made a friend of
so she was always mindful
to make no unwonted movements
no mistakes to be seen by her observers
no tripping, or even coughing
unbeknownst to her though,
the girl hadn't been as unnoticed as she thought
Father Time, had taken an interest, for whatever reason
he charmed her into a living doll of sorts
doomed to wait, 'twas the price
of perpetual enchantment
Sure as turquoise glistens,
folks are allured
by enchanting looks,
but pretty wary
of living dolls
Chantefleurie's wish was never granted
she continued to wait in vain
the years ticked past
she became silver haired,
lonelier, and lovelier than ever
practice had truly made perfect
and all traces of humanity
had haltingly faded away
along with them, her voice
yet her gypsy-like movements,
had become so polished
silky and graceful
gathering oodles of ogles
leaving bodies limp like noodles
still, the spell kept them at bay
In her final years
as all dolls do
she declined into defectivity
the doll was a hollow figure
with a set of batteries for a heart
kindness was a trait
she'd unlearned
centuries ago
He'd seen enough, finally
Time took pity on her
and she disintegrated
porcelain dust
became human ashes
She found peace,
amity, and quietus
in dissolution
knowing her ashes
were amongst others
her loneliness
met it's end
as she rejoined
the human race
*****************************************
Historians still wonder why
Father Time so inconsiderately
ensorcelled the girl
perhaps, he wanted to
go against mother nature
they were never
of the same mind afterall
she gave birth to entirety
while he was ever the angel of death
for the first time, he chose to extend life
knowing that the consequences would be dire
maybe, he saw some part of himself in her
just maybe, he was even lonelier
than Chantefleurie
Ein Märchen: A Fairy Tale(German)
10 bucks to anyone who knows where I got the name Chantefleurie from - without googling! lol There's a hint in there but I'm not telling ^^
BTW I have absolutely no idea about the origin of the doll-woman's name! I've tried to break the name into parts - no luck. I tried to think of other characters in tales with polysyllabic names - no luck. But I have not used Google! I'm following the Rules of the Game.
Hi Nika I keep coming back to this poem - It speaks to me! On this latest reading I became aware of some aspects of Father Time I had not seen clearly. For example, the speaker shows he DOES FEEL C.'s pain and causing her death is actually granting her death - it's a gift of sorts. Also, there is animosity between Mother Nature and Father Time which provokes at least part of his harshness toward C. But my first and last evaluation sees C. as MORE SINNED AGAINST THAN SINNING (Shakespeare's very precise distinction) . She's a wonder!
Hi Nika This poem has been haunting me for the past day and night, so I had to return to it. I think I found it more compelling on my return encounter. The image of LONELIER AND LOVELIER which runs through it like a bass note is especially sad. Whatever private passion made Father Time mis-use Chantelfleurie so vilely you appropriately shroud in mystery - The truth would only wound us, because it could be us he'd experiment on next. There is something so poignant about the doll's silent suffering and when she collapses into porcelain dust, I didn't know whether I should be happy her ordeal was over or mourn her passing - perhaps a confusion of both responses... This imaginative poem will persist in my memory. It has its own place there.
Nika, this is such a wonderful poem! I've already added to my List of Favorites so I can come back to it. It's so charming but also unassuming (just like the doll's behavior) , it teaches a moral lesson but without preaching, the ending is very sad but I don't feel sad, it's the doll who had to confront sadness - I feel ENLIGHTENED by your moral tale, in two senses: 1) I've been taught and learned a crucial lesson about the danger of living in dreams of life rather than life itself,2) I feel a burden has been lifted from me because I now KNOW the right way to live! !
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 5:17:44 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Chantefleurie is Esmeralda's mother in The Hunchback of Notre Dame by the way~ (gypsy-like movements was the hint)