Just got word that Every Day Poets has accepted my poem "Leaf Peepers" for publication (after asking for a needed revision). Will post here when the publication date becomes known.
This is my second poetry sale (the first was "Dead Things" in Ghostlight magazine), so I can safely say I've branched out. I know there may not be much crossover for fiction readers and poetry readers, but writing poetry well is great training for a fiction writer, where every word must mean something, and fit into the whole.
It's a shame that more people don't read good poetry, for at it's best, it expands the mind. Some combination of words to conjure a picture, a feeling, a mini-story.
There's a few poems I can still recite, and others I know parts of. "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll is an old favorite I got to share with my daughter when she discovered it in school. "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe was one of my father's favorites, and I love it as well.
(As a big Poe fan, I'm thrilled that my other daughter just got a 98 in Honors English on her Poe project. I told her she'd made an old writer happy!)
Do you have any favorites?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Congrats, Dale! I look forward to seeing the published work! Meantime, here's my favorite poem, which I had to learn to recite (and still can!). Luckily I got to choose what I'd recite. It's beautiful in French.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't find a video that would show it off properly. Still, for those of you looking forward to spring, enjoy!
Le Temps a laissé son manteau
Le temps a laissé son manteau
De vent, de froidure et de pluie
Et s'est vêtu de broderie,
De soleil luisant, clair et beau.
Il n'y a bête ni oiseau,
Qu'en son jargon ne chante ou crie:
"Le temps a laissé son manteau!"
De vent, de froidure et de pluie.
Rivière, fontaine et ruisseau
Portent en livrée jolie,
Gouttes d'argent, d'orfèvrerie.
Chacun s'habille de nouveau
Le temps a laissé son manteau.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ier_d'Orléans --Charles d'Orléans, 1394-1465
The weather has left its coat
The weather has left its coat
Of wind, and cold and rain
And dressed itself in embroidery,
In clear, beautiful, shining sun.
There is neither beast nor bird
Who in its cry doesn't sing or shout:
"The weather has left its coat!"
Of wind, and cold and rain.
River, fountain, and brook
Deliver pretty
Drops of silver and goldsmithing,
Everyone wears new clothes
The weather has left its coat.
Here is a translation, but it takes many liberties in meaning. That's why mine is more literal, though it doesn't rhyme. (I've provided modern French; the original was in Oldl French.) I'm not a poet, and you can tell, eh?
http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Charles_d_orleans/
Very nice! We sure need a touch of Spring!
ReplyDeleteAwhile back, I was commissioned to write a poem for my historical group. I discovered that the person being addressed loved the poetry of Ronsard. So I went to the library and asked who the expert on French Medieval poetry was. I found a few examples, and was able to adapt one into "The Paradox of Time," which had a nice effect.