End of the Comedy by Louis Untermeyer 1885-1977; Cloud Hands by Arthur Sze; i take my glasses off Lucille Clifton 1936 –2010 (to share: my notes about Blake +); Their Lonely Betters by W.H. Auden; Peonies by Danusha Laméris; Morning News by Marilyn Hacker;
Nutshell
Nutshell
End of the Comedy: A fitting comparison between the "theatre of war" and inferred comparison of going home after seeing a play. The opening line may well refer to the news of the armistice signed on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". The military vocabulary effectively compresses a sense of dread in the second stanza as the war was not officially declared over until June 1919 after this poem was published. For more about Untermeyer and a sampling of his poems and This explanation of the poem, with a score for piano and voice that the poem alludes to. One person was reminded of MCMXIV (1914) by Philip Larkin.
Cloud Hands: It certainly helps to know T'ai Chi -- and know what Cloud Hands and Grasping Bird's Tail look like. "In the "Introductory" of Modern British Poetry (1920), Untermeyer wrote, "All art is a twofold revivifying -- a recreation of subject and a reanimating of form. And poetry becomes perennially “new” by returning to the old -- with a different consciousness, a greater awareness."
Arthur Sze provides us with a mosaic of scenes "outside" the T'ai Chi movements, providing a sense of moving energy in the couplets with the indented second line. As one person put it, we feel the grace of T'ai Chi as we journey through the images. Indeed, metaphor in motion!
i take my glasses off: We commented on the pros and cons of small case "i" and absence of punctuation. Lucille is consistent and it is part of her style. Short lines unfold and yet the line breaks do not feel like separation. Is she able to better to see herself without the "outside help" of glasses? We enjoyed the ambiguity of visioning visions vision where noun/verb/adjective possibilities roll into one bed of a line.
Some were reminded of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12, which beautifully captures the human experience of limited understanding, uncertainty, and the mysteries of faith. One person was sensitive to existential implications of what it is to simply "be".
I shared this about Wm Blake, Auguries of Innocence "Blake would insist that visionary sight must be developed before a judgement can be made and this plea is fundamental to learning from him. He offers both an invitation and a challenge. Can you too see more? Anything that speaks of Eternity may be an angel; thus the tiny skylark is ‘a Mighty Angel’. The poetry of William Blake is a study in contraries without contradictions. His verse rests on the fine balance of opposites, with the tension between divergent forces, such as good and evil, male and female, Innocence and Experience, playing a vital role in his work."Father Damien is the man who lived with lepers on Molokai. One person referenced "On Shapelessness." which mentioned Clifton's poem. Are the lepers a sort of distraction?
Their Lonely Betters: The syntax, rhyme, add a certain charm to this contrast of the world of nature with man, his metaphorical sunglasses and assumptions about "higher selves". Those who understand and study animals know in 2026 that animals have their own version of communication perhaps more effective as anything humans have invented. The cautionary message is even more powerful for those of us relying on calculations, relying on words, their misuse, abuse -- and no promises.
Peonies: I asked if anyone would like to sum up a first impression of the poem. "Wierd" said one. There is something whimsical, celebratory, and enjoyable, and yet, it's hard to know if the poet is mocking the reader with what seem like "made up" ancient proverbs. As for Peonies are to loneliness/what wind is to the trees : most of us couldn't fathom just what was meant or how. Is the poem addressing something about the human condition as did Auden in the previous poem? Why are peonies called "strangers" in the first line? They are costumed in ruffled collars and at the end, whisper balletic tulle. Is there a message here in the last two lines about how beauty persists in spite of death?
The poet's note helped me appreciate the poem more. She speaks to the mystery of peonies-- how even when cut, they continue to be alive and changing.
Morning News: It took me a few readings to realize the form was imitating a sestina, so of course, there would be repeats of bread, branches, photographs, war, houses, kitchen -- but, there is a seventh word, was, and 8 stanzas, not six or even seven, to match the seven words. The discussion brought up again the difference between poetry (and our expectations) and prose. Why so many questions that are answered, so not really effective? The only line that worked with a sense of some intuitive leap for me was this: A knife flashed in the kitchen,/merely dicing garlic. It implies more than the words. We agreed, the poem could have been written yesterday about the current situation in Iran. Curious that it was published in 2003, Desesperanto. March 2003, was the military campaign known as Operation Iraqi Freedom
Since we had both Auden and Hacker in the same session, Judith kind provided this:
Critic, do not beat your breast,
Though Chester Kallman is a pest,
he must have done strange things to broaden
the attitudes of Wystan Auden.
--Marilyn Hacker, from The Motion of Light In Water
first version
End of the Comedy: A fitting comparison between the "theatre of war" and inferred comparison of going home after seeing a play. The opening line may well refer to the news of the armistice signed on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". The military vocabulary effectively compresses a sense of dread in the second stanza as the war was not officially declared over until June 1919 after this poem was published. For more about Untermeyer and a sampling of his poems and This explanation of the poem, with a score for piano and voice that the poem alludes to.
Another was reminded of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12, beautifully captures the human experience of limited understanding, uncertainty, and the mysteries of faith.
Cloud Hands: It certainly helps to know T'ai Chi -- and know what Cloud Hands and Grasping Bird's Tail look like. "In the "Introductory" of Modern British Poetry (1920), Untermeyer wrote, "All art is a twofold revivifying -- a recreation of subject and a reanimating of form. And poetry becomes perennially “new” by returning to the old -- with a different consciousness, a greater awareness."
Arthur Sze provides us with a mosaic of scenes "outside" the T'ai Chi movements, providing a sense of moving energy in the couplets with the indented second line. As one person put it, we feel the grace of T'ai Chi as we journey through the images. Indeed, metaphor in motion!
i take my glasses off: We commented on the pros and cons of small case "i" and absence of punctuation. Lucille is consistent and it is part of her style. Short lines unfold and yet the line breaks do not feel like separation. Is she able to better to see herself without the "outside help" of glasses? We enjoyed the ambiguity of visioning visions vision where noun/verb/adjective possibilities roll into one bed of a line. Another was reminded of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12, beautifully captures the human experience of limited understanding, uncertainty, and the mysteries of faith.
One person was sensitive to existential implications of what it is to simply "be". I shared this about Wm Blake, Auguries of Innocence "Blake would insist that visionary sight must be developed before a judgement can be made and this plea is fundamental to learning from him. He offers both an invitation and a challenge. Can you too see more? Anything that speaks of Eternity may be an angel; thus the tiny skylark is ‘a Mighty Angel’. The poetry of William Blake is a study in contraries without contradictions. His verse rests on the fine balance of opposites, with the tension between divergent forces, such as good and evil, male and female, Innocence and Experience, playing a vital role in his work."Father Damien is the man who lived with lepers on Molokai. One person referenced "On Shapelessness." which mentioned Clifton's poem. Are the lepers a sort of distraction?
Their Lonely Betters: The syntax, rhyme, add a certain charm to this contrast of the world of nature with man, his metaphorical sunglasses and assumptions about "higher selves". Those who understand and study animals know in 2026 that animals have their own version of communication perhaps more effective as anything humans have invented. The cautionary message is even more powerful for those of us relying on calculations, relying on words, their misuse, abuse -- and no promises.
Jim Jordan adds: I think that it helps to read two lines together:
Peonies: I asked if anyone would like to sum up a first impression of the poem. "Wierd" said one. There is something whimsical, celebratory, and enjoyable, and yet, it's hard to know if the poet is mocking the reader with what seem like "made up" ancient proverbs. As for Peonies are to loneliness/what wind is to the trees : most of us couldn't fathom just what was meant or how. Is the poem addressing something about the human condition as did Auden in the previous poem? Why are peonies called "strangers" in the first line? They are costumed in ruffled collars and at the end, whisper balletic tulle. Is there a message here in the last two lines about how beauty persists in spite of death?
The poet's note helped me appreciate the poem more. She speaks to the mystery of peonies-- how even when cut, they continue to be alive and changing.
Morning News: It took me a few readings to realize the form was imitating a sestina, so of course, there would be repeats of bread, branches, photographs, war, houses, kitchen -- but, there is a seventh word, was, and 8 stanzas, not six or even seven, to match the seven words. The discussion brought up again the difference between poetry (and our expectations) and prose. Why so many questions that are answered, so not really effective? The only line that worked with a sense of some intuitive leap for me was this: A knife flashed in the kitchen,/merely dicing garlic. It implies more than the words. We agreed, the poem could have been written yesterday about the current situation in Iran. Curious that it was published in 2003, Desesperanto. March 2003, was the military campaign known as Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Since we had both Auden and Hacker in the same session, Judith kind provided this:
Critic, do not beat your breast,
Though Chester Kallman is a pest,
he must have done strange things to broaden
the attitudes of Wystan Auden.
--Marilyn Hacker, from The Motion of Light In Water
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