Caroline wants to know, “Do you know any poems by heart? Are there ones you were forced to memorize/ones you decided to pick up on your own? If you do have these floating around in your head, what do you use them for?
If the memorization thing doesn’t apply, tell me about a poem you wish you could recite (or read, or whatever), in public, and who you’d like for your audience. ”
Like someone once quipped, “I know half the words to all the songs.”
There was a point when I knew several poems by heart; as a child of the 80s, memorization was king during my formative years in public school. Kipling’s “If” was one that I still remember large swaths of.
On a less compulsory level, I know at least the most quotable bits from poets that I like – the Romantics, both British and American (Keats 4 lyf, yo), The Beats, and a few like Crane and Eliot and cummings.
So, really, the answer to your question is no, Caroline. But I do bust out “John Donne, Anne Donne, Undone” whenever the opportunity arises.
As to reading stuff in public, I’m going to go with ‘none’. I can get incredibly shy in front of strangers, which probably makes you question why in hell I would write on the Internet without anonymity. I don’t have an answer for that.
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Thank you!
Did you see ‘Bright Star’? It kind of proved that Romantic poets were the sparklepires of their day, and no woman with a sense of self-preservation should go near them. BUT it did make nice use of actual letters and poetry, so that was fun :)
I have not seen Bright Star; actually, I really like Keats and don’t necessarily want to see something that will make me think of him as Edward Cullen.
I have read some of the letters between he and Fanny Brawne, which is what I gather the film is based on, yes?
Yes, that’s what it’s about. It’s about *Fanny*, actually. Keats is ‘just the love interest’. ;)
I don’t know how historically accurate it is, but I feel like you’d enjoy it if you like his writing. Excellent use of the letters, and being directed by Jane Campion, visually stunning.