Is it wrong to hate poetry

?

I have two poets that I adore....one is Dylan Thomas, the other is the man I love, John Betjeman.

Here's a wonderful one from Betjeman.


Death In Leamington

She died in the upstairs bedroom
By the light of the ev'ning star
That shone through the plate glass window
From over Leamington Spa

Beside her the lonely crochet
Lay patiently and unstirred,
But the fingers that would have work'd it
Were dead as the spoken word.

And Nurse came in with the tea-things
Breast high 'mid the stands and chairs-
But Nurse was alone with her own little soul,
And the things were alone with theirs.

She bolted the big round window,
She let the blinds unroll,
She set a match to the mantle,
She covered the fire with coal.

And "Tea!" she said in a tiny voice
"Wake up! It's nearly five"
Oh! Chintzy, chintzy cheeriness,
Half dead and half alive.

Do you know that the stucco is peeling?
Do you know that the heart will stop?
From those yellow Italianate arches
Do you hear the plaster drop?

Nurse looked at the silent bedstead,
At the gray, decaying face,
As the calm of a Leamington ev'ning
Drifted into the place.

She moved the table of bottles
Away from the bed to the wall;
And tiptoeing gently over the stairs
Turned down the gas in the hall.

thats depressing

missj wrote:thats depressing

It's poignant.

Is it wrong to hate Dickens?

Poetry like anything else is hit and miss. Dickens is just "miss". Has dated to the pont of unreadability for me.

Dickens takes some ploughing through.
How about this wonderful effort from Dylan Thomas?


DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Fucking wonderful.

There's a lot of shite poetry about though.

Always annoyed me that arseholes who'd wrap their smelly fucking feet in the Union flag hijacked "Jerusalem", Tony.

That and "Funeral Blues" by Auden, which I once shamelessly but shamefully modified for the trolls, get me every time.

Mr Shankly

Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop, this is one of my favourites


IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Christina Rossetti
Remember

REMEMBER me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.


So it is wrong to hate poetry.imo.

Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop you need to get out more mg ,, hows the internet dating going

Bert wrote:Is it wrong to hate Dickens?

Poetry like anything else is hit and miss. Dickens is just "miss". Has dated to the pont of unreadability for me.

I read Great Expectations and David Copperfield years ago.I must say I enjoyed them.

i love dickens but the books are hard to read imo

missj wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop you need to get out more mg ,, hows the internet dating going

lol I was killing a bit of time waiting for the bus.Well Anthony has a great sense of humour, a good job, his own house, we have the same tastes in music and comedy.We love History and Lurchers AND THE THATS THE PROBLEM.HES TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

failing that theres always olspay

missj wrote:failing that theres always olspay

People like me are only good enough to shine Richie Richs' shoes.

morning_glory wrote:

missj wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop you need to get out more mg ,, hows the internet dating going

lol I was killing a bit of time waiting for the bus.Well Anthony has a great sense of humour, a good job, his own house, we have the same tastes in music and comedy.We love History and Lurchers AND THE THATS THE PROBLEM.HES TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

How's his wife?

morning_glory wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop, this is one of my favourites


IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Most wankers only know that one through Mike Basset England Manager.

Mad Tony wrote:

morning_glory wrote:

missj wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop you need to get out more mg ,, hows the internet dating going

lol I was killing a bit of time waiting for the bus.Well Anthony has a great sense of humour, a good job, his own house, we have the same tastes in music and comedy.We love History and Lurchers AND THE THATS THE PROBLEM.HES TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

How's his wife?

He says he's divorced.

Mad Tony wrote:

morning_glory wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop, this is one of my favourites


IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Most wankers only know that one through Mike Basset England Manager.

Ive never seen the film

morning_glory wrote:

Mad Tony wrote:

morning_glory wrote:

missj wrote:Coincidently I bought a poetry book today from the Epilepsy shop you need to get out more mg ,, hows the internet dating going

lol I was killing a bit of time waiting for the bus.Well Anthony has a great sense of humour, a good job, his own house, we have the same tastes in music and comedy.We love History and Lurchers AND THE THATS THE PROBLEM.HES TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

How's his wife?

He says he's divorced.

THAT old chestnut!!

Ive got his email addy, his mobile and his home number.what does that mean.

morning_glory wrote:Ive got his email addy, his mobile and his home number.what does that mean.

Home number?