Carpet-weavers, Morocco Carol Rumens
The children are at the loom of another world.
Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright.
Their assorted heights would make a melodious chime.
They watch their flickering knots like television.
As the garden of Islam grows, the bench will be raised. 5
Then they will lace the dark-rose veins of the tree-tops.
The carpet will travel in the merchant’s truck.
It will be spread by the servants of the mosque.
Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer.
The children are hard at work in the school of days. 10
From their fingers the colours of all-that-will-be fly
and freeze into the frame of all-that-was
Background
Carol Rumens was born in 1944 in London, England. Much of her poetry has been inspired by the places she has visited,
about which she has said: 'Whatever I wrap my imagination around that’s my home.' What did she see in Morocco? Tourists
can see carpet-weavers working in the crowded maze of alleyways, probably occupying same space as countless
generations of their forebears did. This is the attractive surface of the trade. But in some parts of the world, there is much
poverty and single mothers are often forced to send their children from the age of five to be apprentices to carpet-weavers,
where they know that at least they will be fed.
Language appreciation
In the poem ”Carpet Weavers, Morocco”, Carol Rumens portrays the social injustice concerning child labour. Rumens is able
to incorporate various poetic devices to portray an image of the difficulty in which the children are in. She does this by
showing the contrast between children from rich families and children who are bound to work as child laborers, specifically in
Morocco
Second stanza continues with the first stanza in painting a very pleasant picture of the children despite their obvious poverty.
The children, in the carpet-weaving process, watch the "flickering knots" like watching "television". The term "television" is
very incongruous with the central issue of poverty since it lies at the other end of the social spectrum, but it does seem to
conceal the situation they are in. Then the second line depicts the process of the carpet-weaving itself where the threads are
knotted together to produce the final product - but it is described in a rather fantastical and surreal manner. It has a life-like
quality as the "garden of Islam grows" (rather than the motif on the carpet) and the children "lace" the "dark-rose veins of the
tree-tops" together (rather than the end-threads of the carpet). The whole carpet-weaving process presents itself as a
creative and imaginative process for the children, and the use of "garden of Islam" which is the Islamic concept of paradise
seems to provide the children with an alternate and better world.
Of course all this ends in the next stanza, where reality hits us again - the carpet-weaving is business and not pleasure. The
children's handiwork possesses no aesthetic or creative value whatsoever, but it purely meant to be sold.
Rumens attempts to make the reader feel sympathy in the third stanza. The image of a carpet being tossed into the
‘merchant’s truck’ undermines all the hard work the children have put in. This conveys an image of the carpet being brought
somewhere else to start a new future but the children's’ hope of having a bright future is futile. This makes the reader feel
sympathetic as no one appreciates or recognizes the effort that the children have put in.
The poet then attempts to use irony by personifying the carpet whilst giving the children attributes of an object. This can be
seen when the children are compared to ‘melodious chimes’ to describe their height whilst the carpet’s design is described
as the ‘garden of Islam grows.’ The image of the carpet is associated with religion which implies complexity and welcomes of
a religion to describe it’s organic and abstract middle eastern design give the carpet more life and suggests a future for the
carpet. On the other hand, the children are compared to non-living things as they are bound to being carpet weavers. This
make the reader feel concerned and frustrated that a non-living object is able to have a better life than the children that will
always have an unclear future and are mainly going to work as carpet weavers for the rest of their childhood.
Rumens then incorporates a simile that shows the Morrocan children’s limitations in the future and that their past is
unchangeable. The simile ‘flickering knots like television’ contains several interpretations and has an underlying meaning.
The word ‘flickering’ creates a fuzzy image...
notes to assist a first reading
Line 1: loom most obviously refers to the machine by which the carpet is woven. However, though used as a noun, it has the
secondary meaning of the verb, loom, referring to another world coming into view. another world: there are several possible
meanings here and students may have to be counselled to keep an open mind on them until they have explored the
poem further. Does the phrase refer to a world of the future? Or to another world before them on the loom, the idyllic garden
of Islam?
Line 3: the image is of a chime of bells of different sizes for different pitches.
Line 5: garden of Islam: i.e. the carpet’s abstract pattern. One of the familiar motifs of Islamic carpets was the garden,
representative of paradise with its fragrant flowers and flowing fountains. As the carpet nears completion, the bench they are
sitting on has to be raised to allow the small children to reach the top of the design.
Line 9: give: one meaning is that the carpet will yield to the pressure of the weight of
the worshippers; another may be that the prayers of the worshippers will give
generously to the welfare of the children.
Line 10: the school of days: the phrase sadly echoes or parodies the familiar word, “schooldays”.
Lines 11 and 12 should be the subject of much discussion on subsequent readings. On a first reading, the literal meaning
might be clarified – i.e. that the wool making up the patterns of the carpet is quickly put into place in the long-established
frame. Reference might also be usefully made to the contrast between the alliterative words, fly and freeze.
Activities
re-read the first stanza and note down what the poet sees
What thoughts does the image in lines 5 and 6 inspire in them?
what happens to the carpet in the third stanza after the children in the poem have completed their work.
The final stanza picks out themes from the rest of the poem and places a new emphasis on them. Students should think
about the meaning of line 10: “The children are hard at work in the school of days.” How is this different from the school they
are attending? What are the implications of this difference?
Discuss how Carol Rumens uses language and imagery to create an effective poem.
In the poem ”Carpet Weavers, Morocco”, Carol Rumens portrays the illusion of beauty radiated by the Moroccan children
and their masterpieces, as seen from her point of view as a foreign English woman. Through the effective use of language
and imagery, she impresses upon the reader the hopes and dreams of the children, whilst at the same time unveiling the
dismal and hopeless situation in which they are trapped. There is a constant sense of irony and injustice in the poem, which
successfully draws sympathy and pity from the readers.
The opening line of the first stanza, ‘The children are at the loom of another world’ brings to mind the image of children
weaving. Literally, the loom is the machine at which the children weave their carpets, with ”another world” clarifying the
difference of nationality between the poet and the children. However, ”loom” is also used to symbolize the omnipresence of
the adult world, which can be viewed as the ‘other world’. The children’s employers hold control over their daily lives since
by employing them, the children are not allowed to experience an ordinary, carefree childhood. ’Another world’ suggests
that the children do not belong in the carpet-weaving factory-they are meant to be in a world where they can grow, learn and
have fun.
The second line of the stanza ‘Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright’, is a description of the illusion of beauty.
The children are as beautiful as the carpets they weave, but they are only for show, clouding the harsh reality of their liveshence, it is unmistakable fact that they will not be going anywhere in their beautiful attire. This idea of an illusion is
supported by the third line in which Rumens uses the words ‘would make’ instead of ‘makes’ in association with a
‘melodious chime’. The melodious chime in question is a metaphor for the assorted heights of the children. However the
chime is ironically melodious -there are a range of notes-not simply because of the variation in size of the children, but the
range of ages-as the children are forced to work as carpet-weavers for the majority their young lives. Thus the effect of
‘would make’ suggests that the time of childhood was sacrificed on the children’s part to make a melodious chime.
The second stanza describes how the children are gazing in a transfixed manner at their works of art, as if they see
something more in their carpets than just ‘flicking knots’-they see their futures, their hopes and dreams, for in a way they do
depend on their carpets to earn a living, hoping that the profit made on the trade of their works will achieve their wish to
finally escape from the clutches of employment , back into their childhood. They are drawn to their carpets as any child
could be drawn to television because they offer a temporary form of escape as suggested by the ‘garden of Islam’.
‘Garden of Islam’ brings to mind the image of paradise or heaven. ‘The bench will be raised’ seems to suggest that the
children are lifted into heaven, to be with God. ‘Lacing the dark-rose veins of the treetop’ hints at a divine power-since the
children now stand with God, they have a similar ability of giving life, ‘veins’, to what would have been lifeless. However, the
irony is again established when we realise that the more energy the children put into the carpets the more beautiful they
become, and the more exquisite the carpets are the less likely they will be able to leave the factory as their employers
would be more reluctant to release them.
Rumens tries to extract sympathy from the readers in the third stanza. The image of a carpet being tossed into ‘the
merchant’s truck’ undermines the hard work the children have done. The realisation that the children will never get to see
their masterpieces again, nor pray upon them is heart breaking. To think that their achievements are for the benefit of
others, gives a solemn atmosphere. It is also ironic they will not be able to pray upon their own creations and instead must
be content that their hard work will allow for other worshippers to send their prayers to God and have them answered, as
suggested by ‘Deep and soft, it will give when heaped with prayer.’ The children receive nothing from their work except a
nominal amount, which provides the reader with a startling contrast to the children’s desire for freedom.
Sympathy and pity reaches a climax in the last stanza as the first line ‘the children are hard at work in the school days’
establishes the difference between these children’s days and those of ordinary children. It is once again ironic that they
phrase ‘school of days’ should be mentioned when it is clear that the children are not receiving an education. Unlike
ordinary privileged children, they are forced to work, to bear the responsibility of breadwinners. The alliteration and
repetition of ‘f’ in ”fingers, ‘fly’, ‘freeze’ and ’frame’ suggests the monotonous life that the carpet-weavers lead-each day they
work towards producing spectacular carpets, only to see their work being take away. Each day they wish for their carpets to
give them a reliable future, but at the same time, each carpet woven is another of moment of their future gone. ‘Future’
and ’freedom’ also begin with ‘f’ but their omitted presence signifies their absence in the children’s lives.
The last two lines of the last stanza strikes a note of finality – áll-that-will-be’ symbolizes the potential in the children to
become wonderful leading adults of the world, while ‘fly and freeze into the frame of all-that-was’ conveys the message that
the children are fated to be carpet-weavers for most of their childhood. By the time their eyes have grown dim from the dust
and their fingers lose their nimbleness, they will be forced to leave and enter a world of which they have no knowledge or
understanding. By that time, it would be too late to nurture any seeds of growth in their minds.
Carol Rumens has succeeded in conveying the moral message that children who are allowed to go to school should feel
lucky and privileged, and that receiving an education means much more than just sitting in a classroom-it may well be the
foundation of a desirable and free future.
Commentary:
“Carpet-weavers, Morocco” by Carol Rumens is a poem that vividly describes the looming of a carpet, a work done by
children. In this poem, the carpet isn’t just a commercial product, but also a religious symbol; it is used for praying and
connects daily life, commerce and religion, in the Islamic culture. The poem presents the idea of social injustice and child
labor in third world countries through the use of metaphors, similes, and visual imagery.
First of all, in the first stanza, Rumens uses visual imagery and metaphors in order to show that the children are a unified
group. Rumens describes how “Their braids are oiled and black, their dresses bright” (Line 2). The use of the words “oiled
and black” conveys the idea that they are very clean and tidy. The adjective “bright” enhances their appearance, and
portrays the idea that they are properly dressed to work rather than messy. Moreover, Rumens is able to create a very
effective image of the children weaving by using a metaphor: “Their assorted heights would make a melodious chime” (Line
4). The use of the words “assorted heights” conveys the idea that the children are of different stature and ages. It also
shows that they are united and joined together by work by comparing them to a “melodious chime”, because by working all
together they will create a melodious music, in other words a beautiful carpet.
The theme is introduced in the first stanza of the poem and emphasized throughout. The poem opens describing that “the
children are at the loom of another world”. The opening line has a double meaning; it first suggests that the children are
weaving “another world”, an Islamic paradise. However, it also conveys the idea that they are facing the challenges imposed
by developing countries, “another world” but still have the perspective of a third world country. Furthermore, in the second
stanza, the poet describes how the children weave and “watch their flickering knots like television”. The use of the words
“flickering knots” portrays how quick and skilled the children are with their hands. They are so able with their hands and
crafts because they have probably been doing it all their lives and it is how they contribute to their family’s income. This is a
controversial simile because Rumens compares them to children who are able to indulge in the pleasures of technology,
such as the television, in more developed countries. However, these children probably do not have a television.
Nevertheless, this is the only way the poet can share her experience with the reader. Both lines suggest the theme of social
injustice and child labor because the children are forced to work to help their families, since they lived in a less developed
world. Moreover, they cannot go to school but “are hard at work in the school of days” (Line 10). For these children, it is their
life experiences that shape and educate them rather than school. They do not have education since their families depend on
their full time work.
Finally, the poet also uses imagery and metaphors to describe the carpet the children are working on. The design in the
carpet represents the Islamic paradise. The children weave and “as the garden of Islam grows, the bench will be raised.
Then they will lace the dark-rose veins of the tree tops” (Line 5-6). The use of the word “veins” to describe the designs
portrays the artistic abilities of the children, since they are able to weave such delicate and fine patterns. Therefore, the
carpet is a religious item, which will then be “spread by the servants of the mosque” and will be “heaped with prayer”.
Carol Rumens uses imagery throughout the poem in order to show how the carpet woven by these children is a way of
connecting the Islamic culture together; the carpet is not only a commercial product but also a religious symbol.
Nevertheless, no matter how beautiful the carpet turns out to be and how important it is to the culture, the poet emphasizes
that it is a creation of uneducated children, whose future still seems bleak because they are forced to wor