...wait, no, that's the worst setup for a joke I ever heard.

Image requested in the pub last night is here. Contains ewts and ferrets.

Robert Frost's poem I have been one acquainted with the night as referenced in conversation last night. ali_in_london managed to change my view on this one, it's not nearly as Prufrock as I thought.

And for your miscellaneous delectations and entertainment, The Oxford Hysteria of English Poetry by Adrian Mitchell.

Then Charles the Second swung down from the trees
And it was sexual medley time
And the only verses they wanted
Were epigrams an Chloe's breasts
But I only got published on the back of her left knee-cap.
Next came Pope and Dryden
So I went underground.
Don't mess with the Mafia.

Tags: lit-geeking, poetry
Current Music: Peter Beagle - The Ballad of Mary Read

His new translation looks really good. A taste of it, and an interview with him, can be seen here.


Gawain,' said the green knight, 'By God, I'm glad
the favour I've called for will fall from your fist.
You've perfectly repeated the promise we've made
and the terms of the contest are crystal clear.
Except for one thing: you must solemnly swear
that you'll seek me yourself; that you'll search me out
to the ends of the earth to earn the same blow
as you'll dole out today in this decorous hall.'

Tags: lit-geeking, poetry
Current Location: London