A great bard arose in the far end of time.
Moses was his name; he sang of God
and the works of God: of Earth-making
and life-giving, of good Creator
and good creation, froward creation
and patient God.
A great bard arose in the midway of time.
Shakespeare his name; he sang of humanity,
good and evil: of noble deeds
and basest treason, joyous fortune
and grievous fate, the rising and falling
of human life.
A great bard arose in the near end of time.
Whitman was his name; whatever he sang
and whenever he wrote, all his song was of
himself.
For This Year's Christmas Card: Clerihews
2 days ago
Very interesting Tim. I really liked the constant symbolism and metaphoric language you use. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Timothy --- it's Bryana from over at AO Unlimited. I saw your blog link on your facebook profile and thought I'd check it out. My blog is not very active lately -- and I see yours isn't either :) but I really liked this poem. *sticks tongue out at Whitman.* I think he wrote two or three things that were OK but mostly said a whole bunch of nothing and exuded a particularly irritating form of chauvinism. I'm baffled as to how he became so popular in today's culture.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you are also familiar with G.K. Chesterton? (my favorite poet of all time) :) He had quite a bit to say about Whitman:
"Walt Whitman is beyond question the ablest man America has yet produced. He also happens to be, incidentally, one of the greatest men of the nineteenth century. Ibsen is all very well, Zola is all very well, Materlinck is all very well, but we have begun already to get to the end of them. And we have not yet begun to get to the beginning of Whitman." [G.K. Chesterton, "Conventions and the Hero]
:D
But perhaps my favorite thing he ever said about Whitman is in this poem: (if you haven't read it before, I highly recommend it. My sister and I laughed so hard.)
http://ww.oldpoetry.com/poem/8492611-Variations_of_an_Air-by-Gilbert_Keith_Chesterton
Again, great poem, and thanks for sharing!