The Gargoyle Speaks
Beauty lies in the eye of the
beholder.
My eyes protrude, quite an
eye opener,
set wide apart, away from
each other
they behold – down the gross
of my nose
past lips that are parted – grotesques
which are those
whose foreshortened bodies
grow heads from their toes.
They pass to and fro, avoiding
another
with similar slit eye – no
more a beholder
of beauty than a gargoyle
thought uglier.
Actually, not a gargoyle at
all, as the gurgling, gargling gargoyle was designed to throw water clear of
the stonework below. These heads are grotesques.
What does that mean?
I’m not convinced they were designed
to represent ugliness, to remind us of our own ugliness, or even the transience
of beauty, if only because they’re not easily seen. If that was the intention, they’d have been placed
more – to coin a phrase – in your face. Very
few passers-by will have noticed these downward gazing people, intent as they
seem to be on us.
Nor that these fellows were
placed there apotropaically – to frighten away evil spirits. Their expressions are definitely not scary,
let alone terrifying. Some grotesques have protruding tongues, bared teeth and angry
brows, but the distinctive wide-eyed look here seems to be rather more curious
than forbidding, bemused if not slightly surprised.
A face expressing such considerate
emotions can hardly be linked to devils or demons.
Sometimes gargoyles and
grotesques are deliberately humorous or even bawdy, as with misericords (another
set of representations not readily visible) but I find the simple humanity of
these concerned faces more subtle and thoughtful, as if they’ve seen something
interesting that’s worthy of comment.
Their view of passing people
would be strange: permanent transience, weird physiques, with head almost
superimposed on feet, minimal legs, absent faces and hands virtually attached
to shoulders… perhaps those old masons putting themselves in the gargoyles’
position, are inviting us to see ourselves as others might, and be, well,
brought up short..
Having spent some time now studying
and feeling attracted to this face, with its full sensitive lips and
concentrated gaze, I can almost hear it speak.
And I’m left wondering, who
is ugly and who is fair.
South Molton Church, photo by
Sharon Bailey.
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