I find the rhyme scheme very intriguing: 'placed' in the first verse; 'graves' in the second; nothing in the third; and then 'space' and 'prays' in the fourth verse, as if the two earlier verses were coming together, after suffering a temporary eclipse. Which after all echoes the meaning of the poem.
Thank you for this. I am a recent subscriber but my all-consuming day job keeps me from absorbing most of what you post. So glad I did not miss this one! Thank you, infinity gratitude.
I find the rhyme scheme very intriguing: 'placed' in the first verse; 'graves' in the second; nothing in the third; and then 'space' and 'prays' in the fourth verse, as if the two earlier verses were coming together, after suffering a temporary eclipse. Which after all echoes the meaning of the poem.
I especially like the closing lines of "Bouquets":
...just as though his place
With us could be preserved by some bouquets.
Bravo!
It reminds me of a Hardy poem:
His Immortality
I
I saw a dead man's finer part
Shining within each faithful heart
Of those bereft. Then said I: "This must be
His immortality."
II
I looked there as the seasons wore,
And still his soul continuously upbore
Its life in theirs. But less its shine excelled
Than when I first beheld.
III
His fellow-yearsmen passed, and then
In later hearts I looked for him again;
And found him--shrunk, alas! into a thin
And spectral mannikin.
IV
Lastly I ask--now old and chill -
If aught of him remain unperished still;
And find, in me alone, a feeble spark,
Dying amid the dark.
It also reminds me of one by Stevens:
Valley Candle
My candle burned alone in the immense valley.
Beams of the huge night converged upon it,
Until the wind blew.
Then beams of the huge night
Converged upon its image,
Until the wind blew.
Housman was a truth-teller with a unique voice.
Thank you for the share and the reading!
This is definitely a timeless poem, John.
Good show!
Thank you for this. I am a recent subscriber but my all-consuming day job keeps me from absorbing most of what you post. So glad I did not miss this one! Thank you, infinity gratitude.
This is a tremendous effort, thank you for the "music", appreciate the precision, so much to admire. Count me in as a new fan!
Thanks so much. Very grateful! David did a great job reading.