29Apr/0922
Do I dare to eat a peach?
TJ Lefebvre submitted this tattoo:
My name's TJ Lefebvre and I got this tattoo after quite a bit of thought and deliberation, (the quote stuck with me for two years before I had it permanently done) . It's a quote from T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
", 'do I dare to eat a peach?'.
The line of questioning has always intrigued and inspired me and, well, it speaks for itself. It's placed on my wrist facing me, and anytime I'm at any task is a constant reminder of all I'm passionate about.
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April 29th, 2009 - 08:15
TJ says this line speaks for itself, but ummm … it totally doesn't. Can anyone explain the meaning behind this quote? I assume it's about much more than just eating fruit.
April 29th, 2009 - 08:21
Amy, you might want to check out these links:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080… (yahoo questions, I know, but there are a couple of good responses here)
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/eliot/section1.h…
April 29th, 2009 - 08:37
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/6/messag…
April 29th, 2009 - 08:55
I love Prufrock, but that's not the line I would choose for a tattoo. Even in irony, or as a reminder to yourself, the narrator is so sad and pathetic at that point that I wouldn't be able to look at it without feeling down myself.
April 29th, 2009 - 19:24
I understand what you mean, Robot. But as with most of Eliot's poetry, there is much to be derived from his musings. I found that BECAUSE there was that certain hopelessness in the narrotor's voice, I felt more intensely aware about my own decisions. I appreciate your comment, though. I love the ambiguity!
April 30th, 2009 - 00:11
I tattoo stuff like that into my phone, not on my arm. You should see the one i've got in there at the moment, definitely not one for the arm.
May 18th, 2009 - 04:11
If I were to get an excerpt from Prufrock tattooed on me, it would probably be "Do I dare, Disturb the universe?"
May 31st, 2009 - 21:53
I love this, it is the perfect ambiguous question.
I always thought I might use "Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread against the sky." It would remind me of the possibility that every night presents.
June 2nd, 2009 - 15:58
a quote about being old and having bad teeth, and you inscribe this indelibly on your body?
"eat a peach" is of course also an euphemism. perhaps you are hoping to advertise not being afraid of a little herpes? quite the conversation starter.
July 22nd, 2009 - 04:13
Gorgeous! I love it, I have the line "Do I dare disturb the universe?" Tattooed around my ankle
September 7th, 2009 - 10:10
The literal meaning of this line is simply that, as he imagines himself growing old, he becomes afraid his digestive system will no longer handle a peach. You know, because of diarrhea. I love Eliot with these little jokes.
September 17th, 2009 - 01:20
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Do+I+dare+to+eat+a+peach
“Urban or Freudian allusion to a vulva. The juiciness, soft hair, and shape of the fruit obviously resemble the female vulva. Biting into a peach, with the consequent explosion of juices, is often invoked as a Freudian exposition of male (or female) libido.”
October 10th, 2009 - 16:47
I looked at the cards and at the first glimpse my impression was: a reflecting pool, or mirror perhaps. ,
November 18th, 2009 - 18:10
While poems are subject to personal interpretation, there is also a responsibility to try and glean the meaning the poet meant to get across.
So, two things MAUD:
1.The literal meaning of the line, by the very dint of your use of the word literal, is does he dare to eat a peach.
2.You are not and never will be a poet.
March 5th, 2010 - 17:04
If I saw a boy on the street with this tattoo I would kiss him
June 12th, 2010 - 13:31
I just ADORE Eliot tattoos. 'Love Song' has been my favorite poem since I first read it in an anthology when I was 11, and I based my college application essay on the line 'And indeed there will be time to wonder, 'do I dare?' and 'do I dare?'
I'm planning on getting that tattooed somewhere. :)
To the owner of this specific tattoo – although some people are quite unimaginative, I love your tattoo. It's certainly an underappreciated line, but the beauty of poetry is that certain lines mean something different to everyone. Obviously this means something important to you – and that's all that matters! :)
September 14th, 2010 - 12:52
I really want this as a tattoo, I'm glad it isn't just me.
September 19th, 2010 - 21:06
Love this, TJ. Anyone who's read Prufrock carefully will get it without a second thought. The universe is too big. But a peach? Of course I f-ing dare. And YUM.
November 20th, 2010 - 03:42
dare I eat a peach=== Makes me think of Big Brother is watching. The modern dilemma is also not being able to escape the I. = the impersonal quality of modern life/ Couple it in Waste Land with the acceptance of Shantih, shantih, shanti (peace that passes all understanding to kinda complete the meaning (:
June 23rd, 2011 - 12:34
I have a peach on my left wrist because of this quote. Awesome….
August 22nd, 2011 - 09:55
The peach is a metaphor for a woman’s private part, need I say which one?
January 2nd, 2013 - 12:07
I am overwhelmed with Chris and David B’s justification of the line ‘Do I dare to eat a peach?’