Although when I had my students read it, the boys appreciated it significantly less than the girls.
I wonder why.
Though I'm sure they appreciated it more than they were willing to admit publicly. I like his Satyre on King Charles II, as well.
He has other good stuff, but there are none that are so brilliant in terms of such good poetry describing such a very, er, risqué subject.
And of course
Here lies a great and mighty King,
Whose promise none relied on;
He never said a foolish thing,
Nor ever did a wise one
Props to Charles for coming up with a witty reply to that one, though (if you haven't read it, it was something to the effect of that that made perfect sense, since his words were his own while his acts were his ministers'
. I usually recoil at obscenity, but there is something about obscenity wrapped in perfect form which changes it entirely. It makes it not vulgar, I suppose. And I won't pretend the fact that it is a couple of hundred years old does not help.
Well, most of it isn't even that obscene - I mean, yes, it's graphic, but the language is only obscene on occasion, like the "her hand, her foot, her very look's a cunt" bit. Phrases like "the all-dissolving thunderbolt below" are more hilarious than obscene.
Poetry:
- 08/11/2010 02:07:39 AM
1574 Views
Re: Poetry:
- 08/11/2010 04:13:38 AM
1055 Views
This is why people dislike you.
- 09/11/2010 07:03:17 PM
1043 Views
Umm...I care?
- 09/11/2010 08:42:55 PM
1015 Views
Because you should care about being intelligent, rather than appearing to be intelligent.
- 09/11/2010 10:32:04 PM
1050 Views
Again, why would I care?
- 09/11/2010 10:38:21 PM
1066 Views
No one can make you care about being decent, or intelligent, or a viable member of the community.
- 09/11/2010 10:41:34 PM
974 Views
I think it's rather pointless, to be honest.
- 09/11/2010 10:54:17 PM
1002 Views
Then why are you even here?
- 09/11/2010 10:59:49 PM
959 Views
I don't know. I thought I'd see how long I could string you along.
- 09/11/2010 11:00:37 PM
885 Views
You're the one who doesn't care.
- 09/11/2010 11:02:11 PM
929 Views
I care only as much as I care. What others think is irrelevant to that.
- 09/11/2010 11:04:15 PM
930 Views
But you're still responding to me.
- 09/11/2010 11:05:37 PM
1002 Views
Because I'm stringing you out until you quit.
- 09/11/2010 11:10:18 PM
1045 Views
I'm not going to. I find this entertaining.
- 09/11/2010 11:12:27 PM
988 Views
I do as well. It's fun pretending to be an asshole, I'll admit.
- 09/11/2010 11:17:34 PM
959 Views
Come now, who's pretending?
- 09/11/2010 11:22:18 PM
984 Views
That is officially the last one before I start editing and making them NM. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:24:12 PM
457 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:24:12 PM
457 Views
Me, most of the time
- 09/11/2010 11:40:26 PM
965 Views
Keep telling yourself that. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:46:34 PM
846 Views
Why would I? It's not something I think much about these days. Again, what others think is trivial. *NM*
- 10/11/2010 12:01:03 AM
481 Views
Are you 5?
- 09/11/2010 11:14:26 PM
846 Views
Nah
- 09/11/2010 11:15:48 PM
1099 Views
But you were asked about it originally. That was my point.
- 09/11/2010 11:23:25 PM
889 Views
And I was evasive about it at the time. When pressed, I answered more fully.
- 09/11/2010 11:48:27 PM
979 Views
Why be evasive?
- 10/11/2010 12:16:19 AM
1077 Views
Because I didn't want to spend an hour pulling out a few dozen books.
- 10/11/2010 12:19:55 AM
1092 Views
Ye gods. Could you people at the very, very least make your messages NM?
- 09/11/2010 11:17:25 PM
945 Views
*NM*
I must say, I'm glad you all decided to play up when I was having an evening off. *NM*
- 10/11/2010 12:08:59 PM
437 Views
*NM*
- 10/11/2010 12:08:59 PM
437 Views
I disagree with your claim that there can be no value in translations.
- 09/11/2010 08:51:20 PM
959 Views
Not "no value", but "different value" is what I would argue
- 09/11/2010 09:55:54 PM
1042 Views
I don't disagree, but you can't possibly learn all languages, yet you can read translations of all.
- 09/11/2010 10:56:58 PM
1040 Views
My choice, hands down, is to ignore the poetry in languages I don't read.
- 10/11/2010 01:44:32 AM
973 Views
An English translation of The Divine Comedy was pivotal to my conversion to Christianity.
- 10/11/2010 11:04:57 AM
890 Views
Ooh, good survey. I've been thinking for a while we needed more poetry discussion.
- 08/11/2010 10:58:24 AM
1115 Views
I think you underestimate the number of translations of the Bible.
- 09/11/2010 01:20:30 AM
1106 Views
Did they just translate logos as... life-light?
- 09/11/2010 07:14:28 PM
983 Views
Yes. Yes, they did. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 09:56:09 PM
376 Views
I can count the poems I enjoy on one hand. Two fingers, in fact.
- 08/11/2010 06:05:22 PM
1011 Views
I think poetry is largely overrated.
- 08/11/2010 06:12:59 PM
1096 Views
the problem is most good poets are dead and dead people tend to fail at marketing
- 08/11/2010 06:44:18 PM
1034 Views
I like some poetry, but by no means all.
- 09/11/2010 12:28:41 AM
1131 Views
Now that you mention it, The Imperfect Enjoyment might rank among my favourite poems. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 12:46:56 AM
399 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 12:46:56 AM
399 Views
It is excellent
- 09/11/2010 08:16:01 PM
1129 Views
Re: It is excellent
- 09/11/2010 10:53:24 PM
968 Views
*NM*
Re: Poetry:
- 10/11/2010 04:57:31 PM
941 Views
Re: Nice
- 11/11/2010 01:39:48 AM
1094 Views
Man. . . That voice? Yeah. He should be reading me stories every night.
- 11/11/2010 11:57:02 AM
1196 Views
Re: Man. . . That voice? Yeah. He should be reading me stories every night.
- 12/11/2010 04:36:22 AM
1930 Views