“The Lady of the Snows,” chöka

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

This week’s #TankaTuesday challenge was an Ekphrastic challenge featuring a painting by George Henry Boughton, called The Lady of the Snows.

Find the challenge post HERE.

Boughton, George Henry; The Lady of the Snows; Walker Art Gallery; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/the-lady-of-the-snows-97671

a covert meeting—
she stays for her one truelove
fiery passions burn
wintery winds rough bluster
does naught to cure sin,
her seas wild, countenance calm
a constant struggle
his abandoned possession
she waits for his attention

© Colleen M. Chesebro

56 thoughts on ““The Lady of the Snows,” chöka”

  2. Oh my goodness, Colleen! George Henry Boughton would be very much pleased with this narrative. Your words brought me into the painting. I felt the chilled wind against my cheeks as I waited impatiently for The Lady in the Snow’s truelove to appear. You captured the emotional nuance in her face and in the position of her head as she looks longingly away from the painter.

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca. It was her clothes that intrigued me. Such fancy garb for a walk along the beach—in winter! I imagined her in a relationship with a wealthy married man. She had to be at his beck and call. One poet felt like she was in prison… that really got me thinking. The detail in this painting is so beautiful. I love the red juxtaposed against the winter scene. Thanks for the inspiration. ❤️

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    1. I considered that aspect as well, Terri. Women were mere possessions back when this was painted. One poem I read had the woman escaping to another country. There is a definite vibe in the painting.

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          1. No… I haven’t seen Vienna Blood. I remember the book…Creatures, Great and Small. 🙂

            When we can’t find anything else we go to You-tube and watch science pod casts 🙂

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          3. Yes… We’ve also added ‘Miss Scarlett and the Duke’… Since our ‘team’ was in the playoffs… we watched the games last night. I listened and kept busy by crochetting 😉

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  13. An excellent choka. She never struck me as the waiting type but now I see that she can be the see-it-through kind. He better show up coz he may only get the one chance.

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  17. The tone and word choices of your poem are so fitting for the artwork, Colleen. Her expression is almost unreadable, which has generated a wide variety of interpretations. It was a great choice and I love were you took it.

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