Boadicea's Chariot

He’s always referred to as ‘Alfred, Lord Tennyson’  – I don’t know why. (‘Sebastian, Lord Coe’? Naeh, it doesn’t sound right. But I digress. This is a post about pomes, not poetry in motion.) Alfred is an easy poet to enjoy, not just for his aphorisms, but for his metre too – like these:

Extract from Locksley Hall, 1835:

“Many an evening by the waters did we watch the stately ships,
And our spirits rush’d together at the touching of the lips.
O my cousin, shallow-hearted! O my Amy, mine no more!
O the dreary, dreary moorland! O the barren, barren shore!”     (modified trochaic octameter!)

Extract from In Memoriam:27, 1850:

“I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all                                                     (classic rumty-tumty tum!)

In stark contrast, one hundred years later, a certain e. e. cummings let it all hang out – unbridled, you might say:

“if i believe in death be sure of this it is

because you have loved me, moon and sunset stars and flowers gold  creshendo and silver muting

of seatides i trusted not, one night when in my fingers

drooped your shining body when my heart sang between your perfect breasts

darkness and beauty of stars was on my mouth petals danced against my  eyes and down

the singing reaches of my soul spoke the green–

greeting pale departing irrevocable sea i knew thee death.

and when i have offered up each fragrant night,when all my days shall have before a certain

face become white perfume only,

from the ashes then thou wilt rise and thou wilt come to her and  brush

the mischief from her eyes and fold her mouth the new flower  with

thy unimaginable wings,where dwells the breath of all persisting stars”                                (!)

~~~~~~

(breath) So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to weave a spell about your own or someone else’s lost love – any style, any length, any love-object of your choosing - simply dripping with passion and pathos.

Closing date 23rd September 2012, Baltic breakfast time. Would you like to borrow my hankie?