"The Boxers" - By Michael Longley

       "The Boxers"

         By: Michael Longley

We were combatants from the start. Our dad Bought us boxing gloves when we were ten — Champions like Euryalus, say, or Epeius Of wooden-horse fame: ‘I am the greatest!’‘Nobody’s going to knock me down!’ Listen,Peter, to the commentary — gruesome teeth-­Grinding, sweat splattering their arms and legs,Huge fists in ox-­hide thongs slugging it out,Then the knock-­out blow to Euryalus’s chin —Hoisting him with an uppercut — like a fish That arches out of weed-­tangled shallows And collapses back into hazy water,Sea wind sending shock-­waves up the beach —The winner gives the loser a helping hand And his seconds support him across the ring On dragging feet, head lolling to one side,Blood clots et cetera et cetera...I’ll tie your gloves. Shall we fight again?

         Analysis: 

     A narrative poem by Michael Longley (Langdon), "The Boxers" describes the childhood                 imaginations of two young boys who fight with boxing gloves given by their father. A common           theme during the whole poem is the references back to Eurylaus and Epeius, who were two                 characters in "The Illiad" and "The Odyssey" . Eurylaus was a soldier during the attack on                   Thebes as on of the Epigoni. Epeius was a Greek soldier during the Trojan war, and aided in               the building of the Trojan Horse. He late fought Eurylaus in a boxing match at the funeral of               Patroclus and won.
     Since the poem speaks of two boys boxing, the ancient story goes hand-in-hand with the plot. "Champions like Eurylaus, say, or Epeius of wooden-horse fame". These lines specifically refer to the story of the aforementioned myth.
     The next paragraph speaks of the fight itself, and the excitement associated thereof. The                 author goes into great detail of the physical elements of the conflict, while still relating it to the           mental aspects.
     The next part speaks of the physical injuries which obviously occur in a game as violent as             boxing: "The winner gives the loser a helping hand and his seconds suport him across the ring           on dragging feet, head lolling to one side, blood clots et cetera et cetera....", as if the downsides           of the sport outweigh the pros.
      But to finish off the poem, the author writes two rather playful lines that really end up                   catching the essence of the whole piece of writing: "I'll tie your gloves. Shall we fight again?".