Look, he's done it again! I should be prominently positioned and
you should be over there, in the third stanza, and that plebeian
phrase two lines down should be banished. Dreadful! Sloppy, just sloppy!
Well, he never claimed to be a poet. He always says: "I'm just
a verse writer."
I know, but a poem is meant to flow with delicate majesty. At least
all the words should be in the right places, powerful words and gentle
words and haunting words. Oh, a poem is an expression of the soul,
not an amateurish arrangement of words, not a childish "now what
rhymes with Pocatello." I'll wager he uses a dictionary of rhyming
words when he scribbles all that silliness about his toothache or
that insufferable "Ode To A Toadstool". How many absurd topics
can one man conjure? A poet. Ha!
Well, you have to...
Don't defend this amateur word arranger. Now move to your
proper place at the end of this sentence. Only elegant words gather
here. Every word has its place in the perfect poem, a lesson yet
to be learned, obviously. Forgive him, Poet Gods, this Wordsworth
wanna'be and all his illegitimate, ill-formed scratchings. Relegate
this pseudo poetry to its final resting place, adjacent to the
obituaries in the morning newspaper. Page 47 will do. Cheeky
sod!
-
Author:
DesertWords (
Offline) - Published: June 29th, 2020 13:22
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 73
Offline)
Comments2
You write like an Englishman sir,
decidedly well, if you ask me..
How kind. An honor to be an Englishman.
but you spell honour like a North American.. what is it about you lot.. got an aversion to U's or summat 🙂
A shame I wasn't born a Brit. As for the missing U, I was knackered from a sleepless night
then consider yourself forgived 🙂
Good Evening ~ Desert Words ~ Thank you for an interesting critique of the Immortal Bard ~ Robbie Burns ! I trust it is *Tongue in Cheek* because the Scots (I am English) still believe in Corporal punishment ~ and you are on very sacred ground. He did consider Himself to be *Just a Verse Writer* and he was not above self criticism ~ as is evidenced by the last stanza of *To A Louse*
O had some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us
It wad frae many a blunder free us
An* foolish notion
What airs in dress an* gait would lea*e us
An* ev*n devotion.
This stanza (which does not need tanslating) is is in Burns Metre (or Old Habbie) which always has perfect metre (in Auld Scots) and a basic rhyme pattern aaabab. It is meant to be recited and it flows beautifully in the original. But not when translated into standard English. Have you ever been to a Burns Supper (January) they have lots of them in the USA. One learns much about Burns in the *Toast to the Immortal Bard* and his Impeccable Poetry recited by Scots Immigrants is a delight to the Ear. The highlight is the *Piping In* of the Haggis (Food o* the Gods) and the recitation (with actions) of To a Haggis in the original Auld Scots ~ Truly Awsome. A Man who could write this from his heart on a Napkin at the Table and compose a witty but profound Poem about TOOTHACHE well deserves the title *The Immortal Bard". Also bear in mind that while his poems on superficial reading would appear to be about MICE & DAISIES & LOUSE etc they are in fact satyrical historical masterpieces ~ which have stood the test of time ~ Immortal indeed. Scotlands greatest Poet ever ! AMEN
Thanks for sharing
Your Brian Williams.
Good day to you. I bow before The Immortal Bard. My tongue is in my cheek and I really don't warrant even corporal punishment. Thank you for your comment. I shall fetch some Burns and become friends again. DW
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