There are two things I don’t like about “When We Were Slugs”, the new poetry collection from James Manlow, the erstwhile Poet Laureate for Bournemouth. The first dislike is the cover, which to me seems a mess, a splodge. My second objection is the title, which is one of the poems, but which, whilst it may invite curiosity, has bathetic qualities. (That said, however, ‘When We Were Slugs’ is itself a fine poem). And now, having got my two objections out of the way, I’d like to record what a brilliant collection of poems this volume represents.

What I especially like about it is the combination of technical mastery and genuine insight; add to this that the poems are written in – to use Wordsworth’s hackneyed expression – the ‘language of men’, then we have a highly readable and relevant book. The book contains 24 poems, which are all good, but many are excellent: “Sea Poem”, which kicks off the collection, “Marilyn”, “The Dressing”, “Delilah”, “Entertaining the Dictator” (which is the outstanding poem of the whole collection), “Roots” and “The Year Gone”.

“Sea Poem” seems innocuous enough, but on examination one detects a subtle sonnet structure, but with many lines pared down to seven or so syllables; and there is a flexible use of pararhymes: for example: ‘interpret/limit’. But the waves of the poem build; it seems to be about something – the detritus that the waves throw up – but then in the final and Shakespearean couplet everything expands, including the poet’s consciousness: we get ‘The sea can’t control what’s found; / only go on making that tender, restless sound’. Notice the sudden, perfect rhyme, as if the true theme has suddenly locked into place; notice how the seven syllables of the penultimate line abruptly whoosh out into a full alexandrine of 12 syllables like something from a Spenser poem. And notice, too, how the last line shifts our attention from the rubbish of the sea to the emotion that it metaphorically represents, which speaks to us in tenderness as it lulls us, but at the same time is still restless in its movement, as we are. In short, the poem brilliantly communicates the ambivalent human condition. What is so good about this achievement is the very metaphor of the sea – that it has often been used in this way as a metaphor is undeniable, but Manlow here has made the metaphor his own. That is impressive.

If “Sea Poem” is impressive, then “Marilyn” is more so. It typically too represents a theme that Manlow is interested in and explores extremely well in several of the other poems: a seething sexuality that packs a punch! See “Delilah” too! Again, in “Marilyn”, the concluding couplet is superb, drawing together all the threads of the poem and her shattered life (this of course is Marilyn Monroe) and then suggesting even deeper, even darker, thoughts: “Towards the bright lights she brings her sorrow,/Thinking, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” Wow – this truncated reference to Shakespeare and specifically Macbeth reflecting in the aftermath of his wife’s suicide is writing of the highest order. Nothing here is laboured, all is compact, and telling: the end is inevitable. Wonderful poetry.

Space prohibits further analysis, but I must just comment on “Entertaining the Dictator” before I end this review. This poem is the greatest poem of the collection. First, it’s a villanelle, a notoriously difficult form to master; second, all that I have talked about before (the oblique rhymes, the seething sexuality, the powerful ending) is here in abundance. But also too we have disgust and revulsion, and what might be termed political poetry. Manlow isn’t preaching; rather, he is observing and describing, and doing so, via the repetitive villanelle form, in a somewhat mechanical way. Yet the cumulative effect of doing this adds up to a complete indictment of fascism (or dictatorships more generally) and also in the final line a complete indictment of us: “Yet we’d done nothing, and no one had said a word”. This takes us right back to Hitler and the collective failure of anybody to oppose him till it was too late, and he had complete control.

Thus, I strongly recommend this collection to all poetry lovers: people who love form, structure, clarity and ideas. For those who love ‘free’ verse, self-indulgent waffle, anything-goes-but-it’s-my-poetry, then I suggest you avoid this collection, for it’s real poetry and likely to upset you, especially the rhyme bits!

Tips on Songwriting

Step #1 – THE THEME

Try and say something in a new or original way. Instead of saying “I want you back”, Toni Braxton said, “Unbreak My Heart”. Instead of saying “I love you”, Ne-Yo’s song “When You’re Mad” explains how he loves her even when she’s mad.

This is a very simple difference but it can be the difference between a tired subject or a fresh angle on a common theme.

Theme’s that usually work best are those that engage the emotion of the listener, the reason “love and relationships” is so popular in music is because most people think about those subjects a lot, and understandably like to listen to music that communicates their inner fears/hope/experiences on those subjects.

Step #2 – THE TITLE

A good title should be instantly memorable, it should put a picture in your mind of an event or situation and it should lend itself to a catchy melody, or one that’s suitable for your music style.

A good title will naturally lend itself to a catchy hook, finding that title can be hard, especially when so many songs have been released over the decades … how can you find a new one?!

One way is to keep your “antenna up”. Be aware of what people are saying around you and if you are writing for a teen market, take a look at teen magazines, if it’s urban you want then check out urban mags. Words and phrases are everywhere … you just need to pick up on them when they come!

Finding a title that paints a picture all on it’s own is also very important because it will create a deeper connection with the listener. The best songs create images in the listeners mind or evoke an emotion, your title will help achieve this.

Elton John’s “Sorry seems to be the hardest word” instantly evokes an emotion that can be identified by all of us … a time where we have experienced how hard it can be to say sorry even though we know we should!

Step #3 – THE LYRICS

A good lyric paints a picture, it says things in a new and unique way whilst dealing with topics that most of us can relate to.

Country music often has fantastic lyric writing. One clever technique is to create a story that suddenly flips and means something completely different the moment you hit the chorus. This is just one technique for engaging the listener, or keeping them on their toes.

Another is to word things in a new way, like the song we mentioned earlier “Un-break My Heart”. Keep the chorus lyrics the same so as it remains easy to remember. You could also keep the pre chorus, or bridges the same too.

Avoid too many words such as “Love, Baby, Girl etc”. If used too often they can sound shallow and cheesy. Keep your rhyme patterns equal and intuitive. Too many rhyming words can be off putting. For example:

“Looking at you, I see the truth, baby it’s true, there’s only you”

This sentence is smothered in rhymes and sounds clumsy.

The following would work better:

“Looking at you, the truth I see, there’s no one else, you’re all I need”

If using this rhyme pattern with the second and fourth lines rhyming, you should keep the same pattern in verse 2 so that your song lyric has a continuity throughout.

Another popular rhyme pattern is to match the 2nd and 4th lines, along with the 1st and 3rd lines:

“Read my mind, and you will know, the love inside, will never go”

A good place to start your lyric writing is to scribble down lots of words and phrases that are relevant to your song theme. Use this as a kind of pallet from which you can draw ideas from at a later date.

For example, if my theme was about feeling like a star, I might start by writing everything that comes to mind about being famous or rich …

celebrity, fame, money, limousine, jewelry, car on cruise, back at the pool, diamond, gucci etc etc.

Anything at all to get brainstorming. These can then be mixed up and called upon when you are forming your lyrics, just like you would use colours when painting a picture.

A good tool to use is a rhyming dictionary. There are many good ones on line and can be found via search engines.

Step #4 – THE VOCAL MELODY

The vocal melody is extremely important as this is usually what the listener will remember and hum whilst in the shower!

The idea is to create depth and interest whilst keeping the melody simple enough that most people can sing along to it.

The hook must be ‘catchy’ or ‘memorable’. Take Elton Johns song “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. Now if you know this song you will understand that just to read those words is enough to ‘hear’ Elton’s vocal melody in your mind.

The vocal melody is simple and catchy enough to be memorable without needing to hear any music … now that’s catchy!

Always add colour: By this I mean create more than what is already there. If there is a D Major chord being played, try singing a note other than those in a D Major chord.

If the music has long chords, sing with a faster rhythm. If the chords are played low, try singing an octave higher to add more colour.

This technique of adding colour can be applied with the melody itself. For example, if the verse has long vocal notes, try switching it in the bridge to short rhythmic notes and change again for the chorus. Apply the principle of adding colour to your music and vocals to create a richer and more interesting melody.

Always ask yourself honestly, “do I lose interest at a certain point in this song?”. If you do, rework the melody to give the listener something to keep their interest.

Step #5 – THE ARRANGEMENT

A lot of otherwise good songs are ruined by poor arrangement. In fact it can be the one area that is neglected and considered not important.

A good arrangement is very important and is more complex that one may first think.

You may want to have a standard three and a half minute song, and you’d be wise in doing so seeing as most hit songs run at this length ( Maybe it’s the optimum length for a human brain to absorb information without getting bored?!)

let’s assume your going for a three and a half minute song, that doesn’t give you much time to squeeze everything in, and in what order should you place things? What good ideas should you leave out? These are tough questions and ultimately come under one heading “The Arrangement”.

The average song will have the following arrangement (although this is only a guide):

Up tempo Song

Intro

Verse 1

Bridge

Chorus

Verse 2

Bridge

Chorus

Chorus

Middle 8

Chorus

Chorus

Slow Song

Intro

Verse 1

Bridge

Chorus

Verse 2

Chorus

Middle 8

Chorus

Chorus

Quick Tips:

*Don’t make the intro too long, stick to 8 or 16 bars.

*Listen back to your song from the beginning and ask yourself if it flows naturally, or if there are sections that lose energy/interest.

*Get to the hook/chorus quickly to ‘grab’ the listener.

Step #6 – THE PRODUCTION

In some R&B and Pop songs the production has in some cases taken over in importance to the vocal melody. This is not surprising if you have been in a night club and experienced certain songs and the power of the production.

Times have changed, especially in R&B and Hip Hop. It is no good to send a demo to a label saying, “please imagine this with proper production”, because the production is 50% of the song.

That is almost like saying “here’s a great piece of music, please imagine it with a good chorus”!

The production is more than putting the right effects on the instruments and balancing them out, it is the overall mood of the track and determines how professional it ends up sounding.

Odd sounds that seem irrelevant to many people like for example, a vocal breath, can transform a song if used in the right context. A song that would go unnoticed can suddenly inspire interest if the right sound is used correctly … A named ‘super producer’ commented that non tonal sounds, like hitting a table or ashtray can add a great deal of interest and energy to a song.

Most people will hear a song and make a judgment as to whether they like it within seconds based on the overall sound. They may get to love the song but unless the production is inviting they may never listen to it twice.

The biggest mistake people make is to present a song with a list of excuses. The plain truth is that a song is a combination of sounds and the listener will hear them all as one and no excuse will change their first experience of the song or how they emotionally respond. Get the production right!

Jenny kissed me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in:

Say I’m weary, say I’m sad,

Say that health and wealth have missed me,

Say I’m growing old, but add

Jenny kissed me.

Leigh Hunt was a 19th century English essayist, critic, poet, and publisher. Hunt was not a renowned poet, though his “Jenny Kissed Me” has been enjoyed and often quoted for nearly two centuries. However, Hunt lived during an age of English Romanticism and was influential in the lives of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats. He was also contemporary with Samuel Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Charles Dickens. Such great company has given Leigh Hunt a distinguished status.

About “Jenny Kissed Me”

In 1835 Leigh Hunt and his large family moved to Chelsea in London and became neighbor to poet and author, Thomas Carlyle, at his suggestion. The two became close friends and Hunt’s home was always open to his circle of friends, of which there were many.

Two stories exist. One story is that Leigh Hunt visited the Carlyles to deliver the news that he was going to publish one of Thomas Carlyle’s poems. When the news was delivered to Carlyle’s wife, Jane, she jumped up and kissed him.

The other story is that during one winter Hunt was sick with influenza and absent for so long that when he finally recovered and went to visit the Carlyles, Jane jumped up and kissed him as soon as he appeared at the door. Two days later one of the Hunt servants delivered a note, addressed, “From Mr. Hunt to Mrs. Carlyle.” It contained the poem, “Jenny Kissed Me.”

The second story is the one most often repeated.

Thankfully, Hunt was a wise editor, because in the original draft Jenny was Nelly and the word “jaundiced” was used instead of “weary” in the fifth line.

Reputedly, Leigh Hunt was a flirtatious man, often in trouble with his wife. Also reputedly, Jane Carlyle was a bit sour and better known for her acid tongue than for impulsive affection.

The poem, “Jenny Kissed Me” has been described variously as whimsical, charming, simple, and unaffected. Many readers encounter it for the first time during their school-age years and remember it all their lives. Numerous girls have been named “Jenny” as a result of the fond memory of the poem.

The first striking structural feature of “Jenny Kissed Me” is the trochaic meter. This is characterized by a foot that contains an accented syllable followed by an unaccented one. This meter is not commonly used in formal English poetry because it can sound singsong.

The trochaic meter is more common in children’s nursery rhymes where a singsong rhythm is welcome. Think of “Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are.”

The singsong effect is offset by the abab rhyme scheme in the poem, as opposed to an aabb rhyme scheme. The former rhyme scheme produces a four line verse as the basic unit of the poem, as in “Jenny Kissed Me.” The latter rhyme scheme produces two line couplets which enhance the singsong effect, as in children’s nursery rhymes.

Trochaic meter can also sound solemn or heavy due to the fact that the trochaic foot has a falling pattern (stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable). However, “Jenny Kissed Me” is a lighthearted poem and is supported by the use of feminine rhymes.

Lines that end with a stressed syllable are said to be masculine and lines that end with an unstressed syllable are said to be feminine. In “Jenny Kissed Me” lines 1, 3, 5, and 7 are masculine, but that rhyme pattern is not carried throughout the poem. Lines 2, 4, 6, and 8 are feminine, helping to offset the masculine rhymes and helping to make the poem feel lighter and brighter.

The insightful ending to “Jenny Kissed Me” invariably brings a smile to the reader’s face.

About Leigh Hunt

James Henry Leigh Hunt was born in England in 1784 and died in 1859. Many English poets and writers were contemporaries of Leigh Hunt, including Keats, Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Dickens, Carlyle, Jeremy Bentham, and Charles Darwin.

During Hunt’s lifetime England engaged in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 with America, and the 23 year period of the Napoleonic Wars with France. During Hunt’s lifetime the French Revolution occurred and Napoleon became Emperor of France. Later, steam engines created an industrial revolution, and Darwin sailed to the Galapagos Islands and reported his findings. During a three year period Hunt’s friends and supporters, Keats, Shelley, and Byron all died at young ages.

Leigh Hunt was born into a poor family near London in 1784 and attended school in London at Christ’s Hospital, a school founded 240 years earlier for the education of poor children. Following his schooling, Hunt took a job as a clerk in the war office.

In 1805 Hunt partnered with his older brother, John, a printer, to establish a newspaper called The News. Three years later the brothers abandoned the newspaper and created a political weekly that established their liberal reputation called the Examiner. Among other topics, the Examiner called for many reforms in Parliament, criticized King George III, and called for the abolition of slavery.

The power of journalism came of age during this period of English history with the publishing of numerous critical newspapers which collectively became known as the “radical press.” Consequently, the government became very busy, though mostly unsuccessfully, prosecuting the “radical press” for seditious libel.

In 1812 the Hunts wrote an article in the Examiner that called the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, “a violator of his word, a libertine over head and ears in disgrace, a despiser of domestic ties, the companion of gamblers and demireps.” As a result, John and Leigh Hunt were convicted by a jury of libel and sentenced to two years in prison.

Though he continued to write for the Examiner while in prison, Leigh Hunt’s separation from his family convinced him to turn away from political writing and to focus on literary writing.

Shortly after being released from prison, Leigh Hunt moved into his favorite house in Hampstead where he was able to spend precious time with his wife and three children and with his literary friends. Among those friends who stayed with Hunt for periods of time in his Hampstead house were Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats.

Hunt had earlier introduced the world to the writings of Keats and Shelley in the pages of the Examiner. His section on “Young Poets” gave Keats and Shelley access to valuable space where some of their first works were published.

Keats welcomed Hunt’s tutelage for about a year. He broke away from Hunt when a critic labeled Hunt and Keats as members of “The Cockney School of Poetry.”

In 1818 Shelley and his family decided to move to Italy for health and financial reasons. His friend, Lord Byron, was living in Italy at the time and the two corresponded for several years while each lived in different parts of Italy.

In 1821, when Shelley and Byron were both located in Pisa, Shelley envisioned a new magazine called The Liberal, which Shelley, Byron, and friend, Leigh Hunt, would publish in Italy. Shelley sent money and an invitation to Hunt and promised to provide a house and income for Hunt and his large family.

Hunt liked the prospect of joining Shelley and Byron in Italy and took his family to Genoa and then to Leghorn to meet Shelley. After their meeting Hunt and his family went to Pisa to join Byron, and Shelley set sail in his boat, the “Don Juan,” for his home up the coast at Casa Magni.

Shelley’s boat was caught in a thunderstorm and sank. Shelley’s body and his crew washed ashore in Corsica a few days later. Local health laws prohibited the moving of the bodies to Rome or Pisa, so a month later Hunt, Byron, and family members attended a cremation of Shelley’s body. After the cremation Hunt ended up in possession of Shelley’s heart, which he eventually returned to Shelley’s wife, Mary.

Lord Byron was not interested in The Liberal and soon left Italy to take a commanding interest in the civil war unfolding in Greece. Byron died in Greece of respiratory disease in 1823.

Hunt and his family were left in Italy without their friends and without an income. Hunt published a few editions of The Liberal, but it lacked heart and soul and failed. Hunt received an advance for literary works and took his family, which now included seven children, back to England.

Hunt was impoverished most of the rest of his life. Charles Dickens was instrumental in agitating the government for the grant of a pension to be paid to England’s needy authors. In 1847 Hunt began receiving the pension which eased, but did not eliminate, his financial constraints.

Shortly after returning from Italy, Hunt moved to Chelsea, where, as he had done at the Hampstead house, he opened his home to his literary friends.

The publication of Dickens’ novel, Bleak House, considered by some critics to be his finest work, though certainly not his most popular, included a character said to be modeled after Leigh Hunt. The book caused a rift to develop between Dickens and Hunt.

The Bleak House character, Harold Skimpole, was described as “airy, improvident and objectionable.” Skimpole claims to be a child when it comes to finances and manages to have everyone else pay his way through life.

Though Dickens denied that this was a characterization of Hunt and offered apologies, Hunt and his literary friends were offended.

Leigh Hunt died at age 75, well-remembered by his many friends. William Hazlitt, the painter and writer, said that “in conversation he is all life and animation, combining the vivacity of the school-boy with the resources of the wit and the taste of the scholar.”

Sometimes the best thing to do for Red Ribbon Week is to have the students make their own poetry. Using the old Roses are red, violets are blue poem is easy for the students to make up their own rhyme. Below are some examples.

Roses are red, Violets are blue, I won’t ever take drugs, How about you?

Roses are red, Night is black, I won’t take drugs, Cause I’m smarter than that.

Roses are red, Trees are forest green, taking lots of drugs could make me real mean.

Roses are red sheets are white, someone offers me drugs, I’d say that is just not right.

Roses are red some bears are brown, taking drugs any time would make my parents really frown.

Use all the colors, gray, yellow, gold, silver, khaki, hot pink, clear, lime, striped, pretty pink, camouflage, rust, peach, fresh cream, aqua, red, tan, purple, violet, red white and blue, black, red, navy blue, sky blue, bright plaid. Then some of the students will go right to the dictionary and find others.

Others like aquamarine, azure, beige, chocolate, coral, crimson, salmon, turquoise, brick fuchsia, honey dew, indigo, ivory, lavender, lemon chiffon, cyan, linen, magenta, maroon, rose, moccasin, Peru, sienna, teal, thistle, and many others.

If they actually would like to see the color they could go on line and in the search box write html color names and it will take them to a site that will show the child the actual color.

After trying something simple like the Roses are Red poem have them try some other forms of poetry. The ones that most students are familiar with or are taught in elementary school is haiku, tongue twisters, and limericks.

Have the students try other styles of poetry like haiku. Haiku Poetry is an unrhymed Japanese verse. Seventeen syllables in all, three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables. It is usually written in the present tense. It is rumored that the 5/7/5 rule was made for school children to understand and learn this type of poetry. Although this usually is used in describing seasons it works well with describing the results of taking drugs. Or it does well to describe things to do besides drugs.

A tongue twister would be fun, also. Students love to do tongue twisters because they can be silly and do not have to make a lot of sense. Alliterations could be taught at this time because that is what tongue twisters are. Tongue Twisters are made up of lines that are hard to say fast. The poem should tie your tongue into knots.

Another type of poetry that they might try with the topic of drugs is a limerick. A limerick is a rhymed humorous poem of five lines. The rhyming scheme is a-a-b-b-a.

All these types of poetry could be used successfully to have the students express their feelings about drugs. Or they could use them to express their fears about drugs, their desire to stay off drugs. Poetry is just a way for them to express their inner feelings without fear. Red Ribbon week is an ideal time to teach poetry and have these feelings expressed.

Sometimes in life, we get completely scattered. Our thoughts, emotions and even what we are doing to begin move all over the place with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes, this creates an unsettled feeling within and an inability to focus on getting things done that we set out to do. It’s during times like these that we need to get ourselves back to neutral and get centered.

Centering yourself is nothing more than bringing all of your energies back to you within your entire being, connecting yourself once again to your energy. Think about the first thing one might do before a big presentation or interview. Taking a deep breath in, is sometimes what we do to prepare ourselves for something big that’s about to happen. This is a person’s innate ability to know exactly what they need to bring balance and centered within. The breath is what helps to bring all of your energy back within so that you can be in balance within and focus on whatever it is that needs your attention at that moment.

Deep breathing is just one way to bring yourself back to center. Our breath is our life force. Breathing is what keeps us alive and most times is not even a thought, but conscious breathing helps one to center. Another way to center is to meditate using your breath for as little as three minutes, if your short on time. All of the meditations I do first begin with three slow deep breaths. You can do this in a comfortable position anywhere and just notice your breath. Notice the breath enter your body. Then notice it leaving your body. You’ll find yourself in complete balance once you get accustomed to doing this. You’ll also find that the rest of your day flows intentionally and with ease.

Simply bring yourself back to center with your breath, whenever or wherever you need it. Bring more balance and focus to your day!

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,

A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread–and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness–

Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!

The quatrain above comes from Edward Fitzgerald’s second edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, 1868. Fitzgerald’s treatments of Omar Khayyam’s poems brought the Persian poet to the attention of the western world more than 700 years after the poems were written.

Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam (1048-1123) was born in Nishapur, the capital city of Khurasan, Persia, now Iran. He was born Ghiyath al-Din Abul Fateh Omar Ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyam. Little is know of his early life but the name Khayyam means “tentmaker” and signifies that either Omar or his father Ibrahim may have practiced that trade.

Omar was educated locally and completed a treatise on algebra as a youth. He came to the attention of Sultan Malik Shah who offered Omar presence in the royal court. The Vizier Nizam al-Mulk gave Omar a pension which enabled him to devote himself to research in his favorite subjects of mathematics and astronomy. He was commissioned to build an observatory in Isfahan, and he was later assigned with eight other scholars to revise the Muslim calendar. Omar published several books on astronomy and algebra which rivaled the studies of contemporary Europeans.

Though noted as a mathematician and astronomer, Omar wrote poems throughout his life. His preferred style was to write four line quatrains, and it is thought that he wrote about one thousand of them during his life. Not all of the manuscripts survived but about 600 poems have been attributed to him, though most critics agree that not all of those were written by Omar Khayyam.

The word rubaiyat is a plural noun referring to the four line quatrains that Omar wrote. Each quatrain can correctly be called a rubai. In modern convention rubaiyat now refers to a four line poem with a rhyme scheme of aaba where each line expresses a complete thought.

The major themes in Omar’s rubaiyat are the mortality of the human spirit and the fragile nature of human existence. The tone of his poems is often pessimistic. Omar writes vividly about the impossibility of understanding the universe. As a counterpoint he also writes about the wisdom of living in the moment, sharing friendship, and the conviviality of enjoying wine in the tavern.

Not surprisingly, Omar’s poems were viewed with suspicion by orthodox Muslims. Since wine and drunkenness were prohibited by Islamic law, effort was made to interpret his poems about wine metaphorically, as in spiritual or romantic intoxication.

Omar said to a student near the end of his life, “My tomb shall be in a spot where the north wind may scatter roses over it.” Omar Khayyam died in Nishapur in 1131. According to the biography by Ali ibn Azidu’l-Baihaqi, Omar called his family to hear his last wishes and said, “Oh Lord, I have known You according to the sum of my ability. Pardon me since verily my knowledge is my recommendation to You.”

Edward Fitzgerald’s Treatment

The world knew very little about Omar Khayyam’s poetry until Edward Fitzgerald’s second edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam in 1868. The first edition of 250 copies was published in 1859 anonymously and unnoticed. However the 1868 edition was surprisingly well received. The edition treated 101 of Omar Khayyam’s quatrains as one long poem. Many critics believed that it was an English poem with Persian allusions.

Fitzgerald did not translate Omar’s poems literally. He freely reinterpreted them and even combined some of the poems to make a whole new poem. However his translation was inspired and skillful, faithful to the soul of Omar Khayyam’s poems if not to his words.

In fact, Fitzgerald spoke of his work not as a translation but as a transmogrification. Fortunately, Fitzgerald’s work is so good that few in the western world mind the fact that some of the work is Fitzgerald’s own creation.

Fitzgerald created quatrains with iambic pentameter. That is, the meter of each line contains five feet, and each foot is iambic with an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable. The rhyme pattern for the four lines is aaba.

Notice the last line of “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough” where Fitzgerald chose the word enow in order to produce the final iambic foot.

Other Translations

There are numerous sources to view and read Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat in the original Farsi language.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam has been translated into many languages worldwide. Many English translations have followed Fitzgerald’s. For interest and the sake of comparison, here are a few additional translations of the “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough” quatrain.

From the first edition by Fitzgerald, still in iambic pentameter:

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,

A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse – and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness –

And Wilderness is Paradise enow.

From the 1882 edition by Edward Henry Whinfield:

In the sweet spring a grassy bank I sought

And thither wine and a fair Houri brought;

And, though the people called me graceless dog,

Gave not to Paradise another thought!

From the 1888 translation by John Leslie Garner:

Yes, Loved One, when the Laughing Spring is blowing,

With Thee beside me and the Cup o’erflowing,

I pass the day upon this Waving Meadow,

And dream the while, no thought on Heaven bestowing.

From the 1898 prose translation by Edward Heron-Allen:

I desire a little ruby wine and a book of verses,

Just enough to keep me alive, and half a loaf is needful;

And then, that I and thou should sit in a desolate place

Is better than the kingdom of a sultan.

Lastly, just for fun, here is Wendy Cope’s transcription of the struggling South London amateur poet, a character she created, Jason Strugnell’s translation:

Here with a Bag of Crisps beneath the Bough,

A Can of Beer, a Radio – and Thou

Beside me half asleep in Brockwell Park

And Brockwell Park is Paradise enow.

At least he got the enow part right.

Way of Life:

Rhymes of the Inca

Pizarro

(Spanish conquistador ((1525))

The blind follow the blind

The dumb follow the fool

But the cleaver, like ‘Pizarro,’

(who could not read or write)

Followed human-nature…

And ruled the Inca world!

Thus, Atahualpa was

Beheaded out of pride and

Indolence–: one might say,

And ignorance ruled… .

Note: don Francisco Pizarro #689 5/27/05

Cepeda the Sly

[Lima, Perú–l546 AD]

Cepeda the Sly–, judge

With two sides; one false,

One pride–both mixed with lies.

#694/5/30/2005

Antonio de Robles

[Cuzco, Perú–1547 AD]

He was a ‘…heartless wretch!’

A man who would not bend

No mans friend…

He met his prophetic fate

In defeat, on the streets

Swinging from a Cuzco tree!

#695 5/2005

General Quizquiz

[Cuzco–1533 AD]

The bravest of them all–

Was General Quizquiz

Inca General of Peru

Who harassed the Spanish

Conquistadors–

Thru and through…

In Cuzco, He fought each day

His immortal enemies; and

With a storm, Quizquiz

In concert, butcher alive,

The conquistadors–

By and by… .

Note: #692 5/31/05

The Revenge of:

Titu-Atauchi

[1527-1533 AD]

Sancho de Cuellar

Court Clerk at Athualpa’s trial

Was once, one of thirteen, now

The only one… (no heroism in his blood)

Captured by the Inca prince

Titu-Atauchi–

(no longer mocked the Inca King…)

Now the scapegoat

For Athualpa’s killing…

Thus, this day he had no words

To worsen his own trail

(not like he did with the Inca King)

Thereupon, he was executed

By the prince, for testimony

In Spanish

Note: Titu-Atauchi, brother to the Inca king

Atahualpa; #693 5/2005

The Leyenda Negra

Se dice, que la Leyenda Negra, fue el tiempo de los conquistadores de Perú, principalmente aquellos de España; podrías decir que éste fue un tiempo igual a la Edad del Oscurantismo en Europa. Estos poemas son acerca de la gente que vivió a través de este tiempo; sus testimonios escritos ahora tradición. El fracaso de defender a Perú en contra de las fuerzas renovadas de Europa fue la fatalidad sobre Perú. Este período en el pasado cercano ha sido de poco interés para muchos, pero ahora es visto como historia formativa para Perú, rica y apasionante para el lector. Ricardo Palma fue en parte mi inspiración para esta parte del libro. Déjeme también añadir, éste fue el tiempo del Imperio de los Incas, que mantuvieron su supremacía hasta este final.

Pizarro I

(Conquistador español (1525))

El ciego sigue al ciego

El mudo siguen al idiota

Pero el inteligente, como “Pizarro”,

(quien no podía leer o escribir)

siguió a la naturaleza-humana…

¡Y gobernó al Mundo Inca!

Así, Atahualpa fue

Decapitado fuera de orgullo e

Indolencia–: uno podría decir,

Y la ignorancia gobernó…

Nota: Don Francisco Pizarro #689 27 de mayo del 2005

Cepeda el Astuto II

[Lima, Perú-1546 Después de Cristo]

Cepeda el Astuto–, juzgó

Con dos lados; uno falso,

Otro orgullo-ambos mezclados con mentiras.

#694 30 de mayo del 2005

Antonio de Robles III

[Cuzco, Perú-1547 Después de Cristo]

¡Él era un ‘…despiadado desgraciado’!

Un hombre que no se doblegaría

No amigo de hombres …

Él encontró su destino profético

En derrota, sobre las calles

¡Balanceándose de un árbol de Cuzco!

#695 Mayo 2005

General Quizquiz IV

[Cuzco – 1533 Después de Cristo]

El más valiente de todos ellos–

Fue el General Quizquiz

General Inca del Perú

Quien acosó a los conquistadores españoles–

De arriba a abajo …

En Cuzco, él luchó cada día

A sus enemigos inmortales; y

Con una tormenta, Quizquiz

En concierto, descuartizó vivo,

Los conquistadores–

Mientras el tiempo pasaba.

Nota: #692 31 de mayo del 2005

Few can brag about how delicious their bake beans are and the quality of the toots they create other than my wife Blanca’s recipe. You will love her baked beans and it will increase the quality of your toots or your money back, wait you’re not paying anything for this recipe.

The only requirement is that you must say this rhyme out loud while serving the beans to your family and guests. It kind of weird, if you promise to do that, your bake bean dish will turn out to be a scrumptiously delicious and a great hit, if not, well you’re on your own. This is an old family legend dating back to Captain Cook’s days or was it Pocahontas, well it was someone that carved their niche in history and was an expert tooter.

Here’s the rhyme: “Beans, beans the musical fruit the more you eat the more you toot, the more you toot the better you feel, so eat Blanca’s baked beans at every meal.” Now wasn’t that fun!

Ingredients

5 different types of beans

1 large can of butter beans

1 large can of red Spanish beans

1 large can of kidney beans

1 large can of pinto beans

1 large can of garbanzo beans

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 cup ketchup

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp chopped garlic

¼ cup brown sugar

1-cup of molasses

tsp. powered mustard

2 bay leaves

½ pound of bacon-thick sliced

Cayenne pepper to taste, we like lots, you’ll create a flame thrower.

Instructions:

Make sure you drain the cans of beans and rinse the beans. You can substitute the canned beans for dried beans but obviously you would have to soak the beans over night before you can use them.

Using a large bowl mix all the ingredients and place in a baking dish, preferably a Pyrex type and cover the bean mixture with aluminum foil, place in a pre-heated oven at 275 degrees. Cook for four to five hours, uncover the foil the last 30 minutes in the oven and serve piping hot, and let the tooting begin.An option is to put in a ½ teaspoon of baking soda in the bean mixture to reduce the effects of the beans, but then it couldn’t be called a “Tooting bake bean recipe,” could it?

Don’t be afraid to break a little wind, or let one rip, or cut one loose. Hey farts are as old as life itself. When you get the urge and you’re around people you want to impress or don’t want to feel embarrassed, here are some little pet names you can use to break the ice, so to speak.

These little designates have been handed down through the centuries to describe plain old farts. It’s a way of adding a little dignity to the event. When the situation arises just simply use the pet name like, “was that…flatulence”-this is used when you’re around a bunch of med students, intellects, college professors and rich doctors “blanket bomb”-a must at pajama parties, “botty burp”– for dancers, all kinds of dancers, except in strip clubs, “bull snort”-bull fighters and most of the spectators, “cheek squeak”-librarians, and old maid teachers, “trumpet-sounding”-orchestra members and the conductor of course, “chemical warfare”- military commanders, and right on up to the Chief of Staff, of course he won’t admit it, he will just say it’s classified, “chili killer”-food servers at Mexican restaurants, “crunchy frogs”-rainforest guidesand Tarzan, “duck call’-hunters and good ole boys chewing tobacco, “fart combo”-fast food employees and must be executed in rapid succession, “fartrogen dioxide”- chemical engineers that possibly worked on atomic projects, “fickle fuzz”-bartenders and indecisive cops, “ fungi maker”-mushroom farmers, and bat trainers,” fire in the hole”- demolition experts and the gorkers watching, “flabbergaster”-anyone trying to impress someone, and then lethally blows it all, also news commentators sensationalizing, “fly breaking the sound barrier”-Testpilots, and a test pilot wanta a be, ” foo-foo”-cook in a Chinese restaurant, “frump”- self-centered and egotisticcommercial landlords, “barking commands”- professional coaches,but with the crowds shouting no one will hear anyway, “cross wind”-commercial airline pilots that hope the flight attendants don’t bring them coffee at that time of the toot, you might have heard one pilot say to the other, quite a cross wind today, well, the secrets out. “kabooms”-singers of fifties music, laughing gas- party guests that just can’t stop laughing which sometimes produces repeated farting, Love puffs- disgruntled bakery employees, methane magic, landfill dozer operator, moon beam-hippies, and pot heads, morning thunder-teenagers that don’t like to get up in the morning and dare you to come into their room, mouse squeaker-computer operators that look around at everyone else trying to pass theblame, “Casual perfume”- status seekers at a social gathering, “little pooh”- kids that can’t takethe blame, and point to Winnie, “popcorn fart”-at least the beans didn’t get blamed for this one, prison break-inmates that know that’s the closest they ever get to getting out, “purple clouds”, tornado chasers, and people that live in grass huts, putt-putts-the little old grandmas, and miniature golf players, “rectal turbulence”- people flying at thirtythousand feet and above and can’t hold it in, rectum roar-zoo keepers, and lion trainers, “ripsnorter”-a beer drinking redneck with a pit bull by his side, “silent but violent”-someone you don’t want to be sitting next to on a plane, train or automobile, or in church, “heavenly scent” priests, ministers, and rabbi’s. There you go folks, now you use any of these pet names that fit the occasion and impress your colleges.

If there are any of you with Victorian Principles and this review offends you, well I say… don’t worry be happy, laugh a lot, smile often, and toot wherever and whenever the urge hits you. Now that you know all these pet names you can be a hit at any social event and handle it eloquently if and when the occasion should arise and you need to break a little wind. Happy Tooting.

As the 21st century proceeds we will begin to pass the 2000th anniversary of events that had a date AD.

Of course we have already had plenty of 2000th anniversaries of events BC (and 2500th, for that matter – as when in 1971 the Shah of Iran celebrated the supposed establishment of the Persian Empire in 530 BC).  But these anniversaries based on intervals which straddle the BC/AD divide are less obvious, as the numbers don’t echo in the same way.  For example, 1970 AD doesn’t “rhyme” with 31 BC in the way that 2009 AD “rhymes” with 9 AD.  There is also the additional nuisance that there was no Year 0, which means that (for example) midsummer AD 1 was one, not two, years after midsummer 1 BC, so to calculate the separation between two dates, one BC and the other AD, after adding the figures you then have to remember to subtract 1 from the total.

Nowadays, however, we are moving into real “+2000” territory, when just adding or subtracting 2000 will bounce the imagination back and forth between two historical dates.

Perhaps the first great dramatic one of these is the bimillennial anniversary of the disaster that befell three Roman legions in the Teutoburger Forest in Lower Saxony, Germany, 9 AD.  Trapped in the forest by an alliance of tribesmen under the leadership of Hermann, the Romans under Publius Quinctilius Varus fought for three days.  Varus, facing defeat, killed himself; the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Legions legions were annihilated; and Germany, because of this decisive event, remained outside the Roman Empire.

2014 will be an exceptional year for anniversaries.  Besides the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, the bicentenary of the burning of Washington, the tercentenary of the death of Queen Anne and the end of the Stuart period, and the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, we will be treading the thicker carpet of thousands – both the bimillennium of the death of the Emperor Augustus and the accession of Tiberius (AD 14), at which point Tacitus begins his Annals, and the millennium of the battle of Clontarf (1014), in which Brian Boru, perhaps the greatest king of Ireland, was killed – and of the savage revenge taken on the Bulgars by the Byzantine Emperor, Basil the Second, also in 1014. 

“No Swan No Fine” is a free-versed, fourteen-lined poem written by Marianne Moore for the 20th anniversary edition of the Poetry Magazine. It was rumored at the time that the magazine would end its year – suggesting that the poem was a swan song for the magazine (a swan song is usually written in celebration of the brilliance of a period that is about to end to welcome the new), but at the same time, implying that the magazine production must give way to the new.

To further discuss an analysis of Moore’s free-flowing piece of literary work, a formalist approach could do the job. Formalist approach, or simply Formalism, is one of the many literary approaches in analyzing or critiquing a work of, either prose or poetry. In prose, formalism is analyzing the structure that makes it a work of prose – the main elements of a fiction: setting, characters, plot, conflict, theme, and moral. In poetry, on the other hand, formalism is also analyzing its structure i.e. identifying the rhythm, rhyme scheme, as well as the images, allusions, figures of speech that help in comprehending the real meaning or message that the literary work convey. These images, allusions, and figures of speech, all together comprise the so-called “Objective Correlative”.

An objective correlative, from the first word “objective” (object), is a magnification of an object that represents or correlates its features to that of what the writer implies. In Moore’s poem “No Swan No Fine”, a number of objective correlatives are presented.

First objective correlative appears on the second line of the first stanza i.e. “Versailles”. Versailles is known to be a palace in France that was made popular for its bright light. On the other hand, Moore noted “Versailles” as an object that magnifies the still waters of dead fountains (man-made fountains). He compared Versailles present state as to that of dead fountains – still and silent. In the same line continuing to Lines 3 to 4, Moore also noted of the swan as being haughty and ridiculous once i.e. when it skims across the water it looks so fine, but then loses its elegance when it is seen from underneath the waterbeds. In the fifth line proceeds Moore’s comparison of a swan to a “chintz china”. “Chintz” is a Hindi word meaning of multiple colors or of brightness. In this line, it is made clear that Moore is actually talking about a “real” or “living” swan compared to a multicolored “china” swan – an imitation of the “real” swan. In Line 8, Moore also noted of “collar” and described it as “toothed gold”. As aforementioned, Moore describes the chintz china that, though it does not have the “living” independence nor has no existence of its own that the “real” swan has, is presented as superior (gold). This, thus, gives way to determining what Moore actually meant by the “real” swan being “*askance” – the painted perfection of the “china” swan eclipses or suspects the memory of the “real” swan. *askance means of doubt or suspicion

In the second stanza, Moore begins it with a description of a pair of Louis XV candelabra ornamented with Dresden china flowers and swans, this piece of art being still alive, but the king in the era it was made is long dead (Line 14); thus, also sating that his palace was actually the Versailles.

To sum it all up, what Moore is trying to imply (in my personal opinion) in her free-versed poem is that everyone gets the chance of having the so-called “time of their lives”; but just like how man-made fountains appear still, how the Versailles used to shine so brightly, how the “real” swan loses its elegance when seen underneath the waters and how it loses its perfection when compared to a multicolored “china” swan, and how the ornamented pair of candelabra had been perched when the king is long dead, everything has an end, and each end happens to welcome the new to come.