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

[Bob Grumman]

John Jeffrey wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> I do agree that your reading is as reasonable as mine.  And yes, the 
> poem talks about cherry trees/ in bloom/--but if you're going to be 
> that literal (not cherry trees, but cherry trees in bloom) then I 
> would think that you'd stumble with "About the woodlands I will go / 
> To see the cherry hung with snow."  He doesn't say, "/looking/ as if 
> they are hung with snow."  He specifically says "hung with snow."  So 
> if you're following a literal reading, then you've got a bit of a snow 
> problem.  But if you're going to say that the snow is metaphoric, or 
> symbolic, or even just an image for blooms, then that would open the 
> door for a less-literal reading of the rest of the poem.
>

Then what's "look at things in bloom" a metaphor for?  Actually, I take 
it as a synecdoche for spring.  It doesn't work, in my view, as any kind 
of trope for "the beauty of cherry trees," though the "blooms along the 
bough" could.

I did see your argument before you presented it, but the opposite is 
true, too: if you take "snow" as literal, you have to take "look at 
things in bloom" literally by your reasoning, too, and you can't.  
Sorry, I can't get past "look at things in bloom."  Trees with snow on 
them aren't in bloom.  And I have given other reasons against the 
interpretation that I'll repeat when (or if) I get to my evaluation, 
which I've only just sketched, so far.
>
> And if the Mole is worth 20 of me, then he's...  let me think...  20 
> times... carry the 4...  hmmm.    Ah, who cares.  Math is stupit.
>
> JohnJ
>
'Cause you know I'm right!

--Bob
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