It is time for one of the exclusive posts from Writer in Residence Paul Andruss. I dabble in poetry and it is an extension of lyrics that I wrote many years ago, and most of my poems, like those lyrics will never see the light of day.
Poetry for me has always been emotionally driven. I love a good story and some of my favourites from childhood were If by Rudyard Kipling… It had me at the first two lines.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
I will now hand you over to Paul who shares a conversation between a Muse and a Pilgrim on the subject of poetry…..and its various forms.
According to the Muse (A dialogue in 2 halves) Part 1: What is Poetry? by Paul Andruss
Wrapped in Light An illustration by Donata Zawadzka (for Thomas the Rhymer by Paul Andruss)
There are people who,
Aspiring to be considered poets,
Devise mundane sentences
Usual to any written piece
And arranging them in verse
Claim it is a poem
According to the muse
It’s not
Pilgrim: So why Mother Muse, why’s it not a poem? Coz, it sure looks like poetry to me.
So saith the Muse: First of all son, I’m not your mother, I’m a goddess. You can abase yourself on the ground before me if you like, but otherwise less of your lip. Second, do I look like a bloody English teacher?
Pilgrim: But, but, but…
Muse: Oh dear, you sound like an outboard motor.
Let me put you out of your misery. It is not poetry because, although it has rhythm, there is no poetic impulse. It is not what a poem looks like that matters. It is the emotion it stirs.
As a dear friend of mine, Marianne Moore said, ‘Poetry is a matter of skill and honesty in any form whatsoever, while anything written poorly, although in perfect form, cannot be poetry.’ Let me quote from her poem:
nor is it valid
to discriminate against “business documents and school-books”;
all these phenomena are important.
One must make a distinction
however: when dragged into prominence by half poets,
the result is not poetry,
Marianne Moore – Poetry
http://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/poetry/
Pilgrim: So who’s she then?
Muse: How can you hope to write poetry if you do not know the first thing about it?
Marianne Moore (1887- 1972) was a modern American poet whose Collected Poems published in 1951 won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Bollingen Prize. In his introduction to her work, T. S. Eliot wrote: ‘My conviction has remained unchanged for the last 14 years; Miss Moore’s poems form part of the small body of durable poetry written in our time.’
I take it you know T.S. Elliot?
Pilgrim: Sort of!
Muse: The Lovesong of J.Alfred Pruflock?
Pilgrim: Errrrrmmmm…
Muse:
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock
Anything Pilgrim? Does it yield any emotion?
Pilgrim: Well it’s good inn’t it
Muse: Good inn’t it! Blimey! This is going to be harder than I thought.
Marianne Moore revolutionised the rhythmic base of poetry by only using a pre-determined number of syllables per stanza as her unit of measure. In some ways she was extending what had been done previously with classical English poetic meters such as Iambic Pentameter, which used small groups of five stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.
Originally derived from Classic Latin verse, Iambic Pentameter was adopted by Medieval French troubadours in their Chansons de Geste (heroic songs such as the Song of Roland) and developed in the Renaissance by Dante and Petrarch. It is also believed Shakespeare’s own actor troupe at the Globe Theatre, stressed his words to make the speeches of his plays follow iambic rhythm.
Due to his influence it became a dominant meter in English poetry. Compare Ozymandias a sonnet written by Shelly in loose iambic pentameter with Byron’s lyrical She Walks in Beauty, in iambic tetrameter.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Percy Bysshe Shelley – Ozymandias
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;
Lord Byron – She Walks in Beauty
http://www.bartleby.com/106/173.html
In using used a pre-determined number of syllables within the verse, Marianne freed poetry from the historical anchors of rhyming schemes, alliteration and assonance, ensuring nothing got in the way of the sheer delight in language, and the precise, heartfelt expression, poetry must contain.
Notice how Sylvia Plath echoes this in Fever 103°, allowing the poetic impulse to transcend the limits set by the verse by flowing into the next
Pure? What does it mean?
The tongues of hell
Are dull, dull as the triple
Tongues of dull, fat Cerberus
Who wheezes at the gate. Incapable
Of licking clean
The aguey tendon, the sin, the sin.
The tinder cries.
The indelible smell
Of a snuffed candle!…
Sylvia Plath – Fever 103°
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/29479/fever-103
By working in syllabic blocks, Marianne rekindled interest in free verse, which had originated with the English translation of the Psalms in the 1300s. Its use in Walt Whitman’s strictly metric but unrhymed experiments led to Allen Ginsberg’s 1957 ground breaking radical performance poem Howl.
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz,
who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated,
Allen Ginsberg – Howl
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl
Ginsberg’s stream of consciousness approach in turn influenced the whole beat generation, allowing free poetry to find its way into all forms of expression: books, plays, cinema and music. His descendants are the Punk and Post-punk poets, and modern RAP (Rhythm And Poetry) artists.
Critics saw stream-of-consciousness as containing the poetic purity of speech. Half-poets, as dear Marianne would say, saw no more than liberation from difficult poetic constraints, and thought, no doubt with relief, ‘anything goes’; not realising poetry lies not within its form but its emotional impact.
They could not see free verse is only free from ‘the tyrant demands of the metered line’. It retains poetic form and impulse. As T.S Elliot said, ‘No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job.’
F. Scott Fitzgerald advised a young writer asking for his opinion, ‘I’m afraid the price for doing professional work is a good deal higher than you are prepared to pay at present. You’ve got to sell your heart, your strongest reactions, not the little minor things that only touch you lightly… This is especially true when you begin to write, when you have… none of the technique which it takes time to learn. When, in short, you have only your emotions to sell.’
Poetry is not meant to be easy. It is forged in suffering and sacrifice, shaped with sweat and toil, and tempered by blood. This is what earns poets the right to high regard. For they willingly paid the price lesser mortals shrank from.
Now do you understand Pilgrim?
Poetry is what you write; its source; its inspiration.
Not how it looks, written upon a page.
©Paul Andruss 2018
About Paul Andruss.
Paul Andruss is a writer whose primary focus is to take a subject, research every element thoroughly and then bring the pieces back together in a unique and thought provoking way. His desire to understand the origins of man, history, religion, politics and the minds of legends who rocked the world is inspiring. He does not hesitate to question, refute or make you rethink your own belief system and his work is always interesting and entertaining. Whilst is reluctant to talk about his own achievements he offers a warm and generous support and friendship to those he comes into contact with.
Paul Andruss is the author of 2 contrasting fantasy novels
Thomas the Rhymer – a magical fantasy for ages 11 to adult about a boy attempting to save fairy Thomas the Rhymer, while trying to rescue his brother from a selfish fairy queen
When Fairy Queen Sylvie snatches his brother, schoolboy Jack is plunged into a sinister fantasy world of illusion and deception – the realm of telepathic fairies ruled by spoilt, arrogant fairy queens.
Haunted by nightmares about his brother and pursued by a mysterious tramp (only seen by Jack and his friends) Jack fears he too will be stolen away.
The tramp is Thomas the Rhymer, who only speaks in rhyme. Lost and frightened Thomas needs Jack’s help to find his way home.
The race is on for Jack and his friends to save Thomas from the wicked Agnes Day (who wants to treat Thomas like a lab rat). And save Jack’s brother from Sylvie.
To do this they need the help of Bess – the most ancient powerful fairy queen in the land.
But there is a problem…
No one knows where Bess is… or even if she is still lives.
And even if they find her… will she let them go?
Read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Rhymer-Jack-Hughes-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EPQL7KC
And Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomas-Rhymer-Jack-Hughes-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EPQL7KC
Finn Mac Cool – rude, crude and funny, Finn Mac Cool is strictly for adults only.
When the fairy folk deliver a soldier called Finn (the first outsider in plague-stricken Ireland for a decade) Erin believes he is Finn Mac Cool – returned to kill the tyrant King Conor Mac Nessa of Ulster. and free Great Queen Maeve – Ireland’s true ruler & Erin’s dying mother.
The druids kidnap Finn – planning to turn him into the hero Finn Mac Cool – who will save the world by destroying it.
Erin goes in looking for Finn – so he can kill Conor Mac Nessa before her mother’s dream of a free Ireland dies with her.
Erin’s quest draws her ever-deeper into Ireland’s ancient mythological landscape; a place…
… Where dream and reality merge
… Where a man’s fate is written fifteen hundred years before he was born
… Where books are legends & a library a myth
… Where people hate Christians for defying the gods
… Where phony druids use real magic
Find out more and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Finn-Mac-Cool-Paul-Andruss-ebook/dp/B018OJZ9KY
and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finn-Mac-Cool-Paul-Andruss-ebook/dp/B018OJZ9KY
Connect to Paul on social media.
Blog: http://www.paul-andruss.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/paul.andruss.9
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Paul_JHBooks
Google+ https://plus.google.com/s/+jackhughesbooks
There are two directories for Paul in the menu – Writer in Residence posts: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/writer-in-residence-writer-paul-andruss/
and his new Gardening Column: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/the-gardening-column-by-paul-andruss/
Part two of The Muse to follow shortly and my thanks to Paul for his usual interesting and informative post. I am know he would love to receive your feedback and questions.
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Wow! Loved the mini passages from some of the greats here Paul. And loved the dialogue with the Pilgrim and the Muse. This is what resonated most with me about poetry ‘ It is not what a poem looks like that matters. It is the emotion it stirs.’ Wonderful! 🙂 xx
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Thanks Debby… ♥♥
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❤
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Thanks Debby, I am so glad you enjoyed it. I know this is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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I’ve seen it. I get it. And you are too humble. 🙂 So I await part 2 ❤
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xxx Debs!
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Reblogged this on colleenchesebro.com and commented:
A delightful post from Paul Andruss: “I dabble in poetry and it is an extension of lyrics that I wrote many years ago, and most of my poems, like those lyrics, will never see the light of day.
Poetry for me has always been emotionally driven. I love a good story and some of my favourites from childhood were If by Rudyard Kipling… It had me at the first two line…”
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Thank you Colleen.. hugs xxx
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Thanks Colleen for the lovely comment. It is a shame those lyrics will never see the light of day! I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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LOL! No worries, ever from me. Hugs. 😀
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A delightful post. I had to share. ❤ I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. ❤
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Great Colleen thank you very much.. ♥
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Colleen you are a star thank you for the generous reblog Pxx
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I love many of those same poets, Paul. A true pleasure. ❤
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I try to dabble in poetry but I don’t know if I succeed or not. Mostly I do it for short passages in certain books of mine. I have to be in a certain mood though. It simply won’t happen otherwise.
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I am like your Traci but if it brings us pleasure then it is a wonderful way to express ourselves. xx
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That is very true Sally. I think primarily most of us write for ourselves first and foremost. PX
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Traci, In truth I don’t think any of us, as writers, know whether we succeed or not in our writing, until readers react. I want to say more but I have sort of shot my self in the foot by committing to a general comment below. PXX
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What a brilliant post! Thanks for sharing. Poetry is a combination of emotions, fantasy and reality, peppered with literary devices that speak more than words.
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Thanks Balroop ♥
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Balroop, thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed it. I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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Ah Muse is a goddess of all creatives! Thank you for having me here, Sally and Paul !
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Always very happy to see you Dona.. hugs xx
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Dona my gorgeous mate. Your beautiful picture was the perfect think to inspire me. She is the muse herself standing upon runes! Luv PXXXXX
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Paul, you’ve done it again! This was such a thought provoking and readable read. Love your quotes. Poetry has always been my main love. Thank you for this.
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Thanks Lynn… x
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Thank you Lynn I am so pleased you enjoyed it and found it thought provoking. I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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A brilliant post Paul. I always love the seemingly effortless research you put into your posts. The quotes are brilliant ones. And I have to say I agree re poetry, certainly any poetry worth reading being forged in blood. It reminded me of every quote like the one about it’s easy being a writer, just sit down at the typewriter and bleed, about easy writing being bad writing. Writers do indeed need to sell their soul. I must say I am waiting now for the next part.
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Thank you Shey…xxxx
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Thank you Shey and listen I want to give a big thanks for the Scott Fitzgerald quote. You mentioned it when we were talking a few weeks back and I could not stop thinking about it and it fitted right in. Love PXXX
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It is a great quote. I do love his prose. So delicious I could eat it! Glad you liked the quote and were able to use it.
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This is excellent, Paul. I particularly liked ‘It is not what a poem looks like that matters. It is the emotion it stirs.’ Looking forward to the second part. The opening dialogue made me laugh.
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Thanks Mary.. xxx
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Thanks Mary I am so glad you enjoyed it and especially that you found the Dialogue funny. that Muse Eh! She doesn’t take many prisoners!!! Pxx
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Great post although there is something to formal poetry and also there are those wonderful poems that look like art pieces (that ideally combine the two). Who knows what poetry will be like in the future? Thanks, Paul.
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Thank you Olga… xx
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Thanks Olga… I swore not to say too much because this is all about the reader.. but poetry of the future… maybe the form will be different as it has been throughout the centuries but the impulse will remain? Anyway I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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Thank you for a very interesting post Paul. I have only dabbled lightly in poetry but the quote that resonated most with me was from F. Scott Fitzgerald” You’ve got to sell your heart…”
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Thank you Brigid.. xxx
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Thanks Brigid and i think you are right all creative enterprise involves selling your heart! PXXX
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An interesting post by Paul, Sally. I also wonder what is poetry but I like the idea that it is a package that conveys a strong message.
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Exactly Robbie.. It is interesting to read back over poetry that I wrote as a teenager and then as a young adult, and how my perspective has changed. I have noticed that with poets that I enjoy that the story they tell in their verse matures and relates differently to their similarly maturing fans.. xxxhugs
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I think you are spot on Sally, all art and necessarily all artists can only produce work of the moment, so naturally your art matures as you do except for those who are just outstanding from an early age like say Mozart. PXXX
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Thanks Robbie, I think every creative piece must rely on the underlying message even if that message is sometimes tsimply the beauty of lyrical expression. Anyway I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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What a wonderful post and insight into poetry. You cleared up all my confusion, Paul. I’ve read short pieces of prose that I would call poetry and poems that I would identify as prose. The difference for me has rested in the flow, the imagery, and how both of those evoke an emotional or sensory response. Loved this post. Thanks for hosting, Sally. 🙂
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Thanks Diana.. xxx
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Diana, thank you I think you have hit the nail squarely on the head. I know this comment is unusually brief for me (as I can drone on) but you will understand the why when you read my general comment below. Thanks n luv Px
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Dear All.
Thank you for your brilliant comments.
Unusually for me I am not going to say anything because this was meant to elicit reactions. And that is what it has done. It has led you to reflect what poetry means to each and every one of you.
I cannot defend any statement I made, and nor should I. As the author (and believe me it’s killing me to say this) I am UNIMPORTANT.
I can neither agree nor disagree with any of your personal emotional reactions. All that is important is how it affected you as an individual, and what you have taken away (which may or may not influence how you view your own or other people’s work in future).
The very fact you were good enough to comment means my job is done.
I will say however, this is a dialogue in two halves. The second half is still to come… be afraid… be very afraid!!!!
Cheers to you all, and thanks once again. Paul X
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Can’t wait to see what the second half shows!
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Traci… between you and me.. neither can I .. I been working on it for a week and it’s still a mess! Px
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I’m sure it’ll be as fabulous as your posts are always when it’s ready!
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Thanks Traci, I’ll work twice as hard now! PXX
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thanks Michael..
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Thanks Michael, deeply appreciated as always. All my best wishes Paul
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Paul, where were you when I was in college? I wouldn’t have given much time to poetry in high school, but in college, yes. The problem is that you were not there for me to learn. So, I didn’t really learn. Today, reading your post (two times), I feel like I have the glimmer of understanding poetry. Thank you!
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Thanks Jennie.. xx
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You’re welcome, Sally.
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Dear Jennie, that is lovely thing to say but the truth is it’s not me talking it’s the Muse ( in other words I think I am making this up as I go along). PaulXXXX
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I know it was the muse, but I think it was you, too.
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STAR Pxxx
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