COVID 19 Poem

[Sunsilver]

Here's a challenge for you literary types! What are the classical poems referenced in this little gem? I counted 11, plus a line from a famous Shakespeare play!

[Frelga]

I only got The Road to Mandalay (Kipling) and Shropshire Lad (Houseman). I think Shakespeare is the last couple lines about the hands...

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[Sunsilver]

Yes, that's correct. It's from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

[Frelga]

Oh yeah, and Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is Wordsworth.

[Sunsilver]

Yup!

[Jude]

Sea Fever by John Masefield
The Sky Boat Song - Sir Harold Boulton

[Sunsilver]

Right you are!

[elengil]

I recognize several as having heard or read, but not enough to remember the name or author. I do recognize Skye Boat Song reference, but I didn't get the Shakespeare this time. Oddly... I have never read or seen Midsummer Night's Dream (I almost typoed that to Midsummer Knight's Dream and now I think I have a new goal in life... Midsummer Knight's Dream, 8 Crazy Knights, A Knight to Remember...)

[Frelga]

Sea Fever by John Masefield
The Sky Boat Song - Sir Harold Boulton

Never heard of them. Give me Blok, Gumilev or Akhmatova any time.

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[Sunsilver]

Back when I was in grade school, we were required to memorize a certain number of lines of poetry every year, beginning in Grade 4, and finishing in Gr. 8. I think it was at least 200 lines per year - don't really recall - it was a long time ago! Might have been as many as 400!

In Gr. 9, we were required to memorize the 'quality of mercy' speech from Merchant of Venice! I think the Hamlet 'alas, poor Yorick' speech was also required memorization.

Of course, they don't do this anymore...more's the pity! :'(

"Sea Fever" was one of the poems we frequently memorized, also the poem in the initial line (Yeats).

Frelga, of course - you grew up in Russia, not a country that was a member of the British Commonwealth!

[Sunsilver]

Hint: the ones I didn't recognize immediately were very quickly identified by Google. And I don't think that's cheating!

[elengil]

Ooh I made it a personal goal to memorize The Raven when I was in high school. I also had to memorize 10 lines - in this case Polonius talking about the letter he found to his daughter from Hamlet - for lettering in drama, and for one of my ... I forget what it was called but it was one of those "special smart people classes" I had to memorize Hamlet's soliloquy. We didn't memorize poems as a regular, though, which seems very sad.

Let's see what I remember.

Shoot, I forget the intro. LOL but the part I remember is

I have a daughter, have while she is mine
Who in her ignorance and obedience, mark
Hath brought me this, now gather and surmise

Let's see... (line breaks are arbitrarily how I remember the lines)

To be or not to be that is the question
Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
or by opposing to end them
To die to sleep no more
And by a sleep to say we end the heartache
and the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to
Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished
To die, to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream
Aye, there's the rub
For in this sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause

I'm sure I've messed part of this up, and that's the end of where I remember anything
okay, here's the big one..

Once upon a midnight dreary
as I pondered weak and weary
Over many quaint and curious volumes of forgotten lore
As I nodded nearly napping
Suddenly there came a tapping
As of someone gently rapping
Rapping at my chamber door
Tis a visitor, I mumbled, tapping at my chamber door
Only this and nothing more

Ah distinctly I remember
it was in the bleak December
and each separate dying ember
wrought its ghost upon the floor
And the silken sad uncertain
rustling of each purple curtain
thrilled me, filled me with ...?

.. sorrow for the lost Lenore
For the rare and radiant maiden
whom the angels named Lenore
Nameless here forever more

So that now to still the beating of my heart I stood repeating
Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door
Open then I flung the door
Darkness there and nothing more

Then there's something about flew up to the pallid bust of Pallas above the chamber door
And of course, much 'nevermore'

Yeah, I remember snippets but I am really going to have to do a refresher here.
I think my parody of this one is getting in the way in my head. LOL

Once Upon a Christmas Raven

Once upon a midnight Christmas, while I pondered, weak and listless
Over many quaint and curious packages, wrapped and tied and new;
As I pondered, nearly peaking, suddenly I heard a squeaking
As if someone stealth’ly sneaking, sneaking down my chimney flu.
‘Tis Santa Claus,’ I muttered, ‘sneaking down my chimney flu,
With packages, wrapped and tied and new.’

Ah distinctly, I recall It was winter, long past fall
And each reindeer he did call as he flew on through the night.
Eagerly I sought to see them, milk and cookies out to greet them,
Underneath my tree he’ll leave them, presents all marked just for me –
Many rare and radiant presents that are all marked just for me,
He’ll leave them underneath my tree.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each festive curtain
Filled me with fantastic joys that Santa Claus would soon be here.
Down into the bright room came he, with a red hat, fat and jolly,
And a little twig of holly tight tightly gripped between his… claw?
Some stupid bird with a bit of holly in between his claw?
I couldn’t believe what then I saw!

‘Twas not Santa Claus who came in, but a fat and pitch black raven!
I knew it was food he was cravin’ as he stood and stared at me.
Not a sound then did he utter, but with many feathers fluttered
Flew up to the heavenly angel perched upon the Christmas tree –
To the heav’nly angel Gabriel perched upon the Christmas tree.
Quoth the raven, ‘Feed me.’

[Sunsilver]

LOL, Elengil!

Being in my senior years, I've forgotten a lot of the poetry I had to memorize. But since Robert Service wrote poems about the Canadian north, and the Yukon gold rush, his poems were frequently on the list:

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

[Sunsilver]

This is the Shakespeare reference:

“Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.

[Alatar]

Nobody else recognises W.B. Yeats "I will arise and go to Inisfree"? Is it that uniquely Irish?

Or is it just so well known that nobody thought to comment.

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

[Jude]

Sea Fever by John Masefield
The Sky Boat Song - Sir Harold Boulton

Never heard of them. Give me Blok, Gumilev or Akhmatova any time.

Time to plug the huge gaping hole in your education - the Skye Boat Song is one of Scotland's most popular songs.



I mainly know Sea Fever because it was set to music by John Ireland:

[Sunsilver]

No, Alatar, it's not. It's one of the poems I recall memorizing in school. Most of the poems in our textbooks and readers were from the U.K. - that's what happens when you belong to the Commonwealth!

Edit: just realized I mentioned Yeats above, and Sea Fever, another memory gem!

[elengil]

Alatar - I recognized it, but not its source. That is, it was familiar but not 'known'.

Frelga/Jude, Skye Boat Song is also the theme tune of Outlander, which makes it much more widely known.

[elengil]

Looked up Polonius' lines and oh lord, how did I ever forget this!?

Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he's mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity,
And pity 'tis 'tis true — a foolish figure,
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him, then. And now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather, say the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause.
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus.

I have a daughter — have whilst she is mine —
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this. Now gather and surmise.

[Sunsilver]

Here are the answers:


I won't arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, Yeats: The Lake of Innisfree
I'll sanitize the doorknob, and make a cup of tea.
I won't go down to the sea again, I won't go out at all, J.W Masefield Sea Fever
I'll wander lonely as a cloud, from the kitchen to the hall. Longfellow: I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud
There's a green-eyed yellow monster to the north of Kathmandu, W.B Hayes: The Green Eye of the Yellow God
But I shan't be seeing him just yet, and nor, I think will you.
While the dawn comes up like thunder to the north of Mandalay, R. Kipling: Mandalay
I'll make my bit of supper, and eat it from a tray. N. Coward: Something on a Tray
I shall not speed my bonnie boat across the sea to Skye Skye Boat Song - H. Boulton
Or take the rolling English road from Birmingham to Rye. G.K. Chesterton: The Rolling English Road
About the woodland just right now, I am not free to go, A.E. Houseman: Loveliest of Trees
To see the Keep Out posters or the cherry hung with snow.
And no, I won't be travelling much within the realms of gold, Keats: On First Looking into Chapman's Homer
Or get to Milford haven. All that's been put on hold. Michael Drayton: Milford Haven
Give me your hands, I shan't request, albeit we are friends W. Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream
Nor come within a mile of you, until this shit show ends.

Edit: YIKES, I tried to space out the answers, so they weren't right up against the poem, but alas, did not succeed... Oh well...

It really is a shame that classic poetry is no longer taught in schools!