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
1710 Views
Re: Poetry:
- 08/11/2010 04:13:38 AM
1191 Views
This is why people dislike you.
- 09/11/2010 07:03:17 PM
1187 Views
Umm...I care?
- 09/11/2010 08:42:55 PM
1164 Views
Because you should care about being intelligent, rather than appearing to be intelligent.
- 09/11/2010 10:32:04 PM
1194 Views
Again, why would I care?
- 09/11/2010 10:38:21 PM
1198 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
1118 Views
I think it's rather pointless, to be honest.
- 09/11/2010 10:54:17 PM
1177 Views
Then why are you even here?
- 09/11/2010 10:59:49 PM
1120 Views
I don't know. I thought I'd see how long I could string you along.
- 09/11/2010 11:00:37 PM
1048 Views
You're the one who doesn't care.
- 09/11/2010 11:02:11 PM
1085 Views
I care only as much as I care. What others think is irrelevant to that.
- 09/11/2010 11:04:15 PM
1091 Views
But you're still responding to me.
- 09/11/2010 11:05:37 PM
1146 Views
Because I'm stringing you out until you quit.
- 09/11/2010 11:10:18 PM
1175 Views
I'm not going to. I find this entertaining.
- 09/11/2010 11:12:27 PM
1146 Views
I do as well. It's fun pretending to be an asshole, I'll admit.
- 09/11/2010 11:17:34 PM
1123 Views
Come now, who's pretending?
- 09/11/2010 11:22:18 PM
1133 Views
That is officially the last one before I start editing and making them NM. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:24:12 PM
537 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:24:12 PM
537 Views
Me, most of the time
- 09/11/2010 11:40:26 PM
1120 Views
Keep telling yourself that. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 11:46:34 PM
987 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
552 Views
Are you 5?
- 09/11/2010 11:14:26 PM
992 Views
Nah
- 09/11/2010 11:15:48 PM
1238 Views
But you were asked about it originally. That was my point.
- 09/11/2010 11:23:25 PM
1067 Views
And I was evasive about it at the time. When pressed, I answered more fully.
- 09/11/2010 11:48:27 PM
1106 Views
Why be evasive?
- 10/11/2010 12:16:19 AM
1250 Views
Because I didn't want to spend an hour pulling out a few dozen books.
- 10/11/2010 12:19:55 AM
1239 Views
Ye gods. Could you people at the very, very least make your messages NM?
- 09/11/2010 11:17:25 PM
1118 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
491 Views
*NM*
- 10/11/2010 12:08:59 PM
491 Views
I disagree with your claim that there can be no value in translations.
- 09/11/2010 08:51:20 PM
1112 Views
Not "no value", but "different value" is what I would argue
- 09/11/2010 09:55:54 PM
1180 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
1186 Views
My choice, hands down, is to ignore the poetry in languages I don't read.
- 10/11/2010 01:44:32 AM
1125 Views
An English translation of The Divine Comedy was pivotal to my conversion to Christianity.
- 10/11/2010 11:04:57 AM
1036 Views
Ooh, good survey. I've been thinking for a while we needed more poetry discussion.
- 08/11/2010 10:58:24 AM
1330 Views
I think you underestimate the number of translations of the Bible.
- 09/11/2010 01:20:30 AM
1265 Views
Did they just translate logos as... life-light?
- 09/11/2010 07:14:28 PM
1156 Views
Yes. Yes, they did. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 09:56:09 PM
435 Views
I can count the poems I enjoy on one hand. Two fingers, in fact.
- 08/11/2010 06:05:22 PM
1151 Views
I think poetry is largely overrated.
- 08/11/2010 06:12:59 PM
1231 Views
the problem is most good poets are dead and dead people tend to fail at marketing
- 08/11/2010 06:44:18 PM
1164 Views
I like some poetry, but by no means all.
- 09/11/2010 12:28:41 AM
1286 Views
Now that you mention it, The Imperfect Enjoyment might rank among my favourite poems. *NM*
- 09/11/2010 12:46:56 AM
476 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 12:46:56 AM
476 Views
It is excellent
- 09/11/2010 08:16:01 PM
1265 Views
Re: It is excellent
- 09/11/2010 10:53:24 PM
1107 Views
*NM*
Re: Poetry:
- 10/11/2010 04:57:31 PM
1086 Views
Re: Nice
- 11/11/2010 01:39:48 AM
1236 Views
Man. . . That voice? Yeah. He should be reading me stories every night.
- 11/11/2010 11:57:02 AM
1371 Views
Re: Man. . . That voice? Yeah. He should be reading me stories every night.
- 12/11/2010 04:36:22 AM
2103 Views