Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

The Dover Bitch -- Anthony Hecht

Guest poem sent in by Nisha Susan
(Poem #1930) The Dover Bitch
 So there stood Matthew Arnold and this girl
 With the cliffs of England crumbling away behind them,
 And he said to her, 'Try to be true to me,
 And I'll do the same for you, for things are bad
 All over, etc., etc.'
 Well now, I knew this girl. It's true she had read
 Sophocles in a fairly good translation
 And caught that bitter allusion to the sea,
 But all the time he was talking she had in mind
 The notion of what his whiskers would feel like
 On the back of her neck. She told me later on
 That after a while she got to looking out
 At the lights across the channel, and really felt sad,
 Thinking of all the wine and enormous beds
 And blandishments in French and the perfumes.
 And then she got really angry. To have been brought
 All the way down from London , and then be addressed
 As a sort of mournful cosmic last resort
 Is really tough on a girl, and she was pretty.
 Anyway, she watched him pace the room
 And finger his watch-chain and seem to sweat a bit,
 And then she said one or two unprintable things.
 But you mustn't judge her by that. What I mean to say is,
 She's really all right. I still see her once in a while
 And she always treats me right. We have a drink
 And I give her a good time, and perhaps it's a year
 Before I see her again, but there she is,
 Running to fat, but dependable as they come.
 And sometimes I bring her a bottle of Nuit d' Amour.
-- Anthony Hecht
Having recently discovered Anthony Hecht I am alternating between postures
of extreme surprise at others who have not read him and indignation at those
who have and not told me that he exists.

This particular poem is such a satisfying parody with its wide-eyed Holden
Caulfield taunts at Mathew Arnold and mock-earnestness. Hecht has also
written hilarious imitations of Horace's odes as if Horace was a
lotus-eating New Yorker who wrote for Vogue. Hecht's poems do that tricky
dance of being full of literary, even classical allusion and yet being very
accessible and fun. Perepateia for instance is a poem for anyone who likes
to go to the theatre. And the toothsome beauty of the poem is evident even
when one has no clue who ... is.

For the critics of course Anthony Hecht is an important poet because he
wrote about the Holocaust and war.

Nisha

[Links]

We've run Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach":
  http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/89.html

A well-written obit:
  http://www.breakoutofthebox.com/AnthonyHecht.htm

Biographical details
  http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hecht/life.htm

36 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Ajit Narayanan said...

Hi Martin, Thomas,
Regarding the Hecht poem, you may also be interested in knowing that
Hecht was (along with John Hollander) the inventor of a very
whimsical form of poetry called the 'double dactyl'.

Best,
Ajit

Anonymous said...

Breitling Bentley
is a blazon of watch which has been advised to clothing the requirements of pilots. Different styles of Breitling Aeromarine
are aswell accessible in the market. The Breitling Windrider
cover the Hercules. Bentley 6.75
is accepted for its outstanding durability.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

Thanks for the great trip we will be monitoring your next job.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

Spec really good websites. We provide you with a good article that came out again.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

A very good article. Asked personnel at webmaster at Changi as well, do not take the article to receive

ภาพโป๊ said...

Oh, Sarah, really top it.

Invertir en oro said...

Good morning, I like to find information to help me grow as a person, thanks for sharing this valuable information, good job

Inversiones en petroleo said...

Hello. I would like to congratulate you for the post, is very good, also I like a lot of
reading and researching topics related to your post

generic viagra said...

I like this poem because the title captured my attention so much, actually I want to create a poem for my girl because she deserve it and more.m10m

generic viagra said...

I'm learning to say thank you.
And I'm learning to say please.
And I'm learning to use Kleenex,
Not my sweater, when I sneeze.
And I'm learning not to dribble.
And I'm learning not to slurp.
23jj

inversiones en oro said...

hello, this post is amazing, i would like to read more about it, because think that this information is very interesting.

International Flights said...

I recently come across to this poem, it is really great to read this article, it is wonderfully written and great and really interesting to read.

Cheap Flights to Thailand said...

Over here i found such an effective content, i a so glad to have this information it is one of the best poem.

Online pharmacy reviews said...

What a great writer, love this one very much.

Ideas de negocios said...

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, but I am firmly convinced of this and love to learn more about the subject. If possible, acquire knowledge, would you update your blog with more information? It is very helpful to me

Online pharmacy reviews said...

what a beautiful poems , I love the inspiration and the imagination the people have, I really enjoyed read it every time I can because I love this kind of literature

Jasa Seo said...

Tiket Pesawat Murah | Sari Jahe | Promo | Info Promo Diskon Hari Ini | Diskon | Promo Diskon | Harga Tiket Pesawat | Temulawak | Photo Prewedding | UPVC WINDOW | Kamera CCTV | Jual CCTV | Pasang CCTV | Minuman Suplemen | Tiket Pesawat Murah | Harga Tiket Pesawat | Tiket Pesawat Online

Kim Kardashian Bugil | wallpaper lucu | Ultrabook Notebook Tipis Harga Murah Terbaik | Info Terkini | Harga Notebook | Jasa Seo | Jasa Seo | apa seo
I am very enjoyed for this blog. Its an informative topic. It help me very much to solve some problems. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. I think it may be help all of you. Thanks.

Jaket Kulit said...

I am very enjoyed for this blog. Its an informative topic. It help me very much to solve some problems. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. I think it may be help all of you. Thanks.

sadbsasadq said...

anjsdjkha qjkhwjdasd sjkdafajsqw ksadmbnsfd koskdaf safsajdjqw jsafsadvsa snadnsadkqw sadjsajdqoweajashd celotehan kucheng resep daujn daun sirih jadwal euro 2012 askdsawqow osadpqw asdlslqjwhghs msmdsaflqw safhsiq blakblakanenws film terkini ptc cam sdaqwowesjadjsad k hnsafqwo eoro kaskdaseda cekidot

Berita Menarik Indonesia

BlakBlakannews

Blog Info

Film Terkini

Celotehan Kucheng

Jadwal Euro 2012

Manfaat Daun Sirih

Daftar Harga Hp Nokia Terbaru said...

Thank you for some other great article. The place else could anyone get that type of information in such a perfect approach of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such info. Puisi Patah Hati :: Arti Mimpi :: SMS Cinta :: Kata-Kata Mutiara Persahabatan :: Ramalan Zodiak Hari Ini :: Daftar Harga HP Samsung Terbaru ;: Kata-Kata Bijak :: Daftar Harga Blackberry Terbaru

Contoh Proposal Usaha Kecil said...

Thanks so much for this great article.
It's really awesome... and like it pusber

Download Mozilla Firefox Terbaru said...

Thank you for this interesting post and my site pusber. It was a good read... some good...

Space Matters Real Estates said...

Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I will definitely return. Plots for sale in Hyderabad

Space Matters Real Estates said...

Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I will definitely return. Plots for sale in Hyderabad
Plots for sale in Banjara Hills
Plots for sale in Jubilee Hills
Plots for sale in Manikonda
Plots for sale in Madhapur
Plots for sale in kondapur
Plots for sale in Gachibowli
Plots for sale in Kukatpally

Post a Comment