Focus of the poem: The love between a shop-worker and his wife.
Main Actions:
He neglects his shop duties to spend intimate time with her when the shop is empty.
Secondary Relationships: Involves the husband's interactions with his parents.
Comedic Elements: Comedy enhances the relationships portrayed.
Synopsis
Speaker Introduction: The poem introduces the speaker, a worker in his father’s shop.
Secret Visits: When there are no customers, he locks the shop to see his wife, with whom he shares food and intimacy.
Shop Condition: The speaker acknowledges complaints about the shop and how he runs it, referring to it as the "worst Indian shop".
Wife’s Career: The wife operates a dating website.
Relationship Dynamics: There is tension between the wife and his parents, which strikes him as humorous.
Cultural Reference: His wife navigates multiple cultures, indicating adaptability.
Customer Complaints: The poem returns to mentions of customer complaints about stock.
Context
Author Background:
Daljit Nagra was born in 1966 to Punjabi Sikh Indian parents who immigrated to Britain in the late 1950s.
His family owned a shop in 1982 and faced various challenges, including racially motivated attacks.
Nagra began writing poetry at age 30 after earning a BA and MA in English from Royal Holloway University.
He used the pseudonym ‘Khan Singh Kumar’ for early publications, doubting publication success.
He currently teaches at Brunel University and serves as a poet in residence at Radio 4.
Nagra has won the Forward poetry prize.
Key Themes
Romance: Central to the relationship in the poem.
Conflict: Illustrated through his responsibilities and family dynamics.
Culture: Explores cultural interplay between Indian and Western influences.
Relationships: Highlights both romantic and familial dynamics.
Romantic/Sexual Love
There is a juxtaposition of destructive and romantic elements in the relationship.
Sexual tension is present alongside affection.
The title “Singh Song!” reflects the light-hearted nature of the poem.
Responsibility and Ownership
Shop Significance: The speaker refers to the shop as belonging to “daddy,” indicating a strained father-son relationship.
Conflict of Responsibilities: He feels torn between his duties to the shop and his obligations to his wife.
Repeated usage of collective pronouns "vee" and "we" enhances the unity in the couple's bond.
Poetic Language and Structure
Humor: Nagra employs humor through strange similes to enhance the lightness of the poem and the affection in the relationship.
Possessiveness: The use of the pronoun “my” suggests both pride and potential imbalances in ownership within the relationship.
Hyperbole: Exaggeration emphasizes his lack of professionalism at the shop compared to his dedication to his wife.
Cultural Blending: His wife's sartorial choices reflect dual cultural influences, suggesting a broader acceptance of multicultural identities.
Speaker’s Perspective
Marital Choice: The speaker is devoted to his wife but often neglects his shop.
Narration Style: He uses a first-person narrative filled with humor while focusing on his struggles.
Relationship with Parents: His interactions often reflect discomfort or lack of connection to his parents.
Structure and Refrain
Song-like Quality: The poem features a melodic structure with rhythmic elements typical of song lyrics.
Refrain Usage: The repetition of phrases facilitates a musical quality to the poem, enhancing the intimate dialogue.
Language and Dialect
Colloquial Language: The use of dialect mirrors the community context, such as using “di” instead of “the”.
Juxtaposition: Describes the wife with complex characteristics, combining fierce and sweet elements.
Immaturity in Language: The playful choice of words reflects the youthful nature of their marriage.
Comparisons with Other Poems
Singh Song! vs Before You Were Mine:
Temporal references like “9 o’clock to 9 o’clock” versus “Stands at the close” demonstrate different relational pressures.
Singh Song! vs Sonnet 29:
Both poems explore love's consuming nature through natural and religious imagery, but differ in structure and rhythm.
Conclusion
Thematic Enrichment: The complexity of relationships, cultural identity, and personal conflict are intricately tied together in “Singh Song” through poetic devices and humor.