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Yeats Cento
| Critical Analysis #1 |
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Yeats Cento |
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Brad Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705Jejudo, South Korea |
Speaking to a drunken audience high nonsensical words: Things thought too long can no longer be thought; You have dried the marrow from the bone For there's no human life at the full or the dark. Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings: Come clear of the nets of wrong and right For nothing can be sole or whole, That seemed as though ice burned was but more the ice. The dews drop slowly and dreams gather: unknown spears Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways To shake their wicked sides at youth Who never gave the burning town a thought. They understood that wisdom comes of beggary. 'What then?' sang Plato's ghost, 'what then?' An evening chill upon the air. *Cento: a type of anthology or collage poem where each line is taken from another poem. In this case, of course, all the lines were culled from Yeats. These are harder to do than you might think.  |
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| © Copyright 2000 Brad - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Tim Gouldthorp Member
since 2000-01-03
Posts 170 |
Brad, Its a good thing you warned what a cento is, and that the lines are from Yeats. I can just imagine someone making lots of suggestions about flaws in technique and rhythm of the individual sentences! I really liked the last three lines. Particularly the 'what then' after wisdom. This was very cleverly done, and the answer of the chill - sterility from too much knowlege? (after such knowledge what forgiveness?) desolation? Socrates death? It has a lot of possibilites. Come clear of the nets of wrong and right/for nothing can be sole or whole... I know you'll probably start groaning if I bring up Nieztche AGAIN, but I'm sure that they way you've put this bit together, if not the whole poem, has Nieztchean coloring. Is this correct? Yeats of course was influenced by Nieztche, but I don't think its mere serendipity that these two lines are juxtaposed against one another both allude to Nieztche. I think you have done a good job here, the selections form a coherent unity ('new wholes' to be a name dropper and quote T.S Eliot: Ulysses Order and Myth) will at the same time being unusually put together, dislocating Yeat's favoured reading into something new. -Tim |
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mysticharm Member
since 2000-06-08
Posts 189Canada |
hi brad ...I value your opinion highly when you critique one of my poems cuz I know you know what your talking about & I truly wish I could do the same when I read yours ...I hope for now it will be suffice in knowing that I did my best at attempting to read & understand it, one of these days though, WATCH OUT!!! LOL LOL   debbie debbie Think of saying "I Love You" as always being overdue. Love is a gift, not an obligation. unknown |
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Poertree Senior Member
since 1999-11-05
Posts 1359UK |
Brad this was quite enlightening actually - i was (am) in a hurry and skipped the title (just saw Brad as the poet and dived right in)- though I've been reading a little Yeats over the last few months i didn't recognise one single line!! (well maybe a couple seemed vaguely familiar ) ..but halfway through i was seriously impressed and getting all excited - composing a reply in my head congratulating you on your new style and voice etc etc ... then your postscript ... lol ..... thanks for this brad it was instructive and encouraging - not to mention ingenuous! i can certainly imagine the difficulties .. (and i even learned what a cento is!) Philip |
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Elyse Member
since 2000-04-16
Posts 414Apex (think raleigh) NC |
hi brad! also glad for the note at the end. interesting line choices. i thought you did an excellent job with the last two stanzas and the closing line. but, well, i just dont think your first two stanzas really make all that much sense. i mean, they're kinda loosely sorta go together, but im having trouble seeing it. maybe 'tis just me but they seem - especially the 2nd - disjointed. oh well. just two little pennies' worth. luv Elyse |
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Brad Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705Jejudo, South Korea |
Thanks to all who replied. Tim, Nietsche wouldn't be far off. I had as a rough grid in my head the so called Culture Wars and much of the problems of course involve that few on the conservative side have read or understand Nietsche. debbie, don't be so sure I know what I'm talking about all the time. Sometimes all this really involves is taking educated guesses but I look forward to that Watch out. Philip, This would be a pretty radical shift in my style don't you think? Still, I am planning on moving, if not in this direction, certainly a more complicated one. Elyse, Quickly, as I said above it's based on the Culture Wars (are they still going on?). The first stanza is the conservatives (loosely), the second - the social constructionists, and the rest is an explication of how little all this really matters. Except for the last line. Brad |
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Poertree Senior Member
since 1999-11-05
Posts 1359UK |
Yes it certainly would Brad - guess that's why i got all excited P |
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Trevor Senior Member
since 1999-08-12
Posts 700Canada |
Hi Brad, I'll take your word on this being probably more difficult than it looks. Personally, and I mean no offense by this, but I haaaaate this style of poetry because to me its awful, can't see the purpose of taking someone's work and mucking it all out of context. It reminds me of the MTV soundbites blasting a thousand different songs in 30 seconds. Sorry Brad but that's my opinion of it. Thanks anyways for the read and for getting my nostrils to flare, take care, Trevor |
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Brad Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705Jejudo, South Korea |
Trevor, I KNEW you thought that way. I did it anyway. Forgive me? O Great One, Brad |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Brad, Sorry I'm slow but been busy. I guess I'm more or less in agreement with Trevor this time (scary as that may be) although maybe not quite as strongly so. I think this form almost guarantees a disjointed poem and this is no exception. It just seems to wander all over without any heart of its own. JMHO, of course. Pete |
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