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On Poetry



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180 Reviews



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Points: 771
Reviews: 180
Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:44 pm
Cspr says...



So, I got prompted to write a poem where I turned a spell/potion with all the steps into, well, poetry. Yeah. I was informed it would read better in stanzas.
I have no idea how stanzas work.
Yeah, that's a big FAIL, but what can I say?
I was also told that, with a few edits, it could be better. But, as I know almost nothing about poetry (except what I've learned in school), I have no idea how to go about doing that, either. :/
Anyway, the poem is called "Magus". Any help would be very much appreciated.

So you don't have to wander around my portfolio:

Original Version

Snake oil, faker, faker
Ruddock and hawthorn
Witch hazel and salt from shaker
Snake tails and berry-born
Into the pot it goes, where it ends, no one knows
Sister and brother, holding hands
Sun and moon against clashing sands
Ocean swallows and spits
Hail the traveler who dies
Oh, horrible death
Disproval from every edge
But neither you nor I care, as we fix this Jack-of-Trade
No matter how horrible it is made
Bats’ wings and serpent’s teeth
Dust of gold and bone of cow
We finish in delight as evening dawns
A cure for all
Now for the verse, the verse of the cure all
But lest it not be written, or all will fall
Speak it now, best be quick
As light fails from the candlestick
Dragon wings and green, green flame
Ocean-born and land-shocked
No need to fear
Ignore the boil and hiss
Don’t shed a tear or plummet stunned
This is deadly as a snake’s stare
But the brew is done, no need to fear

Attempted Edit Version

Snake oil, faker, faker,
Ruddock and hawthorn,
Witch hazel and salt from shaker,
Snake tails and berry-born,
Into the pot it goes, where it ends, no one knows.
Sister and brother, holding hands,
Sun and moon against clashing sands,
Ocean swallows and spits,
Disproval from every edge.
But neither you nor I care, as we fix this Jack-of-Trade,
No matter how horrible it is made.
Bats’ wings and serpent’s teeth,
Dust of gold and bone of cow,
We finish in delight as evening dawns.
A cure for all,
Now for the verse, the verse of the cure all,
But lest it not be written, or all will fall,
Speak it now, best be quick,
As light fails from the candlestick.
Dragon wings and green, green flame,
Ocean-born and land-shocked.
No need to fear,
Ignore the boil and hiss,
Don’t shed a tear or plummet stunned,
This is deadly as a snake’s stare,
But the brew is done, no need to fear.
My SPD senses are tingling.
  





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Reviews: 1220
Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:50 am
Kale says...



Stanzas are basically poetic paragraphs. Each stanza typically has one main idea and supporting ones. For example, your first stanza could be the first four lines, with the main idea being a list of ingredients. The second stanza's idea would be what you do to those ingredients, and so on.

Also, in the future, it might be a better idea to post your edit by editing it into your original post and requesting reviews in WRFF. Ask an Expert is more for general questions and research rather than piece-specific ones.
Secretly a Kyllorac, sometimes a Murtle.
There are no chickens in Hyrule.
Princessence: A LMS Project
WRFF | KotGR
  








Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think.
— Niels Bohr