Carol Ann Duffy

Lyrics

11 ContributorsQueen Herod LyricsIce in the trees.
Three Queens at the Palace gates,
dressed in furs, accented;
their several sweating, panting beasts
laden for a long hard trek,
following the guide and boy to the stables;
courteous, confident; oh, and with gifts
for the King and Queen of here – Herod, me –
in exchange for sunken baths, curtained beds,
fruit, the best of meat and wine,
dancers, music, talk –
as it turned out to be,
with everyone fast asleep, save me,
those vivid three –
till bitter dawn.

They were wise. Older than I.
They knew what they knew.
Once drunken Herod’s head went back,
they asked to see her,
fast asleep in her crib,
my little child.
Silver and gold,
the loose change of herself,
glowed in the soft bowl of her face.
Grace, said the tallest Queen.
Strength, said the Queen with the hennaed hands.
The black Queen
made a tiny starfish of my daughter’s fist,
said Happiness; then stared at me,
Queen to Queen, with insolent lust.
Watch, they said, for a star in the east –
a new star
pierced through the night like a nail.
It means he’s here, alive, newborn.
Who? Him. The Husband. Hero. Hunk.
The Boy Next Door. The Paramour. The Je t'adore.
The Marrying Kind. Adulterer. Bigamist.
The Wolf. The Rip. The Rake. The Rat.
The Heartbreaker. The Ladykiller. Mr Right.

My baby stirred,
suckled the empty air for milk,
till I knelt
and the black Queen scooped out my breast,
the left, guiding it down
to the infant’s mouth.
No man, I swore,
will make her shed one tear.
A peacock screamed outside.

Afterwards, it seemed like a dream.
The pungent camels
kneeling in the snow,
the guide’s rough shout
as he clapped his leather gloves,
hawked, spat, snatched
the smoky jug of mead
from the chittering maid –
she was twelve, thirteen.
I watched each turbaned Queen
rise like a god on the back of her beast.
And splayed that night
below Herod’s fusty bulk,
I saw the fierce eyes of the black Queen
flash again, felt her urgent warnings scald
my ear. Watch for a star, a star.
It means he’s here…
Some swaggering lad to break her heart,
some wincing Prince to take her name away
and give a ring, a nothing, a nought in gold.
I sent for the Chief of Staff,
a mountain man
with a red scar, like a tick
to the mean stare of his eye.
Take men and horses,
knives, swords, cutlasses.
Ride East from here
and kill each mother’s son.
Do it. Spare not one.

The midnight hour. The chattering stars
shivered in a nervous sky.
Orion to the South
who knew the score, who’d seen,
not seen, then seen it all before;
the yapping Dog Star at his heels.
High up in the West
a studded, diamond W.
And then, as prophesied,
blatant, brazen, buoyant in the East –
and blue –
The Boyfriend’s Star.
We do our best,
we Queens, we mothers,
mothers of Queens.
We wade through blood
for our sleeping girls.
We have daggers for eyes.

Behind our lullabies,
the hooves of terrible horses
thunder and drum.

Some short introduction paragraphs about the most important things about the song:

Queen Herod by Carol Ann Duffy is a thought-provoking and subversive poem that challenges traditional gender roles and reimagines a biblical story from a female perspective. This poem is part of Duffy's renowned collection, "The World's Wife," which was first published in 1999 and aims to give voice to women who have been historically ignored or silenced. With wit, satire, and complexity, Duffy skillfully presents stories, myths, fairy tales, and characters from Western culture through the eyes of women. Queen Herod stands out as a powerful exploration of female agency and the instinct to protect.

About Queen Herod

In Queen Herod, Duffy takes the biblical account of King Herod ordering the murder of firstborn boys and reinvents it as a narrative told by Queen Herod herself. This reimagination allows the reader to delve into the motivations and thoughts of a female character who has long been overshadowed in traditional retellings. By attributing the killings to Queen Herod, the poem challenges notions of gender roles and flips the patriarchal narrative on its head.

Queen Herod's actions are driven by her desire to protect her newborn daughter from a suitor that three wise women warn her about. Instead of a star heralding the arrival of a savior, the star signifies the birth of a man who Queen Herod believes will pose a threat to her daughter's well-being. These sentiments highlight Queen Herod's mistrust of all males, portraying a world where men are seen as potential dangers rather than saviors.

The poem's structure consists of ten stanzas of varying lengths. While there is no regular rhyme scheme, Duffy strategically incorporates rhymes, such as assonant and consonant rhyme, at key points to give the poem cohesion. The use of varying stanza lengths and rhyme adds to the fluidity of the narrative and helps to convey the fluctuating emotions and tension within the story.

Language-wise, Queen Herod is characterized by Duffy's skillful use of articulate and appropriate language that reflects the queen's status and authority. Unlike other poems in the collection, Duffy minimizes the use of colloquialisms, allowing the queen's voice to convey her power and position.

The poem draws on the imagery associated with the birth of Christ, such as the presence of three queens, a mother breastfeeding, and a star in the sky. Through these references, Duffy weaves together religious imagery and feminist discourse, creating a rich tapestry of symbolism that challenges the traditional narratives associated with these motifs.

Queen Herod exemplifies Carol Ann Duffy's ability to subvert established narratives and bring marginalized voices to the forefront. By reimagining the biblical story of King Herod through the perspective of Queen Herod, Duffy invites readers to question gender roles, maternal instincts, and the complexities of power dynamics. With its clever wordplay, provocative themes, and evocative imagery, Queen Herod is a standout poem in Duffy's collection and a testament to her skill as a poet and social commentator.

• Release Date: None
• Artist: Carol Ann Duffy