Stephen continues his exploration of the poetic conceit that 'all the world's a stage'... If Life is indeed a drama or comedy in which we are actors, I will hazard a guess that most of us see ourselves as the leading man or the leading lady in the entertainment. James Simmons's ... Read More...
Dabbler Verse
The paranoiac feeling that 'All the world's a stage' has troubled many poets... The poetic conceit that life may be compared to a work of art - most commonly, a play - is an old one. At some point in our lives, the thought may occur to us that we are ... Read More...
In this week's poetry feature, W H Auden and his debt to Robert Frost... At this time of year small piles of sand begin to appear along the seams of the sidewalks. The ants have awakened, and have begun their work. Who knows what is going on beneath our feet? Complicated ... Read More...
Do you hear the Spring sound of mowers humming? Stephen considers the poetic qualities of grass... I am easy to please. All seems right with the world when, on a sunny spring day, I can hear the hum of lawnmowers from various points in the distance, and the scent of freshly-cut ... Read More...
For Easter Sunday, here is Easter Wings, from the great religious poet and all but saintly priest George Herbert. It is a fine example of 'pattern poetry' or shaped verse, in which the lines assume a form that illustrates and expresses the meaning of the poem. Here each stanza shortens its lines towards ... Read More...
In today's Dabbler Verse post, Stephen introduces P. J. Kavanagh's poetic tribute to Edward Thomas... This coming Wednesday is the 97th anniversary of Edward Thomas's death at the Battle of Arras. In 1917, April 9th fell on Easter Monday. Edward Thomas in Heaven Edward, with thinning hair and hooded eyes Walking in England, haversack ... Read More...
In today's Dabbler Verse feature, two poems about hanging out the washing... Ivor Gurney was extremely sensitive to changes in the world around him, be it the weather or the seasons. Of course, one could argue that any "nature poet" (e.g., Edward Thomas, Andrew Young, John Clare, William Wordsworth) necessarily possesses ... Read More...
Following his post on Andrew Young, Stephen introduces another overlooked poet... James Reeves (1909-1978) devoted his life to poetry -- as a poet, an editor, an anthologist, a teacher, and a critic. But his devotion was a quiet one. Hence, his poetry does not receive the attention that it deserves. I ... Read More...
After a winter of record-breaking wetness and flooded lowlands, Stephen selects some poetry to make us feel better about water... In view of recent events, readers from the United Kingdom may be justifiably ill-disposed towards poetic paeans to water. Thus, I beg their indulgence as we consider its beneficent qualities, as ... Read More...
"Eternity Is Not Length Of Life But Depth Of Life" - how a line on a child's grave haunted the poet Charlotte Mew... Charlotte Mew, like any self-respecting Victorian poet, wrote her share of graveyard poems. Although I think of Mew as a modern poet, her life (she was born in ... Read More...
