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Library Corner: January 6, 2010 |
This Week
A few months ago I was reading a book by Kathryn
Schulz called "Being Wrong" and was struck by so many different ways
humans admit their mistakes or not. One that was very interesting to
me was the palinode, which is the poetic form for retracting a
sentiment expressed in an earlier poem penned by the author. Of
course, I HAD to look this up and read more about it.
The first known palinode was written in the 7th
century B.C. by Stesichorus. In an earlier poem, he laid blame on
Helen of Troy for the Trojan War. The palinode retracts his
statement on this issue. Interestingly, Helen of Troy was so angered
by his poem of blame that she cast a magic spell that caused him to
go blind. After he wrote the palinode, his sight was restored. The
poem that restored his sight and which was written personally to
Helen of Troy was as follows:
"There is no truth in that story,
"You didn't ride in the well-rowed galleys,
"You didn't reach the walls of Troy."
Chaucer wrote a retraction at the end of the
"Canterbury Tales" and in this section he asks forgiveness for his
poor writing and vulgar parts of his earlier works.
Did he mean it? Scholars are divided on this: some
believe he did it as a publicity stunt to sell more of his works,
while others believe it was a deathbed wish to be absolved of his
shortcomings as a writer. We'll never know the answer to that one.
Of the many palinodes I've read, my favorite is one
penned by Ogden Nash, as only he can write. His original poem was:
"Candy
"Is dandy
"But liquor
"Is quicker."
He regretted that poem more than you know. His
palinode?
"Nothing makes me sicker
"Than liquor
"And candy
"Is too expandy."
Poetry Books
As long as we're talking about poetry, here are a
few poetry books you might enjoy. The library has a wide range of
poetry books from which to choose in both the children's and adult
sections.
E. E. Cummings was one of our most inventive poets
and his works can be read in "Complete Poems, 1904-1962." During the
height of his career he was one of the most widely read poets in the
United States. His unique style altered the way many poets wrote,
but his style was always identifiable. Challenging to read, but
satisfying to look at how he breaks up words, doesn't capitalize,
uses punctuation or not, and guaranteed to leave you thinking.
Wendell Berry is a Kentucky farmer as well as a
poet, and his books contain a variety of poems. "Leavings" is a
collection of love poems, elegies, lyrics and letters. His poems
contain a range of emotions and often feel like short stories in
poem format.
Louise Gluck is another popular award-winning poet,
and "The Seven Ages" is her ninth book. In this book she looks back
on her previous works and charts her course to her final resting
place of death. You'll find yourself pausing to reflect after
reading each poem.
The "Collected Poems, 1947-1997" of Allen Ginsberg
contains the writings of one of America's "Beat" poets. As you read
this, you can see how the author developed his style during his
career. He was another poet responsible for changing the style of
future poets as many tried to mimic him. Notes on the poems from
Ginsberg along with other source material help you understand his
writings. |