One of W.H. Auden’s greatest gifts as a poet was his versatility, being one of the major figures in the 20th century for resurrecting a wide range of traditional poetic forms. He was as comfortable with free verse as he was with long-forgotten French forms. His masterly villanelle, “But I Can’t” – an achingly simpleContinue reading “The Lesson (After W.H. Auden’s “But I Can’t”)”
Category Archives: 12 Poets Project
Like Love (After W.H. Auden’s “Law, say the gardeners, is the sun”)
The first of our Auden poems for the month is the wonderful “Law, say the gardeners, is the sun”, a poem that Auden wrote in 1939 around the time of his conversion to Christianity. It was famously written shortly after his profound and emphatic “September 1, 1939”, the poem he wrote on the outbreak ofContinue reading “Like Love (After W.H. Auden’s “Law, say the gardeners, is the sun”)”
12 Poets #7: W.H. Auden
As September draws to a close, it’s time to prepare for another poet, and I’m fairly excited about this one. When I first began writing poetry, I must admit that most of what I wrote was quite shamelessly ripping off 20th-century English poet W.H. Auden. While I’ve moved on to other poets, my years ofContinue reading “12 Poets #7: W.H. Auden”
Marianne Moore: The Poet Who Disliked Poetry
Coming unbelievably to the end of another month, it is time for me to draw to a close my study of Marianne Moore’s work. To finish it off, here is an essay I have written on her poetry – a rich and fascinating body of work which I often do not understand but am alwaysContinue reading “Marianne Moore: The Poet Who Disliked Poetry”
Numbering Days (After Marianne Moore’s “What are Years?”)
Today’s poem – my last one responding to Marianne Moore – is inspired by her great reflection on mortality and eternity, “What are Years?” It was the first of her poems that I ever read, back when I was studying poetry in the fourth year of my Literature degree, and I still remember the impactContinue reading “Numbering Days (After Marianne Moore’s “What are Years?”)”
Instinct (After Marianne Moore’s “Melanchthon”)
Today’s poem was a difficult one to write. Enchanted as I am by Marianne Moore’s work, she is a tough poet to imitate, tougher still to understand. But I have given it my best shot! Fascinated by animals, human nature and the poetic contrasts and parallels between the two, many of Moore’s poems deal withContinue reading “Instinct (After Marianne Moore’s “Melanchthon”)”
Of the People (After Marianne Moore’s “In Distrust of Merits”)
Well, having written a silly poem about the democratic process this morning I am now writing a serious one, in response to one of Marianne Moore’s most magnificent poems, “In Distrust of Merits“. A critique of war-mongering, it is easily one of the finest poems of the 20th century. I’m a little wary of puttingContinue reading “Of the People (After Marianne Moore’s “In Distrust of Merits”)”
At the First Dawn of Brightness (After Marianne Moore’s “In the Days of Prismatic Colour”)
Marianne Moore is both an intriguing and a daunting poet to imitate. Her poems, visually and linguistically, dance in complexity and variety, and her subject matter is often both fascinating and impenetrable. Today’s poem is based on “In the Days of Prismatic Colour“, a wonderful meditation on Creation, complexity and simplicity. I offer it tentatively,Continue reading “At the First Dawn of Brightness (After Marianne Moore’s “In the Days of Prismatic Colour”)”
12 Poets #6: Marianne Moore
It’s hard to believe, but another month has passed and it’s time for a new poet. We are now into the 20th century, and our poet for September is the brilliant and eccentric American modernist poet Marianne Moore. One of the most accomplished and celebrated poets of her century, Moore was also a devout Presbyterian,Continue reading “12 Poets #6: Marianne Moore”
George MacDonald and the Regenerated Imagination
Well, our month of looking at George MacDonald is now finished, and to conclude it here is an essay I have written on MacDonald’s work. We have been focusing here through August on MacDonald’s poetry, but his work was far broader than that, so this essay considers not only his poetry but also his manyContinue reading “George MacDonald and the Regenerated Imagination”
The Consolations of Writing 