Discussing poetry

[Celsus]

So, erm, I like the idea of discussing poetry for the purely selfish reason that I can hop in and out of discussions easily, but I think that one poem every month may be a little on the thin side. Could I suggest speeding things up a little? Should I post some links or a short (read: long-winded, rambling) write-up on how to criticise poetry, or at least How to Spot Cool Stuff (tm)? If it's already been done, please ignore... I'm sure plenty of people here know more than I do in this regard, but I think it might be helpful to others who might be interested...

Joel

[Barefoot Bree]

I'd be interested, Celsus. I know nothing of poetry - that How To Spot Cool Stuff ™ sounds interesting, at least.....

[livius drusus]

I think it's a great idea, Celsus. In fact, I totally feel guilty for not having attempted anything like that myself. Both the long, rambling version and the HTSCS sound fantastic to me. :thumbup:

[Celsus]

Ok give me a moment's pause and I'll get on it. Unfortunately, my stock of decent poetry is very sparse these days, and examples will tend to come from early twentieth century poets because (1) they're legible, (2) they're legible to me, and therefore (3) it's my favourite genre.

Joel

[livius drusus]

I'm down like a clown, Celsus. I suspect many will thank you profusely for sticking with the 20th c. :bow:

[Barefoot Bree]

Sticking with poems that can be found online is a big plus, too, for those of us with limited budgets.

I truly appreciated having a link to Ulysses in that thread. I think it made it easier for all of us to be on "the same page" as it were (same line, anyway).

[Celsus]

Sticking with poems that can be found online is a big plus, too, for those of us with limited budgets.
Yeah, I sort of figured that out, and it's a big plus for me when I can remember a couple of lines but don't have the poem on me (e.g. Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven), so I'll be making sure it's also online if possible. One exception I'd like to cover (someday, and not necessarily in the thread in question) is Seamus Heaney's magnificent translation of Beowulf, which unfortunately would not be online, though an Amazon search might be possible (I've no idea how that works).

Well anyway, I've posted the first bit, and linked most of the poems refered to. As I said, I couldn't find Carruth's Lost online, but if you're interested here it is in its entirety:
Lost

Many paths in the woods have chos-
en me, many a time,
and I wonder often what this
choosing is: a sublime

intimation from far outside
my consciousness (or for
that matter from far inside) or
maybe some train of mor-

tality set in motion at
my birth (if our instru-
ments of observation were fine
and precise enough to

trace it) or maybe dis-
parate appeal, pure chance,
the distant drumming of a par-
tridge in spring, the advanc-

ing maple-color along a
lane in fall, or only
that the mud was less thick one way
than the other was. Free

or determined? Again and a-
gain I went the one way
and not the other, who knows why?
I wish I could know. May-

be it would explain the other
things that worry me. But
I have no compulsive need now,
not any longer. What

I know is that whether I walked
freely or trudged exhaust-
ed I chose one way each time and
ended by being lost.

I think I sought it. I think I
could not know myself un-
til I did not know where I was.
Then my self-knowledge con-

tinued for a while while I found
my way again in fear
and reluctance, lost truly at
last. I changed the appear-

ance of myself to myself
continually and
losing and finding were the same,
as now I understand.
It has affinities with Robert Frost's more famous poem, The Road Not Taken (http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html), and indeed both are New England poetry from the same period. Great, pensive stuff.

Joel

[Celsus]

Er, any suggestions on what to cover next? Also, can we start another poem, if there's any interest?

Joel

[Barefoot Bree]

I'm an empty glass
Waiting to be filled
I know nothing of
Poetry - poor me!

:user:
ACK!

As an absolute novice, I have nothing to suggest but titles I have seen elsewhere, but since nobody else is coughing anything up, I might as well put my poor selections out there.

How about William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis?
Or one of the Arthurian poems you mentioned in t'other thread?
Or Frost's Road Not Taken, or Poe's Raven, or any other famous poem?

[Celsus]

How about William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis?
I've never read it, so that's definitely a good possibility.
Or one of the Arthurian poems you mentioned in t'other thread?
Sure... I'd suggest Guinevere first, but there seem to be limitations to the epic poetry because it was written primarily to transmit the myths, not necessarily to speak to the soul, so to speak.
Or Frost's Road Not Taken, or Poe's Raven, or any other famous poem?
Here's an idea... comparative criticism: The Road Not Taken vs. Lost

Anyway, I'll wait till an admin approves and maybe does a poll or something before going any further. I'm happy to volunteer to do the grunt wor... I mean, lead the next discussion.

Joel