A Certain Lady by Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist from the twentieth century.  From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim because of her literary output in publications.  Parker tried her talents in Hollywood as a screenwriter, but she was shortly blacklisted because of her support of left-winged politics.  However, her reputation as a wisecracker continues to define Parker today.

A Certain Lady

Oh, I can smile for you, and tilt my head,
       And drink your rushing words with eager lips,
   And paint my mouth for you a fragrant red,
       And trace your brows with tutored finger-tips.
   When you rehearse your list of loves to me,
       Oh, I can laugh and marvel, rapturous-eyed.
   And you laugh back, nor can you ever see
       The thousand little deaths my heart has died.
   And you believe, so well I know my part,
     That I am gay as morning, light as snow,
 And all the straining things within my heart
     You'll never know.

 Oh, I can laugh and listen, when we meet,
     And you bring tales of fresh adventurings, —
 Of ladies delicately indiscreet,
     Of lingering hands, and gently whispered things.
 And you are pleased with me, and strive anew
     To sing me sagas of your late delights.
 Thus do you want me — marveling, gay, and true,
     Nor do you see my staring eyes of nights.
 And when, in search of novelty, you stray,
     Oh, I can kiss you blithely as you go….
 And what goes on, my love, while you're away,
     You'll never know.

 

A Certain Lady by Dorothy Parker describes a misunderstood friendship between a man and a woman because of the lack of communication.  In this poem, one of the friends wants to take their relationship to the next level, while the other friend is oblivious to the situation.  The poem begins with the two friends talking.  Later in the conversation however, the man tells the woman about his "list of loves."  Not knowing the feelings the woman has for him, the man invokes a "thousand little deaths" inside of the woman's heart.  Out of embarrassment for her hidden feelings of the man, the woman covers up her emotions and puts on a mask "gay as morning" and "light as snow," hoping the man will never know how she genuinely feels about him.  

 

The next paragraph of the poem revisits the friends’ initial topic of conversation.  Once again, the man mentions his multiple lady friends and their "late delights."  Instead of deliberately hiding her feelings, however, the woman desires for the man to notice her feelings for him through her body language, specifically her "staring eyes of night."  Unfortunately, the sign was too subtle for the man to notice, once again resulting with the woman’s despair for their love.  In the end, the woman’s incapability to express her feelings clearly to the man results in her despair because of his blindness of her love for him.