Christopher Reid won the Costa Book of the Year Prize in 2009 with ‘A Scattering’. The book was written as an elegy to his wife, Lucinda Gane, who died in 2005 after her second battle with cancer. The text is separated into four sections, with the first – ‘The Flowers of Crete’ – recounting their final holiday together.
While the speaker is referred to as an unknown person throughout this analysis, it is almost certainly Reid himself. The book within which the poem features was written about Reid's late wife in the wake of her death. As such, the poem features the couple on their final holiday together as they attempt to enjoy their time together with the knowledge of impending death.
'Blessed by the indifference...' Christopher ReidBlessed by the indifference of the creatures – big, sting-toting insects on haphazard reconnaissance, scampering ants with their matching shadows scampering under them, the squeaky-wheel bird in some tree, and the one with the white throat and flight (...)
Summary
In ‘Blessed by the indifference…‘, in an attempt to be distracted from their partner’s illness, the speaker observes the wildlife and landscape of Crete. However, there are reminders everywhere of the impending and unavoidable future.
The speaker and their spouse try to enjoy their holiday in Crete as they take their breakfast outside. The wildlife around them pays them no heed, but the speaker observes them in turn.
As the sun rises, the speaker perceives the massive star as a ‘dangerous beast’. Reminders of mortality and danger are everywhere. Indirectly, it offers the couple the landscape of Crete – at the price of their ‘days and hours’. The speaker is bound by their own mortality.
Expert Commentary
Insights by Caitlin McGill
B.A. Honours first-class division degree in English Literature and History
Themes
The themes featured in ‘Blessed by the indifference’ mark it out as a powerful text full of metaphors. Here are some of the most important themes to be aware of:
- Danger – Despite looking out on a peaceful landscape, the speaker sees danger everywhere. From the creatures to the sun itself, everything poses a threat to the speaker and their spouse. This reflects the speaker’s knowledge of the impending danger to their spouse.
- Mortality – While the final two lines of the poem acknowledge mortality directly, there are other allusions to it throughout the text. The speaker is unable to ignore the signs of their own mortality all around them. Ultimately, they acknowledge that to live, you must sacrifice the hours that make up your life.
- Nature – From creatures, to landscape, to the sun itself, this poem features a great deal of nature imagery. The peacefulness of this imagery undoubtedly juxtaposes the unrelenting fear which features throughout the poem’s subtext.
Detailed Analysis
Line 1
Blessed by the indifference of the creatures –
‘Blessed’ is not only the first word of this poem – it is the first word of the book, ‘A Scattering’. The relevance of its theme is undeniable and it foreshadows the later events of the book, in which Reid’s wife passes away.
The hyphen at the end of line one marks the beginning of a parenthesis spanning six lines. Within these lines, Reid embarks on a brief digression in which he describes the indifferent ‘creatures’. This digression appears to be part of a behavioural pattern, in which Reid finds any excuse to divert his attention from his ailing wife. It is undoubtedly a form of escapism for someone facing the unfathomable.
Despite Reid’s attempts at escapism, the subject of his digression can be viewed as a metaphor for his wife’s illness. For now, they are ‘indifferent’, as she still has over a year to live. As such, the couple are ‘Blessed’ by their indifference, which allows them to enjoy a final holiday together.
Lines 2-4
big, sting-toting insects on haphazard reconnaissance,
(…)
scampering under them,
Certainly, Reid’s dedication to the literary movement of Martianism can be observed through his descriptions. This movement made mundane objects appear alien through strange and outlandish descriptions.
The use of Martianism in these lines contributes to the foreignness of Crete to Reid, a British visitor. His unfamiliarity with wasps or hornets alluded to in line 2 clarifies that the outdoors is not his typical habitat. Correspondingly, Reid confirmed in interviews that it was his wife, Lucinda, who thrived in the outdoors, gardening.
Reid’s implementation of Martianism is particularly evident through his use of new compound words, such as ‘sting-toting’. The phrase possesses a wonderful example of dental alliteration, which emphasises the sharp pain the sting can deliver. As a metaphor for Lucinda’s illness, this phrase shows Reid’s understanding of the inevitable pain it will cause both of them.
These three lines utilise consonance to great effect, creating harsh sounds when read aloud. This reflects the harshness of the environment, and what these ‘creatures’ must do to survive.
The adjective ‘haphazard’ has connotations of disorganisation, reflecting Reid’s own aimlessness as he avoids his impending loss.
Note the positioning of line 4. Reid masterfully pairs repetition and word arrangement to create a visual example of the subject. He achieves this by utilising white space, positioning the repeated word ‘scampering’ four characters to the right of the margin. This creates a shadow of the word ‘scampering’ offering a visual representation of the ants.
Lines 5-8
the squeaky-wheel bird in some tree, and the one
(…)
we take our breakfast of coffee and yoghurt out in the sun.
Reid’s unfamiliarity with his surroundings is further inferred as he describes a bird by the noise it makes. Once again, Reid utilises Martianism and new compound words to achieve this sense of foreignness.
Lines 6 and 7 feature a wealth of alliteration, comprised of fricative alliteration and voiced labial-velar approximant sounds (w). The compounding effect of these techniques creates an airy feel to the lines. While the alliteration of ‘w’ sounds like the wind, the alliteration of ‘f’ sounds breezy. This reflects the subject of the lines as they describe ‘creatures’ of the avian variety: birds.
While line 7 greatly contributes to the alliterative effect, it also contributes to the metaphor for Lucinda’s illness. Cancer is often a long illness with many unpredictable complications. Therefore, ‘flusters and feints’ could allude to false alarms and hollow recoveries in her health journey.
Lines 9-11
Even the sun, that more dangerous beast, has begun
(…)
not seeming to mind, or want to murder us, much,
Reid perceives potential threat in everything around him – even the sun has the ability to be hostile. This reflects the persistent fear which follows him, as his wife’s days are numbered.
While the previous ‘creatures’ were actual animals, the sun is transformed into a ‘beast’ through zoomorphism. The word ‘prowl’ is also animalistic, contributing to the sun’s predatory nature. It is described as ‘more dangerous’ than the previous ‘creatures’ – likely a symptom of its immensity. While the smaller creatures can be regarded as Lucinda’s symptoms, the sun is undeniably a metaphor for the cancer itself.
The phrase ‘negligent generosity’ is an oxymoron – the two words juxtapose and contradict one another. However, Reid uses this to create a sense of unwitting mercy – the sun has not spared them out of kindness, it has spared them out of apathy.
The pauses created by the punctuation enveloping the word ‘much’ creates a humorous effect. Their belief that the sun has no desire to ‘murder’ them appears to be conditional and uncertain.
Lines 12-16
but laying the landscape out in its ancient
(…)
glaze on the bay, (…)
Reid’s use of the verb ‘laying’ further personifies the sun, as it bears connotations of careful arrangement. It is not merely illuminating each hill and valley, but placing them delicately into the landscape.
The speaker appears to be more familiar with the landscape than the ‘creatures’ within it. Thus, their appreciation for it is clear: a landscape largely unshaped by man, preserved as it was made.
A tricolon of colours are detailed to create a rich setting and atmosphere. Unlike the future the speaker faces, this moment is full of life.
Lines 16-19
(…) as if to say,
‘These are my wares. Yours more or less for the asking.
Of course I accept your paltry currency, your small change
of days and hours.’
While this poem does not feature a regular rhyme scheme, note the internal rhyme of ‘bay’ and ‘say’. The short clauses in which these appear give the line a musical quality, drawing attention to line 16 as the poem reaches its epiphanic conclusion. Notably, this type of ending is often featured in the works of Philip Larkin, to whom Reid is often likened.
The methodical verb ‘laying’ is reinforced as the sun acts as a merchant, showing its metaphorical ‘wares’.
Reid emphasises the inconsequential nature of humans – a small part of a much larger universe. This is highlighted by the word ‘paltry’: despite the currency being life itself, it means nothing to the sun.
Note the enjambment between lines 18 and 19. The clause ‘your small change’ hangs at the end of the line, therefore emphasising the immense importance of the ‘small change’ to humans themselves. Even when the speaker is staring into the distance, trying to avoid their unsolvable problem, they are reminded of it in everything. To their wife, that ‘small change’ is all that remains.
The final two lines remind us that to love and experience the world around us, we must trade our lives. Life is finite – a fact of which the speaker is evidently painfully aware.
Related Poetry
Christopher Reid has often been compared to Philip Larkin, and for good reason. His use of imagery in addition to the attention afforded to mundane items or occurrences bears many similarities. If you enjoyed this poem, you may also be interested in these Philip Larkin poems and their guides:
- ‘The Whitsun Weddings‘
- ‘Aubade‘
- ‘Days‘
- ‘Mr Bleaney‘
FAQs
Reid’s formatting of this poetry book is somewhat unconventional. Rather than a list of titled poems spanning a page or two each, ‘A Scattering’ is separated into only four titles. As such, this poem is page one of the text, appearing under the title ‘The Flowers of Crete’. The section comprises of nine untitled poems, each occurring before Lucinda’s death, but with knowledge of her limited lifespan.
‘Blessed by the indifference’ occurs in the first section of the book, entitled ‘The Flowers of Crete’. This section details Christopher and Lucinda’s time in Crete, during which time they were aware of her life expectancy. As such, this section features Christopher’s denial and avoidance of what is to come. The following three sections all take place after Lucinda’s death at various points of Christopher’s grieving. This shows a clear progression of time in which Reid’s perspective changes.
Christopher Reid wrote this book as an elegy for his wife, who lost her battle with cancer in 2005. While the title may appear to be an allusion to the scattering of ashes, it has a different significance to Reid. Elephants practice a burial ritual in which they scatter about the bones of their dead. Reid was touched by the care and sadness expressed by the elephants during this ritual, and thought this book was similarly distressing, yet necessary.
