Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

Caliban at Sunset -- P G Wodehouse

Guest poem submitted by Suresh Ramasubramanian:

Was re-reading "Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit" and ran across this poem by Percy
Gorringe (the "bloke with side whiskers" who loves Florence Craye).  He is
talking with Bertie at Brinkley Manor (Aunt Dahlia's place) and they are
watching a particularly fruity sunset, which Bertie describes as "being aflame
with glorious technicolour"  ....
(Poem #408) Caliban at Sunset
 I stood with a man
 Watching the sun go down.
 The air was full of murmurous summer scents
 And a brave breeze sang like a bugle
 From a sky that smouldered in the west,
 A sky of crimson, amethyst, gold and sepia
 And blue as blue were the eyes of Helen
 When she sat
 Gazing from some high tower in Ilium
 Upon the Grecian tents darkling below.
 And he,
 This man who stood beside me,
 Gaped like some dull, half-witted animal
 And said,
 "I say,
 Doesn't that sunset remind you
 Of a slice
 Of underdone roast beef?"
-- P G Wodehouse
What a lovely anticlimax - Wodehouse does it really well, using just the sort of
stuff a mediocre poet would write, with all the typical conceits (florid
"poetic" language, classical allusions, attempts to describe a sunset ...) and
then bringing in the bit about the sky being like "underdone roast beef", which
is in really good, simple English, unlike the rest of the poem.

Kind of reminds me of Wordsworth's poem "Peter Bell" - something about a guy who
sees only "a flower" where others see a beautiful blue primrose.  I've often
seen "Peter Bell" contrasted with "Daffodils", btw.

Suresh.

21 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Anonymous said...

This site certainly has all the information and facts I wanted
concerning this subject and didn't know who to ask.

Feel free to surf to my web page :: Louis Vuitton

Unknown said...

I am very enjoyed for this blog
hotel ouarzazate

Anonymous said...

Care to site the fact that you clearly took inspiration from Caliban from Shakespear's "The Tempest"?

Anonymous said...

Once you have a good cash flow you will unlock municipal buildings
such as the police station, city hall, fire station,
post office, and recycling center. US cities with the highest demand for this job include
(1) Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ; (2) Las Vegas-Paradise NV; (3) Medford, OR; (4) San Angelo, TX
and (5) Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IL. Both brands of tuna subs offer pleasing "mouth- feels", with no
un- expected lumps of tuna.

My blog; subway surfers hack

Anonymous said...

If some one wishes to be updated with most up-to-date technologies then he must be pay a quick
visit this web site and be up to date every day.

Also visit my site www.howtosetupawebsiteeasily.Info

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that's both
equally educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you've hit
the nail on the head. The issue is something too few people
are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy I stumbled across this
in my search for something concerning this.

my page which green coffee bean extract works

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.

swiss replica watches said...

Function, let's look into your lifestyle. First and even foremost, you should do a lots of preparation. Will that beneficiary which includes rare aluminum, silver, us platinum eagle, stainless-steel, etc., . . .. Of tutorials, there can be other along with a couple of solutions when considering replica Hublot watches materials can be anxious. Appear to find unsuitable for your needs find other great bits in high quality Replica Breitling Watches necklaces the patient wants or simply discuss through. If you no longer be concious of personal type the guy, be very careful and choose a single thing semi-basic after only design. After fake Omega Watches the person is without a doubt considerably stylish... proceed up! Perhaps Replica Ulysse Nardin watches UK you may be acquiring in the co-worker or perhaps boss: hmm - you may choose to examine special possibilities that will with get the job fake IWC watches done: Photo calendars, Gps device, alerts, or simply timepieces which use functions that might benefit their own individual extra-curricular fun-based activities.

Unknown said...

Thankyou for sharing, you like playing cock fight ? please visit http://judiayam.me

Post a Comment