Wordsworth’s Sonnets (Forerunners)
Originally posted on Underfoot Poetry:
While William Wordsworth is rightly known for his longer poems – whether on the poor and…
The Great Myths #31: The Child Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth (Hindu)
One day when Rāma and the other little sons of the cowherds were playing, they reported to his mother, “Kṛṣṇa … Continue Reading The Great Myths #31: The Child Krishna & the Universe in His Mouth (Hindu)
The Poet Speaks #13: Richard Wilbur & John Berryman: “The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him”
Even though I’ve never read a word of his poetry, John Berryman has been haunting me lately. Two friends who … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #13: Richard Wilbur & John Berryman: “The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him”
The Poet Speaks #12: Ralph Ellison, Anthony Burgess, James Dickey
If the Negro, or any other writer, is going to do what is expected of him, he’s lost the battle … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #12: Ralph Ellison, Anthony Burgess, James Dickey
The Great Myths #30: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle High German)
The story of the Holy Grail’s appearance to a young man named Perceval/Parzival/Parsifal, is told in many places, and goes … Continue Reading The Great Myths #30: The Holy Grail Appears (Middle High German)
The Poet Speaks #11: George Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, Philip Levine, Stephen King, Seamus Heaney: “struggling erring human creatures”
George Eliot, on empathy: The greatest benefit we owe to the artist, whether painter, poet, or novelist, is the extension … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #11: George Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, Philip Levine, Stephen King, Seamus Heaney: “struggling erring human creatures”
The Great Myths #29: Learning Poetry in the Giant’s Stomach (Finnish)
The poet/shaman Väinämöinen, in need of new poems and spells in order to build a boat, goes through an ordeal … Continue Reading The Great Myths #29: Learning Poetry in the Giant’s Stomach (Finnish)
The Great Myths #28: Odysseus Outsmarts the Cyclops
Odysseus and friends land on the island “of the lawless outrageous Cyclopes,” one-eyed giants who know nothing of planting and … Continue Reading The Great Myths #28: Odysseus Outsmarts the Cyclops
The Poet Speaks #9: Geoffrey Hill, Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, James Merrill, Ursula K. Le Guin: “We are difficult”
On the supposed “difficulty” of his poetry: We are difficult. Human beings are difficult. We’re difficult to ourselves, we’re difficult … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #9: Geoffrey Hill, Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, James Merrill, Ursula K. Le Guin: “We are difficult”
The Poet Speaks #8: Patti Smith, Toni Morrison, T. S. Eliot, Hart Crane: “I shall make every sacrifice toward that end”
As even “nerd culture” and all the rest just becomes another snobby fad and pop culture corner to hide in, … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #8: Patti Smith, Toni Morrison, T. S. Eliot, Hart Crane: “I shall make every sacrifice toward that end”
The Great Myths #27: The Monster Bear & the Making of Thunder (Miwok)
From the Miwok tribe of California, who are now “practically extinct”: Bear’s sister-in-law, Deer, had two beautiful fawn daughters. Bear … Continue Reading The Great Myths #27: The Monster Bear & the Making of Thunder (Miwok)
The Great Myths #26: Sigurd Kills the Monster Fafnir & Understands the Language of Animals (Norse)
What is the reason for gold being called otter-payment? It is said that when the Aesir went to explore the … Continue Reading The Great Myths #26: Sigurd Kills the Monster Fafnir & Understands the Language of Animals (Norse)
The Poet Speaks #7: Bronowski, Bloom, Munro, Gilbert, Trevor
On why he turned from more specialized to more popular writing on science and culture: Because of that [the use … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #7: Bronowski, Bloom, Munro, Gilbert, Trevor
Reading between the lines in early medieval England: Old English interlinear glosses
Originally posted on Thijs Porck:
A great portion of the extant Old English corpus survives between the lines of Latin manuscripts,…
The Poet Speaks #6: Yeats & Blake
Some great quotes from W. B. Yeats and William Blake, chosen almost at random from two good biographies of them; … Continue Reading The Poet Speaks #6: Yeats & Blake
The Great Myths #25: The Monster Kirttimukha & the Face of Glory (Hindu)
The Indian legend of the “Face of Glory” begins, like that of the Man-Lion, with the case of an infinitely … Continue Reading The Great Myths #25: The Monster Kirttimukha & the Face of Glory (Hindu)
