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Back Margery Kempe Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. Biographical Notes
  3. Title Page
  4. INTRODUCTION
  5. MARGERY KEMPE
  6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  7. Dedication
  8. Front
  9. PART ONE
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. PART TWO
  27. 17
  28. 18
  29. 19
  30. 20
  31. 21
  32. 22
  33. 23
  34. 24
  35. 25
  36. 26
  37. 27
  38. 28
  39. 29
  40. 30
  41. 31
  42. PART THREE
  43. 32
  44. 33
  45. 34
  46. 35
  47. 36
  48. 37
  49. 38
  50. 39
  51. 40
  52. 41
  53. 42
  54. 43
  55. 44
  56. 45
  57. 46
  58. PART FOUR
  59. 47
  60. 48
  61. 49
  62. 50
  63. 51
  64. 52
  65. 53
  66. 54
  67. 55
  68. 56
  69. MY MARGERY, MARGERY’S BOB

Very moody days in Venice, somewhat empty. Dark churches. It’s exhausting to trail after him and not talk about us, but my fatigue doesn’t count even to myself. I stop and he continues speeding around a corner. A moment of elation rises in space above the reflection of that space. Then I’m stymied—I’m nowhere. At the hotel we don’t mention the hours apart. He strokes my ass—it’s his faithful dog basking in attention that seems honest because absent-minded. Later, he brings oranges to bed and feeds me sections.

Lunch at the market, roast chicken, book box in antique store, wall paintings of fruit trees. I spend too much trying to keep up. I fret passionately: What should I own? We look at some green velvet stamped with gold. I complain, “It’s too fragile—it’s what rich people would buy.”

“Do you mean to say, people rich with a highly developed sense of aesthetics?”

Walking back slowly, we stop to consider a play of features, a hat, a dish, winter light skittering on the feathery needles of a hemlock; for a moment we are only that awareness. The image holds and displays the promise of the wide world, then we walk on with a pang of regret.

•

Venice grew crowded as spring progressed. At dusk the population spilled into the streets and piazzas, sweetly murmurous, still dazed from the light.

Margery’s maid prepared the company’s food and washed their clothes; she washed dishes and clothes, her submerged hands squeezing out dirt, but she would not attend Margery or explain why she had abandoned her.

19

Pilgrims bought tours of the Holy Lands from ship captains stationed in Venice who negotiated package deals with the Saracens. The galleys usually left Venice in spring or early summer.

Margery’s company arranged for a ship at the beginning of May; they bought provisions, wine and bedding, but only for themselves. Margery intended to sail with them but Jesus assigned her to a many-oared Venetian galley. Seeing this, the pilgrims lost faith in their own ship. They switched at the last minute, taking a financial loss; furious, they lugged their bedding in bales crisscrossed with rope.