[New-Poetry] For the WEPD experiment: Houseman's Poem

[TheOldMole]

And that a young man is saying it, is understanding that 50 years may 
have little room, seems rather extraordinary, but that's where reading 
the rest of A Shropshire Lad gives s hint.  The "young men" in Housman's 
world are a dark bunch.  That middle stanza is proof that this is now 
simple youth.

I don't think he does really understand it, and that's part of the power 
of the poem.

Judy Prince wrote:
> I know one who'd heartily second your 'take' on AEH's Dark Side, John. 
>
> And I concur about H's 'pretty' and 'simple' wrapping around Deeper 
> Stuff.  He might be a right clivver dude; I'm not sure.  Might just be 
> a nutcase.
>
> Judy enjoying your humour as well as your logic, naturally.  
>
> 2009/2/3 John Jeffrey <jjeffreymail at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:jjeffreymail at yahoo.com>>
>
>     Funny, I see it as the opposite: that it heightens the urgency.
>      Since 50 springs is little room, you need /every/ season, not
>     just spring.  You need to go in both spring /and/ winter.
>
>     And that a young man is saying it, is understanding that 50 years
>     may have little room, seems rather extraordinary, but that's where
>     reading the rest of A Shropshire Lad gives s hint.  The "young
>     men" in Housman's world are a dark bunch.  That middle stanza is
>     proof that this is now simple youth.
>
>     To me, reading this as a straight
>     Oh-I'd-betta-go-look-at-da-pretty-twees-wite-now seems rather
>     light, which is one of the major mistakes reading Housman's
>     sing-song sounding poems.  They always roll of the tongue so
>     pretty, always rhyme so nicely, but they're generally not "pretty"
>     or "nice." And looking at a bare tree hung with snow--since that's
>     all you've got in winter--because you know that you may not make
>     it to next spring is right up Housman's alley, or should I say
>     right up his woodland ride.
>
>     Just more thoughts when I should be working.
>
>     JohnJ
>
>
>     --- On *Mon, 2/2/09, TheOldMole /<Opus40-01 at opus40.org
>     <mailto:Opus40-01 at opus40.org>>/* wrote:
>
>         From: TheOldMole <Opus40-01 at opus40.org
>         <mailto:Opus40-01 at opus40.org>>
>
>         Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] For the WEPD experiment: Houseman's Poem
>         To: "NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News & Views"
>         <new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu <mailto:new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>>
>         Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 11:06 PM
>
>
>         That knocks the underpinnings out of the whole sense of urgency, Don't
>         worry, it's not just the 50 springs, you have winters too. And summers and
>         falls too...what the heck. The whole point is that for most very young men,
>         fifty years is an eternity -- and yet, only a very young man is capable of that
>         special kind of wonder to say that 50 springs is little room.
>
>         John Jeffrey wrote:
>         > Right: he has little time to look at things in bloom; therefore he must go
>         out even when they're not in bloom and see the beauty of them when they are
>         hung with snow.  Just the way I've read it for my two score years and ten.
>         > 
>         > JohnJ
>         > 
>         > 
>         > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>         > *From:* Bob Grumman <bobgrumman at nut-n-but.net <mailto:bobgrumman at nut-n-but.net>>
>         > *To:* "NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News & Views"
>         <new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu <mailto:new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>>
>         > *Sent:* Monday, February 2, 2009 10:18:15 PM
>         > *Subject:* Re: [New-Poetry] For the WEPD experiment: Houseman's Poem
>         > 
>         > 
>         >> You could argue that it's a stretch, perhaps, but I don't
>         think it's blatantly wrong.
>         > Agreed.
>         > 
>         >> The poem doesn't have any hard evidence against it.
>         > But it does: And since because the speaker has little time "to look
>         at things in BLOOM," he is going into the woodlands to see the cherry hung
>         with snow.  If they're literally hung with snow, they won't be in bloom.
>          To be reminded of blooms is not looking at them. 
>         > --Bob
>         > 
>         > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>         > 
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>         -- Tad Richards
>         http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
>         http://opusforty.blogspot.com/
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-- 
Tad Richards
http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
http://opusforty.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to order your copy of FILM NOIR!
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