Our poem this week puts its meaning and its power right out in front; you don’t have to have studied history or philosophy or literature to see what’s going on.
What a rollicking time. Great fun. It’s all so vivid and rousing. We have forgotten this form of entertainment which by sheer language appeals to the senses and stirs our spirited part. I always loved Plato’s metaphor and though I forget exactly how he imagines this socially, today you and Browning were our wise men, no strangers to sense or zeal, but elevating them, and us, by your guidance and understanding, filling our minds with great things.
“Mood” week, like the coming of longer daylight in the north, might yet help me recover some mojo.
Thanks! I like Plato's metaphor immensely, and if you read Lewis' Abolition of Man, you'll find him saying the same thing about that noble horse, the "chest" that is the main link between the head and the belly: the reason governs the appetite through the heart, the chest. That's what he meant when he said we're raising Men Without Chests: brains in the service of appetite. But how refreshing it is to find that spirit in a poem like this one! And to be reminded of what a human being REALLY is!
Thelma, "vivid" and "rousing" exactly describe this poem, with a meter that carries the reader (or better, the listener) right along with the galloping horses.
Thank you for this poem. "Our Poem of the Week, “How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix,” is one of those that are great for kids", and great for me :) Even with your explanation I still found myself caught in the galloping wondering what will happen.
Nora, we used old school books when we homeschooled our children. Some were very old! Newer books (this was in the 1990's) were dull by comparison, to be honest.
I would love to know the title and publication of that poem book—I am always looking for good old texts from Catholic school days before all the secular/modern textbooks took over.
What fun to read!
Do you know the amusing parody of this poem by Sellars and Yeatman?
What a rollicking time. Great fun. It’s all so vivid and rousing. We have forgotten this form of entertainment which by sheer language appeals to the senses and stirs our spirited part. I always loved Plato’s metaphor and though I forget exactly how he imagines this socially, today you and Browning were our wise men, no strangers to sense or zeal, but elevating them, and us, by your guidance and understanding, filling our minds with great things.
“Mood” week, like the coming of longer daylight in the north, might yet help me recover some mojo.
Thanks! I like Plato's metaphor immensely, and if you read Lewis' Abolition of Man, you'll find him saying the same thing about that noble horse, the "chest" that is the main link between the head and the belly: the reason governs the appetite through the heart, the chest. That's what he meant when he said we're raising Men Without Chests: brains in the service of appetite. But how refreshing it is to find that spirit in a poem like this one! And to be reminded of what a human being REALLY is!
Thelma, "vivid" and "rousing" exactly describe this poem, with a meter that carries the reader (or better, the listener) right along with the galloping horses.
Giddyup!
Haha! You will like this week's Poetry Aloud!
Please explain why the tempo of this poem reminds me so much of “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Fun listening!
Anne, the meter of both poems is exactly the same, and so is that of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! You nailed it.
Thank you for this poem. "Our Poem of the Week, “How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix,” is one of those that are great for kids", and great for me :) Even with your explanation I still found myself caught in the galloping wondering what will happen.
Poem reminded me of The Highwayman
We studied this poem in grade school (Catholic). I need to fish out that poetry book, still on my shelf.
Nora, we used old school books when we homeschooled our children. Some were very old! Newer books (this was in the 1990's) were dull by comparison, to be honest.
I would love to know the title and publication of that poem book—I am always looking for good old texts from Catholic school days before all the secular/modern textbooks took over.