' Live-Poets Society ' – A Corner For Poetry

[Parker Owens]

Two brand new rubayats today. You can find them in Occasional Poetry here....hope you enjoy them. https://www.gayauthors.org/story/parker-owens/occasionalpoetry/31

[AC Benus]

 

Thomas Hardy Channel firing

 

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/46544

 

I hadn't read any of Hardy's poetry before I came across this. This is a poem of WW1 but it is not poetry of the battlefield, more a response from those left behind in 'Blighty'.

 

 

 

The Hardy poem is very rich in imagery. It reminds me a bit of the work of the later British poet (one introduced to me by our own dear J.HunterDunn – Peter), John Betjeman. Perhaps it would be wrong to speak of a naïve approach, or school, but there does seem to be an applied 'innocence' to the activity Hardy is describing. In that regard, it also seems like Frost to me. Perhaps I'm playing connect the dot, but I do feel those connections.

 

Interestingly enough, I do not feel connections between this Hardy poem and the work by many same-sex loving poets of World War 1, like Sassoon, Wilfred Owen – but maybe more like the pre-war work of Rupert Brooke.

 

Anyway, it's an accomplished poem, but I can't say I feel an emotional hook to it, though I do like the concluding lines a great deal.

 

Thanks for posting this, northie, and for making me think

Edited June 30, 2016 by AC Benus

[J.HunterDunn]

As AC mentioned my favourite poet (at one point Poet Laureate of the UK), here is a link to a poem from which I stole my nickname as a tribute.

 

The poem is read by Sir Betjeman himself. I have a version on vinyl where he reads it set to music, but couldn't find that one online unfortunately.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5YmyH3EGI

[dughlas]

You don't know how much I appreciate the favorite poetry that all of you share. My education was lacking in this regard and what I knew I didn't care for. Now I have this resource not only for the experience of the poetry written and shared by the group but also a wider range of works than I have seen or heard before. Thank you for sharing this part of yourselves with me. Namaste.

[Aditus]

I don't have a favorite poet, but I love Joachim Ringelnatz and especially Heinrich Heine. Here is an example of Heine's art. I copied this from wikipedia :

 

Allnächtlich im Traume seh ich dich,

Und sehe dich freundlich grüßen,

Und lautaufweinend stürz ich mich

Zu deinen süßen Füßen .

 

Du siehst mich an wehmütiglich,

Und schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen;

Aus deinen Augen schleichen sich

Die Perlentränentröpfchen.

 

Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort,

Und gibst mir den Strauß von Zypressen.

Ich wache auf, und der Strauß ist fort,

Und das Wort hab ich vergessen.

(non-literal translation in verse by Hal Draper:)

 

Nightly I see you in dreams-you speak,

With kindliness sincerest,

I throw myself, weeping aloud and weak

At your sweet feet, my dearest.

 

You look at me with wistful woe,

And shake your golden curls;

And stealing from your eyes there flow

The teardrops like to pearls.

 

You breathe in my ear a secret word,

A garland of cypress for token.

I wake; it is gone; the dream is blurred,

And forgotten the word that was spoken.

Edited June 30, 2016 by aditus

[Parker Owens]

I don't have a favorite poet, but I love Joachim Ringelnatz and especially Heinrich Heine. Here is an example of Heine's art. I copied this from wikipedia :

 

Allnächtlich im Traume seh ich dich,

Und sehe dich freundlich grüßen,

Und lautaufweinend stürz ich mich

Zu deinen süßen Füßen .

 

Du siehst mich an wehmütiglich,

Und schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen;

Aus deinen Augen schleichen sich

Die Perlentränentröpfchen.

 

Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort,

Und gibst mir den Strauß von Zypressen.

Ich wache auf, und der Strauß ist fort,

Und das Wort hab ich vergessen.

(non-literal translation in verse by Hal Draper:)

 

Nightly I see you in dreams-you speak,

With kindliness sincerest,

I throw myself, weeping aloud and weak

At your sweet feet, my dearest.

 

You look at me with wistful woe,

And shake your golden curls;

And stealing from your eyes there flow

The teardrops like to pearls.

 

You breathe in my ear a secret word,

A garland of cypress for token.

I wake; it is gone; the dream is blurred,

And forgotten the word that was spoken.

I can see why you might like this:  melancholy, love, longing, wonderful imagery...it's all there...thanksgiving for sharing this!

[AC Benus]

I don't have a favorite poet, but I love Joachim Ringelnatz and especially Heinrich Heine. Here is an example of Heine's art. I copied this from wikipedia :

 

Allnächtlich im Traume seh ich dich,

Und sehe dich freundlich grüßen,

Und lautaufweinend stürz ich mich

Zu deinen süßen Füßen .

 

Du siehst mich an wehmütiglich,

Und schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen;

Aus deinen Augen schleichen sich

Die Perlentränentröpfchen.

 

Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort,

Und gibst mir den Strauß von Zypressen.

Ich wache auf, und der Strauß ist fort,

Und das Wort hab ich vergessen.

(non-literal translation in verse by Hal Draper:)

 

Nightly I see you in dreams-you speak,

With kindliness sincerest,

I throw myself, weeping aloud and weak

At your sweet feet, my dearest.

 

You look at me with wistful woe,

And shake your golden curls;

And stealing from your eyes there flow

The teardrops like to pearls.

 

You breathe in my ear a secret word,

A garland of cypress for token.

I wake; it is gone; the dream is blurred,

And forgotten the word that was spoken.

That is a very impressive Wiki entry on the poet! Love this quote about him: "He possessed that divine malice without which I cannot imagine perfection... " Friedrich Nietzsche

[northie]

The Hardy poem is very rich in imagery. It reminds me a bit of the work of the later British poet (one introduced to me by our own dear JhunterDunn – Peter), John Betjeman. Perhaps it would be wrong to speak of a naïve approach, or school, but there does seem to be an applied 'innocence' to the activity Hardy is describing. In that regard, it also seems like Frost to me. Perhaps I'm playing connect the dot, but I do feel those connections.

 

Interestingly enough, I do not feel connections between this Hardy poem and the work by many same-sex loving poets of World War 1, like Sassoon, Wilfred Owen – but maybe more like the pre-war work of Rupert Brooke.

 

Anyway, it's an accomplished poem, but I can't say I feel an emotional hook to it, though I do like the concluding lines a great deal.

 

Thanks for posting this, northie, and for making me think

 

Well, the Hardy was offered as a complete contrast to the King so it's not surprising that one appeals over the other. Hardy was writing as an old man, firmly rooted in the Victorian age; the poets of WW1 had lived most of their lives in the C20 and the horror, bitterness, and grief of that conflict forced them to find new ways of expressing their feelings. I have a special place in my soul for their verse.

 

Just before I revert to my role as observer of this thread, I will leave you with one last poem. If any of you are cat lovers or cat observers, think about giving this a go:

 

Christopher Smart  For I will consider my cat, Jeoffrey

 

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/jubilate-agno-fragment-b-i-will-consider-my-cat-jeoffry

 

(you will need to scroll down, and consider having a quick look at the poet's biography - it gives some context).

 

And, thanks for having me. 

[AC Benus]

As AC mentioned my favourite poet (at one point Poet Laureate of the UK), here is a link to a poem from which I stole my nickname as a tribute.

 

The poem is read by Sir Betjeman himself. I have a version on vinyl where he reads it set to music, but couldn't find that one online unfortunately.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5YmyH3EGI

Thanks for the video, Peter. For some reason I do love the tennis reference. It seems so romantic and yet believable that one could fall in love with another over a match; the use of the word 'love' here is masterful

 

Here is the whole text of the poem:

 

 

A Subaltern’s Love Song

by John Betjeman

 

Miss J. Hunter Dunn, Miss J. Hunter Dunn,

Furnish’d and burnish’d by Aldershot sun,

What strenuous singles we played after tea,

We in the tournament – you against me!

 

Love-thirty, love-forty, oh! weakness of joy,

The speed of a swallow, the grace of a boy,

With carefullest carelessness, gaily you won,

I am weak from your loveliness, Joan Hunter Dunn.

 

Miss Joan Hunter Dunn, Miss Joan Hunter Dunn,

How mad I am, sad I am, glad that you won,

The warm-handled racket is back in its press,

But my shock-headed victor, she loves me no less.

 

Her father’s euonymus shines as we walk,

And swing past the summer-house, buried in talk,

And cool the verandah that welcomes us in

To the six-o’clock news and a lime-juice and gin.

 

The scent of the conifers, sound of the bath,

The view from my bedroom of moss-dappled path,

As I struggle with double-end evening tie,

For we dance at the Golf Club, my victor and I.

 

On the floor of her bedroom lie blazer and shorts,

And the cream-coloured walls are be-trophied with sports,

And westering, questioning settles the sun,

On your low-leaded window, Miss Joan Hunter Dunn.

 

The Hillman is waiting, the light’s in the hall,

The pictures of Egypt are bright on the wall,

My sweet, I am standing beside the oak stair

And there on the landing’s the light on your hair.

 

By roads “not adopted”, by woodlanded ways,

She drove to the club in the late summer haze,

Into nine-o’clock Camberley, heavy with bells

And mushroomy, pine-woody, evergreen smells.

 

Miss Joan Hunter Dunn, Miss Joan Hunter Dunn,

I can hear from the car park the dance has begun,

Oh! Surrey twilight! importunate band!

Oh! strongly adorable tennis-girl’s hand!

 

Around us are Rovers and Austins afar,

Above us the intimate roof of the car,

And here on my right is the girl of my choice,

With the tilt of her nose and the chime of her voice.

 

And the scent of her wrap, and the words never said,

And the ominous, ominous dancing ahead.

We sat in the car park till twenty to one

And now I’m engaged to Miss Joan Hunter Dunn.

Edited June 30, 2016 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

Christopher Smart  For I will consider my cat, Jeoffrey

 

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/jubilate-agno-fragment-b-i-will-consider-my-cat-jeoffry

 

Enthralling! I was reading and thinking, 'OMG, 18th century free verse...? So, Whitman was not the first,' and then I saw the poem was not published until the 1950s. 

 

It's intriguing to think if the verse is meant to be allegory or not - that we are God's cats here on Earth (naturally, the English being the best ), but knowing the poet's mental health issues pulls me back to simply thinking Smart thought his cat was worshiping God in his own way.

 

Fascinating. Thanks!    

[northie]

Enthralling! I was reading and thinking, 'OMG, 18th century free verse...? So, Whitman was not the first,' and then I saw the poem was not published until the 1950s. 

 

It's intriguing to think if the verse is meant to be allegory or not - that we are God's cats here on Earth (naturally, the English being the best ), but knowing the poet's mental health issues pulls me back to simply thinking Smart thought his cat was worshiping God in his own way.

 

Fascinating. Thanks!    

 

I first knew it from Britten's choral setting in Rejoice in the lamb. It is C18 free verse - just, nobody knew about it ... 

[Parker Owens]

I am struck by both Northie's and AC's links/favorites.  I'd seen neither of these, and both are delights to the senses, to the ears, to the soul. I am partial to cats, and understand at first hand all that Smart so beautifully details. And I have blessed, and have been. Blessed in feline devotion in my day, despite a tremendous allergy.  As for Miss Joan Hunter Dunn, her story reminds me of nothing so much as AA Milne, and some of the poems my father recited for us as children at bedtime. Before I ever re-read or comprehended that poem, I first heard my father's voice. 

 

I offer both Northie and AC my abundant thanks.

[Mikiesboy]

New poem inspired by Cynus' blog about the Orlando/Pulse 49: American Tragedy

Edited July 1, 2016 by Mikiesboy

[AC Benus]

New poem inspired by Cynus' blog about the Orlando/Pulse 49: American Tragedy

It's a great poem, Tim. Left you a review

[Mikiesboy]

It's a great poem, Tim. Left you a review

Thank you AC .. I'm outta likes, but I will be back!!!

 

I've written another short poem for the July 1, 100th anniversary of the Battle of The Somme.  inspired by the ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial services on July 1. 

[Parker Owens]

New poem inspired by Cynus' blog about the Orlando/Pulse 49: American Tragedy

And it's awesome. Everyone should read it. 

 

Thank you AC .. I'm outta likes, but I will be back!!!

 

I've written another short poem for the July 1, 100th anniversary of the Battle of The Somme.  inspired by the ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial services on July 1. 

This is another fantastic addition to Tim's collection. Again, another must-read.

[Parker Owens]

Posted two new sonnets, this time in a form I've not tried before. You can find them here...  https://www.gayauthors.org/story/parker-owens/occasionalpoetry/32

[AC Benus]

...I'm a bit bummed that my '8 Ball' sonnet has not garnered more comments... nor has the lovely Leander got many kisses.... (hint hint) 

[Defiance19]

Posted two new sonnets, this time in a form I've not tried before. You can find them here...  https://www.gayauthors.org/story/parker-owens/occasionalpoetry/32

I liked them Parker, they were both very good.. 

 

...I'm a bit bummed that my '8 Ball' sonnet has not garnered more comments... nor has the lovely Leander got many kisses.... (hint hint) 

 

Hint taken, geez... Lol.... Sometimes I miss the poem postings and things pile up quickly around here..  I'll check them out. 

[Parker Owens]

...I'm a bit bummed that my '8 Ball' sonnet has not garnered more comments... nor has the lovely Leander got many kisses.... (hint hint) 

 

Leander is a gem, and deserves every kiss he gets....perhaps it is time for summer 'slows.....'

[Mikiesboy]

...I'm a bit bummed that my '8 Ball' sonnet has not garnered more comments... nor has the lovely Leander got many kisses.... (hint hint) 

I will get there .. I've read them and enjoyed them but i've just been too under the weather to write what i want to say.. but they are both amazing 

Edited July 8, 2016 by Mikiesboy

[AC Benus]

Leander is a gem, and deserves every kiss he gets....perhaps it is time for summer 'slows.....'

Thanks, Parker - You're a peach!

 

Hint taken, geez... Lol.... Sometimes I miss the poem postings and things pile up quickly around here..  I'll check them out. 

Thanks for your review, you lovely sweetheart, you! Are you hinting 'amplitude' is above your pay grade...? Not buying that for a sec Kisses. And the poem announcements in the Story Updates are treated differently and deleted right away. That's why I sometimes post reminders here, both for others' works (and mine on rare occasions). Wish they'd tread the poem listings the same way as stories      

I will get there .. I've read them and enjoyed them but i've just been too under the weather to write what i want to say.. but they are both amazing 

I know, poor Tim, you've been ill; you can take all the time you need - first priority is to let Mike take care you and get well

Edited July 8, 2016 by AC Benus

[northie]

I know I'm only meant to be observing but I'm watching a fascinating BBC 4 programme about the battle of the Somme and the poets who were involved. A couple of people mentioned I've not come across before. This poem, I feel I want to share with you:

 

BEFORE ACTION  

 

By all the glories of the day

And the cool evening’s benison,

By that last sunset touch that lay

Upon the hills when day was done,

By beauty lavishly outpoured

And blessings carelessly received,

By all the days that I have lived

Make me a soldier, Lord.

 

By all of all man’s hopes and fears,

And all the wonders poets sing,

The laughter of unclouded years,

And every sad and lovely thing;

By the romantic ages stored

With high endeavour that was his,

By all his mad catastrophes

Make me a man, O Lord.

 

I, that on my familiar hill,

Saw with uncomprehending eyes

A hundred of thy sunsets spill

Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice,

Ere the sun swings his noonday sword

Must say good-bye to all of this;–

By all delights that I shall miss

Help me to die, O Lord.

 

Poem by Noel Hodgson who was killed at the start of the battle of the Somme.

[Parker Owens]

Hello, Everyone!

 

For fun, I would like to follow up on something AC contributed a long while back... That is, let's write a Country and Western song.  I started us off with a four-line stanza and a refrain.  You're assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to write one (or two, or three) more stanzas.  Feel free to add a third c-theme set of words, if you like. 

 

As I said, this is just for some summer fun, and we can see where this goes...channel your inner steel guitar.

 

Verse 1

 

Remember when you thought that I was cheatin'?

Your eyes got full of tears, and red and sad;

Remember how you swore I'd get a beatin'?

you scared me, but you're gorgeous when you're mad.

 

Refrain:

 

There's times when we would fight, and we's stop talkin',

and times when we'd be lonely, sad and blue;

I know that there were times you felt like walkin',

but never once did I stop lovin' you.

[AC Benus]

(sorry I've been absent all. lots going on right now...ugh. I'll be back soon - love you, my dear GA poets. Proud as punch to see how strong a contingent we are in the Love is Love anthology. You're all rock stars )