A poem that I read today by Mac

[jisbell00]

This and the Nut-Brown Maid are two of Percy's most famous: https://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry ... spens.html

Here's the opening poem of Night Thoughts (Edward Young): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/ ... mmortality

Here's Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/ ... churchyard

ANd here's a full text of Ossian (which is poems in prose): https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Poems_of_Ossian . As for Ossian, I have somewhere a good article on Macpherson's actual antiquarian work in SCotland. Johnson of course hated all things SCottish. 3rd century seems silly, but there were oral "fragments," that much seems clear, out of which he built his text. There was a textual basis, as in Finland (and say Estonia).

This all helped set the stage, 1742-1765ish, for the British Romantic explosion. Blake illustrated Young, 1795-1797.

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

Fab John. That's a rollicking sea salt yarn from Percy. Good 'un. Onto the next

[jisbell00]

I like the new moon with the old moon in her arms there. The Gray is full of famous lines, like far from the madding crowd.

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

Procrastination is the thief of time how apt for me Young's curt ending made me chuckle.

Yes, Gray's poem is a classic.

[Macavity]

As you say John, poems in prose, one for me to dip into on a rainy day. I quite like a bit of saga fantasy to escape the contemporary madness!

[jisbell00]

A rainy day would suit Ossian to a t!

Glad you enjoyed the Young and the Gray. Procrastination indeed!

You might just enjoy dipping into my Outline of Romanticism in the West, which is free online for download. If you fancy a look, may I recommend just the introduction? Though Chapter One is fun IMO, it covers twelve national traditions, with extracts and translations: https://www.openbookpublishers.com/book ... 7/obp.0302

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

Yes, I did dip into your book John when you first posted the link. I admire and respect your comparative studies of Romanticism. As you argue, the context and understanding of Romanticism cannot be limited by national borders. After all, many of the Romantics were also travellers!

[jisbell00]

They were indeed! Starting with Keats, Byron, and Shelley of course, who all died overseas, but also Wordsworth in Revolutionary France and Coleridge with his debts to Schelling. There's really no getting away from it.

Thanks for dipping into the book! That's the advantage of free downloads.

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/ ... -poet-dead

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetry ... -landscape

[jisbell00]

Here's a good line: "I was like you once, he added, in love with turbulence."

Yes, she was a very good poet. A bit academic, but I think now there's no harm in that. RIP.

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

Indeed not John.

[jisbell00]

I have her collected poems and read it with some pleasure. Sparse seems a good word for it.

Cheers,
John

[Macavity]

Another Gluck

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-wild-iris/

[jisbell00]

And another Gluck:

[Macavity]

[jisbell00]

I like both!

[Macavity]

The first line hook...

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/ ... ting-point

[jisbell00]

And here's another MacNeice I like:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/ ... b58513ffae

[Macavity]

Love it John.

[jisbell00]

Hilaire Belloc, master of tetrameter:

https://poetandpoem.com/Hilaire-Belloc/ ... -of-Beasts

[Macavity]

Charming John. The 'discreet' owl is brill.

[jisbell00]

He makes it all look effortless. To me, that's his great gift. Yup, the owl is brill!

[Macavity]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/ ... -ann-duffy