Fragment of an Ancient Tablet
Above - the well-known lips, delicately downed. Below - beard between thighs. Above - her brow, the notable casket of gems. Below - the belly with its blood-knot. Above - many a painful frown. Below - the ticking bomb of the future. Above - her perfect teeth, with the hint of a fang at the corner. Below - the millstones of two worlds. Above - a word and a sigh. Below - gouts of blood and babies. Above - the face, shaped like a perfect heart. Below - the heart's torn face.
Fragment of an Ancient Tablet - meaning Summary
The Body Beneath the Ideal
The poem contrasts a woman's socially visible face with the hidden realities of her body, especially menstruation, sex, childbirth, and pain. Its repeated division between "above" and "below" exposes how idealized femininity can conceal physical vulnerability and reproductive power. The final reversal, where the heart becomes torn, gives the contrast an emotional as well as bodily force.
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