In This Blind Alley

In This Blind Alley

By Ahmad Shamlu

They smell your mouth
Lest you’ve told someone ‘I love you.’
They smell your heart
These are strange times, my dear
Love,
they drag out under lampposts
to thrash.
Love must be hid in closets at home.

In the cold of this blind alley
They keep their fires ablaze
burning our anthems and poems.
Do not venture to think.
These are strange times, my dear
He who pounds on the door in the nighttime
Has come to kill the light.

Light must be hid in closets at home.
Lo! the butchers
stationed on roads
with chopping-board and cleaver soaked in blood.
These are strange times, my dear
They slit smiles off of lips
And song from the throat.

Joy must be hid in closets at home.
Canaries are being roasted
on a spit of lilacs and jasmine
These are strange times, my dear

Satan, triumph-drunk
Feasts at a table spread with our mourning
God must be hid in closets at home.

Summary of In This Blind Alley

• Popularity of “In This Blind Alley”: This poem is written by an Iranian poet, writer, and journalist. ‘In this Blind Alley’ is a superb literary piece about fear and uncertainty. It first appeared in 2010. The poem centers on an unknown street, the epitome of violence, crime, and darkness. It explains the dangers of living in such an area, suggesting ways to cope with the difficulties. Its popularity, however, rests on its portrayal of the dark side of the world.
• “In This Blind Alley” As a Representative of Fear: The poem sheds light on the speaker’s idea about an unknown place that could be the center of criminal activities. It begins with the description of unknown suspicious people devoid of positive emotions. They do not understand the language of love. So, the speaker suggests keeping the warmth of love to yourself. They do not tolerate the presence of other nationals in their alley; they love to burn their identities with the fire of hatred. The speaker compares those people with butchers who are ready to chop you off with their cleavers soaked in blood. This is how the poet asserts that the people of that alley are cruel, savage, and barbaric. He compares the evildoers’ actions with Satan’s power in that place. Therefore, one cannot openly admire God in this oppressive environment. Indirectly, the poet highlights oppressive regimes and laws that are practiced in the place where he grew up.
• Major Themes in “In This Blind Alley”: The negative side of human nature, a strange place, and oppression are the major themes of this poem. The poem sheds light on a dark and oppressed society where the living may cost the people dearly. The speaker accounts for the cruelty, barbarism, and demonic approach of the inhabitants of that area. They do not understand the meaning of love, light, smile, and optimism. They only speak and understand violent and oppressive language. They love to shed blood and make people believe in their satanic powers. They never allow people to recall their homelands, as they love to burn their identities and slit smiles off of their faces. If someone wants to live with them, they need to accept horrific fate and beware of the prevailing dark customs.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “In This Blind Alley”

literary devices are modes that represent the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their few words appealing to the readers. Ahmad Shamlu has also made his poem appealing using these devices analyzed below.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /i/ in “Joy must be hid in closets at home” and the sound of /a/ in “burning our anthems and poems”.
2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /s/ in “They slit smiles off of lips.”
3. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it continues in the next line. For example,

“They smell your mouth
Lest you’ve told someone ‘I love you.”

4. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Feasts at a table spread with our mourning”, “Joy must be hid in closets at home” and “They slit smiles off of lips.”
5. Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The title of the poem is ironic as it hints at a blind alley but talks about the criminal attributes of the people living in that alley.
6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poet has used death as an extended metaphor in the poem. Throughout the text, he tries to reveal how killing is the favorite sport of the people living in the Blind Alley “
7. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. “chopping-board” and “cleaver soaked in blood” symbolize the evilness and satanic nature of the residents of the strange Allay.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “In This Blind Alley”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
2. Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “These are strange times, my dear” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
3. Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called ‘refrain’. The verse, “These are strange times, my dear” has been used as a refrain as it occurs in all the stanzas.
4. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each comprising a different number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are suitable when talking about the hard times one has gone through in the past.

“These are strange times, my dear
He who pounds on the door in the nighttime
Has come to kill the light.”