The+Game

=The Poem:=

Follow the crowds to where the turnstiles click. The terraces fill.//Hoompa//, blares the brassy band. Saturday afternoon has come to Ninian Park and, beyond the goal posts, in the Canton Stand between black spaces, a hundred matches spark.

Waiting, we recall records, legendary scores: Fred Keenor, Hardy, in a royal blue shirt. The very names, sad as the old songs, open doors before our time where someone else was hurt. Now, like an injured beast, the great crowd roars.

The coin is spun. Here all is simplified, and we are partisan who cheer the Good, hiss at passing Evil. Was Lucifer offside? A wing falls down when cherubs howl for blood. Demons have agents: the Referee is bribed.

The white ball smacked the crossbar. Satan rose higher than the others in the smoked brown gloom to sink on the grass in a ballet dancer's pose. Again, it seems, we hear a familiar tune not quite identifiable. A distant whistle blows.

Memory of faded games, the discarded years; talk of Aston Villa, Orient and the Swans. Half-time, the band played the same military airs as when the Bluebirds once were champions. Round touchlines the same cripples in their chairs.

Mephistopheles had his joke. The honest team dribbles ineffectively, no one can be blamed. Infernal backs tackle, inside forwards scheme, and if they foul us need we be ashamed? Heads up! Oh for a Ted Drake, a Dixie Dean.

'Saved' or else, discontents, we are transferred long decades back, like Faust must pay that fee. The night is early. Great phantoms in us stir as coloured jerseys hover, move diagonally on the damp turf, and our eidetic visions blur.

God sign our souls! Because the obscure staff of Hell rule this world, jugular fans guessed the result halfway through the second half, and those who know the score just seem depressed. Small boys swarm the field for an autograph.

Silent the stadium. The crowds have all filed out. Only the pigeons beneath the roofs remain. The clean programmes are trampled underfoot, and natural the dark, appropiate the rain, whilst, under lampposts, threatening newsboys shout.

=Notes:=

//Ninian Park//- Home Stadium of Cardiff City F.C (A.K.A The Bluebirds), where the match is happening //Freed Keenor//- A Legendary Player for Cardiff City, helped them win the F.A Cup //Hardy//- Another Famous Player, who played for Cardiff City //Royal Blue Shirt//- The Home Kit for Cardiff City F.C at the time //Partisan//- Enthusiastic, Supporters //Lucifer//- Name given to a Devil, in Christianity //Cherub//- An Angel; recognised by both the Jew and Christian Faiths, usually a baby with wings //Ballet Dancers Pose//- The position a Goalkeeper is in after diving to save the ball, a metaphor //Aston Villa, Orient, Swans-// All rival football clubs //Mephistopheles//- A Demon; sometimes refered to as the 'servant of the devil' //Infernal//- An inhabitant of Hell //Forwards Scheme//- The area of the field where Strikers and Forwards Play, the tactical arena near the goal //Ted Drake//- A legendary footballer, who played for Southampton and Arsenal- opposing teams, a rival //Dixie Dean//-Another legendary footballer, who played for Everton- opposing teams, a rival //Eidetic//- Perfect rememberence of something, when you can recalle memory as if it was right in front of you //Programmes//- The Book given out on Matchday to the Fans, it is about the fixtures and the fooball team

//The Story of Faust://

The story of faust is as follows- although many versions of this story are in existence. Faust was an individual, who (widely accepted) was in difficulty, some say he had Knowledge Problems whereas some narrate that he was lacking in Strength. Either way, Faust did a deal with the devil; where he would give the Devil his soul in exchange for some powers.

=The Analysis:=

__**Description (What Happens):**__

This poem is about a football match at Ninian Park, the home stadium of Cardiff City F.C. The crowd seems very excited at first, but once the match kicks off it seems that Cardiff City are losing their temper, and with it the sense of reasoning- they blame the referee. Then, Cardiff City hit a shot but "Satan" (Goalkeeper) happens to save it, and then satire is created: "Ballet Dancers Pose". Moreover, Cardiff City seem to be worse after half time, and the game is compared with the story of Faust, and how it seems that they are in hell because they are losing due to the referees. In the end it seems they lost but knew this already through the second half, possibly due to ill-refereeing. Lastly, imagery of the crowd "Filing" out of the stadium and how "Clean" Matchday Programmes are stepped upon are given, indicating a sad game altogether.


 * __Themes:__**

This poem explores the theme of Sport, whilst also exploring themes of Myths and Fables. This poem also explores the themes of Archaic and Devilish realms.


 * __Langauge (Effect on Reader):__**

The Language used in this poem is quite diverse, from the outside we see commonly used words-together with the narrated slang here and there ("Hoompa"). However, subsequently we see a shift- Abse leaves behind plainless and trades it with Archaic and Legendary Words; maybe because brings this theme in. Moreover; this has an adverse effect on the reader-how did words such as "Mephistopheles" and "Partisan" come into a poem regarding a Football Match?


 * __Imagery (Similies/Metaphors/Personification):__**

The initial stages of the poem boasts no such specialist imagery; but fragments such as "Like an injured beast" and "in a Ballet Dancer's pose" are thrown to us. Moreover, we also see some similies and metaphors and personification for that matter, some of which is denoted above. Throughout the latter half of the poem; it seems most (if not all) of it is an extended metaphor; with constant reference to the story of Faust and his 'Pact with the Devil'. Furthermore, somehow staff, players and officials become part of this rather extended metaphor; which gives rise to a difficult and complex opinion regarding the message of this poem.


 * __Sound (Rhythm):__**

Although if looked (and read) on a straight-forward basis it seems there is no rhyme scheme, there actually is an underlying rhyme scheme present throughout the poem. Although it may not be consistent at times and the rhymes themselves feel somewhat 'forced' and 'incomplete'; excluding the first line of every stanza, the 2nd and 4th Line rhyme, whereas the 3rd and 5th Lines also rhyme.


 * __Structure (Form):__**

The structure seems rather straightforward and clear, we see Nine of these Five-Line Stanzas, which all correspond to the story. The first Two Stanzas give of an impression of the scene, and in the Third the Game starts, the Fourth signals half-time with a superb save by the opposing goalkeeper; the Fifth is where nostalgia creeps in, the game recommences on the Sixth Stanza and continues right the way through to the Seventh Stanza, the empty stadium is all-too common in the Last Stanza which wraps up the poem neatly.


 * __Tone (Narrator):__**

The poem it seems is told from a Narrator Perspective; and it is also inferable that this narrator is present in the stadium at the time of the match, but somehow has the power or skill to recognise the "Mephistopheles" amongst the players; where other, normal fans do not.

By: Nafees and Ahmed