Strumpet Song
Strumpet Song - meaning Summary
Judgment, Pity, and Desire
The poem watches a prostitute appear on a street and records the immediate, animal reactions of men. The speaker catalogs the woman’s damaged mouth and face, presenting her as both repulsive and pitiable. Rather than condemning outright, the speaker wonders if any man could offer a word or gesture to soften her harshness, turning a public spectacle into a private plea for compassion and small human repair.
Read Complete AnalysesWith white frost gone And all green dreams not worth much, After a lean day's work Time comes round for that foul slut: Mere bruit of her takes our street Until every man, Red, pale or dark, Veers to her slouch. Mark, I cry, that mouth Made to do violence on, That seamed face Askew with blotch, dint, scar Struck by each dour year. Walks there not some such one man As can spare breath To patch with brand of love this rank grimace Which out from black tarn, ditch and cup Into my most chaste own eyes Looks up.
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