The Old Maps

The old maps were not a cartographer’s
dream of accuracy. They
described an exquisite
motion in the sky.
The map-maker’s intention was
to gather a semblance of it,
but the flat page warped
the globe to circular representation. Ptolemy
walked mostly with his head up
He did not measure things tactilely.

Later, the earth was circumscribed
on square paper, which you could lay
on the ground to notice
its approximation with the edge.
After the spheres & before
the globe, angels were placed
‘At the round earths emagin’d corners’
and blew inward protection
against the old fear
of falling.

In the old maps
figures of gods & men
are often found. Alexander
could be seen in his maps, or at least
Alexander’s helmet: in some way giving more
credence to his possessions.

Maps are no longer cluttered
with things they describe, except
when National Geographic presents
‘Shakespeare’s Britain’,
but here the figures
are stylized
having dismissed the intensity
of the old map-makers, deciding
their approach was inadequate.