tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post840636231934744039..comments2024-03-23T20:37:37.891-07:00Comments on First Known When Lost: Two LinesStephen Pentzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-80262581662960817722016-02-29T21:10:48.270-08:002016-02-29T21:10:48.270-08:00E Berris: I hadn't thought of it that way, but...E Berris: I hadn't thought of it that way, but now you've got me thinking about this further. The interplay is interesting. Mahon prefers to call his translations "versions" of the original text, which I think fits in with your observation -- although I may be missing your point.<br /><br />It's very nice to hear from you again. As ever, thank you very much for stopping by.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-26083321960687338642016-02-29T11:32:34.098-08:002016-02-29T11:32:34.098-08:00I really like the two short poems read 'togeth...I really like the two short poems read 'together' as it were - both have that same strong emphasis on 'Nothing" and "Choses" yet are opposites, and this amalgam continues. Thanks as always. S. Berris.E Berrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15444426908291693984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-45506048330498058792016-02-17T20:39:12.552-08:002016-02-17T20:39:12.552-08:00Susan: I'm very happy to hear from you again....Susan: I'm very happy to hear from you again. I'm pleased you like Aldridge's paintings. "Beslyn's Pond" is wonderful, isn't it? It is my favorite of Aldridge's paintings (and one of my favorite paintings, period), and one of the main reasons for this is exactly what you suggest: it seems to me to perfectly capture the look and the feel of early spring. It is one of those paintings you want to walk into and never return. At least for me.<br /><br />I hope that you are experiencing, or will soon experience, a similar spring where you are. It is always a pleasure to have you stop by. As ever, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-24461352832696002272016-02-17T18:20:38.909-08:002016-02-17T18:20:38.909-08:00I love the range of seasons in the Aldridge painti...I love the range of seasons in the Aldridge paintings. Two wonderful Februarys, one summer, & "Beslyn's Pond" looks like early spring to me. SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-46403260346504783422016-02-16T10:06:13.850-08:002016-02-16T10:06:13.850-08:00Ms. Turner: I'm pleased you like the painting...Ms. Turner: I'm pleased you like the paintings by John Aldridge. I'm fond of his work, and it has appeared here often. I completely agree with your observations about shorter poems. Thank you very much for visiting, and for sharing your thoughts.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-10532768684519506972016-02-16T04:58:16.778-08:002016-02-16T04:58:16.778-08:00Thank you for introducing me to the work of John A...Thank you for introducing me to the work of John Aldridge. It is gratifying to know that there is some appreciation for brevity in poetry, it can be so multifaceted, and in this way it is frequently mesmerizing.Maggie Turnerhttp://www.maggieturner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-6809374991172963382016-02-15T16:44:18.097-08:002016-02-15T16:44:18.097-08:00R.T.: Thank you for the poem by Pound; I agree th...R.T.: Thank you for the poem by Pound; I agree that it goes well here.<br /><br />Thank you very much for visiting again. I wish you well at your new blogging location, and with your new emphasis -- I have already paid a visit.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-45168195370829104182016-02-15T11:27:58.609-08:002016-02-15T11:27:58.609-08:00May I be bold enough to offer something by Ezra Po...May I be bold enough to offer something by Ezra Pound as an addition:<br /><br />The apparition of these faces in the crowd;<br />Petals on a wet, black bough.<br /><br /><br /><br />All the best from a "fan" of your blog, formerly of Beyond Eastrod; you are invited, BTW, to visit and comment at my new Transcendental American literature blog:<br />http://beyondwaldenpond.blogspot.com/<br /><br /><br />RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-964364525506303562016-02-14T16:22:08.291-08:002016-02-14T16:22:08.291-08:00Mr. Floyd: Thank you very much for the poems by D...Mr. Floyd: Thank you very much for the poems by Dickinson, and for reminding us that she is also a master of the short poem -- in her inimitable "cryptic and aphoristic" way, to borrow your words. Of the poems you shared, I particularly like "Winter under cultivation/Is as arable as Spring." It sounds like something that Herrick might have written, but with Dickinson's unique angle on things.<br /><br />As always, thank you very much for visiting, and for sharing both your thoughts and the poems.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-21235942271200868562016-02-14T10:41:23.911-08:002016-02-14T10:41:23.911-08:00Sir,
Emily Dickinson, often a cryptic and aphoris...Sir,<br /><br />Emily Dickinson, often a cryptic and aphoristic poet, wrote nearly 1800 poems, most of them short but only few, comparably speaking, of them as short as two lines. To find them one would have to leaf through the thick tome of her poetry. I'm not in the mood this morning to sift through almost 2000 poems--and I'm sure you aren't in the mood to read through what would be construed as a long list of two-liners. The entire thrust of your post is on the sublime value of brevity. <br /><br />I can, however, quote a few from memory (I did check to make sure my memory didn't vary from the original poem). No doubt she wrote superior two-line poems, but, right now, these (see below) are the few I remember. It had been better perhaps had fated blessed me with more acute aesthetic taste, but I am, don't get me wrong, thankful for a strong memory.<br /><br />I find this simile of hers lovely:<br /><br />Soft as the massacre of Suns<br />By Evening's Sabres slain.<br /><br />On timelessness:<br /><br />The competetions of the sky<br />Corrodless ply.<br /><br />On love:<br /><br />Society for me my misery<br />Since gift of Thee.<br /><br />The triumph over despair (I think):<br /><br />Winter under cultivation<br />Is as arable as Spring.<br /><br />Bruce Floyd<br />Bruce Floydnoreply@blogger.com