Discussing Poems

Published Poetry Discussion

During the Poetry Exchanges I host, I like to offer people the opportunity to discuss famous poems they pick. This forum will be just for that purpose. We will put up links to a famous poem, and through the next 3 days or so, we will discuss the poem.

Please check back frequently and subscribe to this topic while you are in a Poetry Exchange so that you can be a part of the discussion too.

August 11th-17th Poetry Exchange
@Pencil2paper @megsug @Thewritersdream @Dreamy @SparkOfDoubt @Seraph @LosCadaver @Rosey%20Unicorn

Hello Everyone~

Welcome to the other half of the Poetry Exchange. Considering we're all out and about now anyway, I figured I'd start us out a little early to see how this went. During this event, we will be at least taking a look at two famous Poems and discussing them through both poetic analysis and personal preference. So sit back, and put on your thinking caps because first up, we've got a poem a challenge!

http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poem/173072

Robert Burns is one of the oldies, and this poem is in the old Scottish dialect. Reading it out loud is going to be the best bet at getting to understand the words. I think an appropriate place to start would be a summary of the poem, or perhaps going line by line. Whomever wants to start us off can choose, really, but those are a couple suggestions for what to start with.

Hi guys,
This is one tough poem I have ever read in my whole life. So it's going to be difficult discussing it with me so, everyone bare with me. I'm just going to quote a few stanzas, lines and words which I found amusing,funny and interesting.

Wee,sleeket,cowran,tim'rous beastie,
O, what a painc's in thy breastie!

What I understood from this is that, Mr Burns calls the rat as the "beastie" and as we see it we get panicked, breastie refers to the chest.

At me,thy poor,earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal

In these lines, he compares the rat to that of a human by using the word "companion".

Still, thou art blest, compar'd wi' me!

I know I have come to the last stanza because I quite can't make out the middle ones, I did understand quite few things but didn't want to give out wrong meaning so,I will wait for someone else to do it. And back to the line, Mr Burns says that the rat is better than him in some way.

I know,it's not much but I'm trying my way to understand things in a better form and it will take time If you guys find any mistake feel free to say it.

Cheers! Happy writing!!!

This is my best guess.

You guys will like the poem better if you listen to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8lehO7nqg

Small, sleek, cowering, beast
how we panic!
You don't need to run away so quickly
With bickering rattling
I'm told to chase you
with the murdering paddle

I'm sorry you have
broken Nature's social union
and justify your bad opinion
which makes you shocked
at me, you poor mouse,
and fellow mortal.

I doubt that, while, but you might steal
What then? little rat, you might leave
Ah, then man, just a small request
I'll get a blessing with the lathe,
and never miss it.

The little house, too, in ruin,
it's silly ways and the winds have tossed
and nothing, now too big and new
of foggy green
And bleak December winds ensue
to tear it down again[?]

You saw the fields laid bare with waste,
and weary winter coming fast,
and cozy here, beneath the blast
you thought to dwell
till crash, the cruel bludgeon
dragged you out of the place

That little heap of leaves and sticks
has cost you many a nibble
now you're turned out for all your trouble
but house or hold
to thaw winter's sleety rain
and can rock cold

But mouse, you not dead
and although foresight might be useless
the best laid plans of mice and men
can be useless
and leave us not but pain and grief
due to the promise of joy.

Still you are blessed, compared with me
the present only touches you
but Ugh, I looked backwards
towards the bad things,
and forward though I cannot see,
I guess and fear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy8lehO7nqg

Try listening to it.

@Aley that sounded like chinese to me. Jokes apart,it was still tough to make out.Though I liked your version of the poem. And sorry I couldn't make it on the exchange day. Do you think I can do it again?

Next up, One Art by Elizabeth Bishop.
This is personally one of my favorite poems because it is basically a slant villanelle.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176996

To learn more about Villanelles, check out the Writing Gooder Blog: http://www.writinggooder.com/2013/07/po ... illanelle/