“Gallows” in line 1 literally refers to the wooden frame on which the condemned are executed by hanging and here too it signifies the metaphorical death of the young girls who have no prospect to look forward to. This is later on seconded when the speaker says “rope rising” which indicates the proximity towards death. The rope can be compared to a noose which is gradually rising along with snatching the life of the person within it.
The feebleness and frailty of the girls has been described using words like “sallow” and their bones are compared to the “unsupported” and decrepit bones of birds. These words establish that their entire soul has been strained out of their body and transferred to the “traditional beauty”. “Bent like old women” is a simile which has been used to compare the scrawny and weak state of the eight year old girls to that of aged women which again is bringing them quicker towards death as interpreted earlier. The word “sparrowed” seems to imply that the kids should be free and independent like birds not caged and confined within a dismal room to be exploited by their masters for weaving carpets. In the second stanza, we are made aware of the fact that this craft has been prevailing from generation to generation since the speaker says “left by their aunts and sisters.” Child labour is widespread as only “such little fingers” can “tie such exquisitely minute knots”. In this very stanza, we realize that the speaker is probably a tourist visiting Persia because of the guide who is proudly displaying the magnificent carpet which has been woven for “the most desired Tabriz or Karmenshah”.
In the third stanza, Burge uses parallelism to accentuate the immense hard work that has been put in to generate such a “traditional beauty.” “One hundred knots” can also refer to the noose used to hang a person which again brings us back to the primary theme of the eventual death of the girls. The lines are termed as end stopped lines which effectively portray the miserable as well as dejected childhood (“a young child’s growing) of these girls and the extreme circumstances that they are faced with. The speaker arouses the reader’s emotions of sympathy and consideration by stressing on “One hundred”.
The fourth stanza implies that the girls have no knowledge beyond carpet weaving since the speaker terms their eyes as those “whose whole horizon is the carpet”. Even though the guide is proud of the exquisite creation by the girls, the tourist begins to question the morality of the situation. The speaker uses an inquiring tone to ask “who can unravel the world’s weaving?” Feelings of dissatisfaction as well as curiosity are conveyed as the speaker wonders why terrible traditions like this are being carried forward to future generations. The speaker expresses the worthlessness of the rugs which is a beauty, undoubtedly, but is not as essential as the childhood of the girls which is being exclusively sacrificed to create it.
As the tourist places her plump (“swollen”) hand on the bent and fragile (“greenstick”) shoulder of the girl, she feels sympathetic towards her. The “large eyes” of the girl signify her loneliness and solitude and bring about a feeling of compassion in the reader. “Speaking darkness” has been juxtaposed in this stanza. The speaker along with an emotion of empathy also has a deep sense of admiration and respect for the girls.
The poem deals with the eternal poverty faced by the young children who have lost all faith in having a free life. Burge has used several literary and poetic devices like caesura to make the poem a short and abrupt one which has a long lasting effect on the minds of the readers. These constant pauses help to slow down the tone of the poem and make it come across to the reader as a serious one. Personification has been used for “speaking darkness” as darkness has been skillfully gifted with the ability of speech. It leaves the readers able to strongly imagine the emotions and thoughts of the little girls who were bonded with the art of carpet making. Alliterations used throughout the poem are “silent, sallow”, “flickering fire”, “rope rising” and “bird bones” which along with the light and dark imagery contribute to a rhythm and mental image respectively which help the reader to visualize the setting of the poem. It contributes to euphony of the passage.
The poem is a free verse with no rhyme scheme and it has been purposefully created in such a manner to convey a serious and somber message to the readers. Some examples of enjambment observed in the poem are “A flickering fire Lights on the sensuous jeweled arabesques” and “Who can unravel the world’s weaving?” These fragmented thoughts create a kind of tension and an element of urgency is introduced. It creates a feeling of acceleration and forces the reader to continue reading even after the line had ended. The sentences are simple so as to enhance the grimness of the situation. The structure of the poem is such that the lines in each stanza continue to decrease as the poem moves on which again indicate the eventual death of the carpet makers. The slowly diminishing lines can be compared to the life of the girls which arrives closer to its end as the years roll by. The title of the poem ‘Isaphan Carpet’ instantly reminds the reader of the intricate and complex details that have been associated with the art of carpet making and weaving. The title itself hints at the core idea of slavery and child exploitation.
Thus, this poem is a description of the atrocious conditions faced by young girls who have no choice other than to carry out the tradition of carpet making as a living. The contrast between appearance and reality is particularly striking as the consumers are ignorant about the truth that little kids are making their carpets. Family is also a minor theme in the poem as the entire family has been unified as a whole to create the ancient Persian rugs. According to me, each of the knots symbolically represents a single member of the family and since these knots are combined to create the Ispahan carpet, the reader can see the collective hard work of a community.