Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
first shaft
English answer:
first arrow: first brush with death
Added to glossary by
B D Finch
Feb 19, 2011 09:36
13 yrs ago
English term
first shaft
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
term
The sentence like this:" A stubborn will to give, to nourish. Shrewd was death's aim when he chose my breast for his first shaft."
What 's "first shaft" mean here?
Thank you!
What 's "first shaft" mean here?
Thank you!
Responses
| 4 +2 | first arrow: first brush with death |
B D Finch
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| 4 +5 | first arrow |
Martin Riordan
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| 3 | when [he] cheated me the first time |
Allison Wright (X)
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Change log
Feb 24, 2011 10:01: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Responses
+2
1 hr
Selected
first arrow: first brush with death
From J M Coetzee Age of Iron
The woman is writing to her adult child after having been diagnosed with breast cancer.
'This was the day when I had the news from Dr Syfret. The news was not good, but it was mine, for me, mine only, not to be refused. It was for me to take in my arms and fold to my chest and take home, without headshaking, without tears.
"Thank you, doctor," I said: "thank you for being frank."
"We will do everything we can," he said, "we will tackle this together." But already, behind the comradely front, I could see he was withdrawing. _Sauve qui peut.__ His allegiance to the living, not the dying ...
...For the same reason I gave you my breast. To be full enough to give and to give from one's fullness: what deeper urge is there? Out of their withered bodies even the old try to squeeze one last drop. A stubborn will to give, to nourish. Shrewd was death's aim when he chose my breast for his first shaft.'
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8624583/Coetzee-J-M-Age-of-Iron
The woman is writing to her adult child after having been diagnosed with breast cancer.
'This was the day when I had the news from Dr Syfret. The news was not good, but it was mine, for me, mine only, not to be refused. It was for me to take in my arms and fold to my chest and take home, without headshaking, without tears.
"Thank you, doctor," I said: "thank you for being frank."
"We will do everything we can," he said, "we will tackle this together." But already, behind the comradely front, I could see he was withdrawing. _Sauve qui peut.__ His allegiance to the living, not the dying ...
...For the same reason I gave you my breast. To be full enough to give and to give from one's fullness: what deeper urge is there? Out of their withered bodies even the old try to squeeze one last drop. A stubborn will to give, to nourish. Shrewd was death's aim when he chose my breast for his first shaft.'
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8624583/Coetzee-J-M-Age-of-Iron
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you for help!"
+5
28 mins
Martin Riordan
Brazil
Brazil
Native in English
&
English
Brazil
Brazilian lawyer - 40+ years in Brazil
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, Irish, US, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Scottish) 
, Portuguese (Variants: Brazilian, Mozambican, Angolan, European/Portugal) 
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
42
first arrow
"shaft" refers to an "arrow shaft", or simply an arrow. Death shot his first arrow against the writer´s breast.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jack Doughty
6 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
William Murphy
8 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
JaneTranslates
6 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Jim Tucker (X)
6 hrs
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Thayenga
23 hrs
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34 mins
when [he] cheated me the first time
Little context here, hence lower confidence.
"Death", here, is personified, and therefore should have earned an initial capital letter!
To shaft someone is to cheat them, or rip them off.
In the absence of further context my imagination sees it thus:
The woman (I presume it is a woman) feels that Death has cheated her of part of her life, because she has had a breast removed.
Amongst those in the habit of shafting others, there is normally someone "in charge", who would always get the "first cut" of any deal. The idea of "first cut" may explain with the unusual substantive use of "shaft" in this sentence.
"Death", here, is personified, and therefore should have earned an initial capital letter!
To shaft someone is to cheat them, or rip them off.
In the absence of further context my imagination sees it thus:
The woman (I presume it is a woman) feels that Death has cheated her of part of her life, because she has had a breast removed.
Amongst those in the habit of shafting others, there is normally someone "in charge", who would always get the "first cut" of any deal. The idea of "first cut" may explain with the unusual substantive use of "shaft" in this sentence.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
JaneTranslates
: If the text is modern, then this meaning could well be the second part of a double entendre; however, "arrow" is surely the primary sense.
6 hrs
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Thank you. I see my misinterpretation. :) I shall leave my answer, thereby illustrating how lack of context can lead to gross misinterpretation. I do not know this poem, and to be honest, I read it as prose, the first time around. John Donne?
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| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: yours is more modern slang (and would probably be "shafting" as a noun); here death shoots an arrow (a shaft) into the speaker's breast
6 hrs
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Thanks Jim. My response under JaneTranslates comment. Oh, dear! Nearly shafted the asker with my response. Luckily, others with more sense have stepped in.
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