Dido, a poem by Sasha Dugdale in The Wolf, issue 10

Dido is a poem by Sasha Dugdale, published in issue 10 of The Wolf in July 2005. The title is the queen of Carthage from classical myth, and the setting is an evening at a cafe table, marked by clock times from ten past seven to half past.

In it a woman files her nails and sings the word fever while a boat leaves and gradually becomes a speck. She has asked the nanny to stay late, and a begging child is given money. The poem returns several times to the line that she knew all along, and it ends with her calling for more wine.

A note after the poem says Dugdale works for the Royal Court as a translator and consultant, that four of her translations have been staged, and that she received an Eric Gregory Award in 2003.

Work

Dido

Author

Sasha Dugdale

Poems in this selection

• Dido