Quaterns: Observations on Life
Viewing comments for Chapter 11 "Four Hundred Years of Poetry"Assorted Reflections
105 total reviews
Comment from Nicnac
Well, my dear, you have come mighty close! LOL You are an exceptional poetess!
This has a great feel. You have taken me through the centuries in less than a hundred words. :)
Shakespeare is one of a kind, and you have stated that very nicely in this piece.
Great poem with great depth.
Nic
reply by the author on 25-May-2009
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Well, my dear, you have come mighty close! LOL You are an exceptional poetess!
This has a great feel. You have taken me through the centuries in less than a hundred words. :)
Shakespeare is one of a kind, and you have stated that very nicely in this piece.
Great poem with great depth.
Nic
Comment Written 25-May-2009
reply by the author on 25-May-2009
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Nic, thanks so much - you are too sweet :-) Brooke
Comment from dtimes3
Well, that's a nice note from a fan! I believe others have attained equal quality but not the quality of the quantity he wrote. What we have managed to lose in four hundred years is the language. The linguistic experts say that we use only 25% of the language Shakespeare used. What would the world be like for us fans without a William, Leonardo, or Michaelangelo? Thanks for sharing.
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Well, that's a nice note from a fan! I believe others have attained equal quality but not the quality of the quantity he wrote. What we have managed to lose in four hundred years is the language. The linguistic experts say that we use only 25% of the language Shakespeare used. What would the world be like for us fans without a William, Leonardo, or Michaelangelo? Thanks for sharing.
Comment Written 23-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Thank you for your insightful and interesting comments. Yes, we are losing language all the time - I have readers ask me what words I use mean, and they're words I learned in junior high and high school, not words I know because of all my years of higher education. I don't even realize I've used an "impressive" word until people point it out to me because the word is just dying out. It's sad. Thanks so much, Brooke
Comment from LauraKatherine
A very cool tribute to Shakespeare's sonnets. And fitting, too, to write a tribute to his poetry in poetry. A quatern form was a good choice, as it emphasized how his words have endured; a sonnet form would have been overkill in a sense, as it you were trying too hard to imitate him.
Great catalogue of humankind's accomplishments. (Thank you for not using "mankind"!
I especially liked the next to last line: whose words surpass what Shakespeare wrote? Concise and good unity with the repeated "s" sound.
Great work.
Laura
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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A very cool tribute to Shakespeare's sonnets. And fitting, too, to write a tribute to his poetry in poetry. A quatern form was a good choice, as it emphasized how his words have endured; a sonnet form would have been overkill in a sense, as it you were trying too hard to imitate him.
Great catalogue of humankind's accomplishments. (Thank you for not using "mankind"!
I especially liked the next to last line: whose words surpass what Shakespeare wrote? Concise and good unity with the repeated "s" sound.
Great work.
Laura
Comment Written 23-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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A couple people asked why not a sonnet - you get it completely - my feeble sonnet about his timeless sonnets - I think not!!! LOL
You're welcome on the mankind thing :-D Thanks so much, Laura. Brooke
Comment from dhero
None have surpassed Shakespeare, certainly. Few, perhaps can surpass this poem's ability to go the heart of the matter with such purposeful voice. Very well done. dhero
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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None have surpassed Shakespeare, certainly. Few, perhaps can surpass this poem's ability to go the heart of the matter with such purposeful voice. Very well done. dhero
Comment Written 23-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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dhero, thank you so much for this wonderful review!! Brooke :-)
Comment from perunest
Ah, yes, Shakespeare's work still stands
as the ultimate body of literature. Our local
high schools run a program with Shakespeare &
Company, and produce numerous plays every fall. Our daughters participated in many of them, when they
were in high school. I love your poem that entwines history, scientific advances, and the unwaivering dominance of Shakespeare's work through it all. Carolyn
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Ah, yes, Shakespeare's work still stands
as the ultimate body of literature. Our local
high schools run a program with Shakespeare &
Company, and produce numerous plays every fall. Our daughters participated in many of them, when they
were in high school. I love your poem that entwines history, scientific advances, and the unwaivering dominance of Shakespeare's work through it all. Carolyn
Comment Written 23-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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And around the globe on all the continents, people pay lots of money for tickets to see his plays because they love them - all written by a man who lived in a world without cars or phones or televisions or a million other things we take for granted - it boggles my mind that his genius has endured through all the changes of our world : -) Thanks, Carolyn. Brooke
Comment from words
Yes!!!
I agree with you conclusion whole heartedly. Was just
discussing this with a friend yesterday!
Loved your question:
Yet where, I ask, might poet be
in all those forty decades long
whose words surpass what Shakespeare wrote?
Four centuries have come and gone.
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Yes!!!
I agree with you conclusion whole heartedly. Was just
discussing this with a friend yesterday!
Loved your question:
Yet where, I ask, might poet be
in all those forty decades long
whose words surpass what Shakespeare wrote?
Four centuries have come and gone.
Comment Written 23-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Thanks so much, Brooke :-)
Comment from Oatmeal
Brooke,
There are lots and lots of people who share your feelings. I did like Romeo and Juliet (I LOVED West Side Story which was the same story) but I am not a fan of his. It is okay because it is different strokes for different folks. If we all liked the same thing then there would of never been a 31 flavors.
The poem was very well written in my opinion. The theme was strong and well defined. The rhyming and metering were excellent.
I only spotted one small error- nothing to get upset about-
Accomplishments of (human kind),
**humankind - one word
Superb!
I look forward to seeing you again.
Love you,
Oatmeal
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Brooke,
There are lots and lots of people who share your feelings. I did like Romeo and Juliet (I LOVED West Side Story which was the same story) but I am not a fan of his. It is okay because it is different strokes for different folks. If we all liked the same thing then there would of never been a 31 flavors.
The poem was very well written in my opinion. The theme was strong and well defined. The rhyming and metering were excellent.
I only spotted one small error- nothing to get upset about-
Accomplishments of (human kind),
**humankind - one word
Superb!
I look forward to seeing you again.
Love you,
Oatmeal
Comment Written 22-May-2009
reply by the author on 23-May-2009
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Oatmeal, thank you for spotting that - I will edit now :-) Brooke
Comment from fastdigits
Really a thought provoking poem that
leads one to stop and pause and think
what greatness, after all these years
he is still known as the great Bard, and
his writings and plays still spoken all
over the world.
True greatness outlasts the ravages of
time, glitter and glitz last but a short
time.
Your words as flowing and poetically
spoken as something that perhaps was
whispered to you by William himself.
Well deon
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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Really a thought provoking poem that
leads one to stop and pause and think
what greatness, after all these years
he is still known as the great Bard, and
his writings and plays still spoken all
over the world.
True greatness outlasts the ravages of
time, glitter and glitz last but a short
time.
Your words as flowing and poetically
spoken as something that perhaps was
whispered to you by William himself.
Well deon
Comment Written 22-May-2009
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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What a lovely compliment - thank you! Brooke :-)
Comment from babylonia
brooke,
and for the purest ... there is no way away from the exact directions he left to make these. nicely done. made me smile. yeah, we've come a long way in so many ways and in others ... not so much. easy to read and follow. no spaggies. imagery is excellent.
love,
barbara
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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brooke,
and for the purest ... there is no way away from the exact directions he left to make these. nicely done. made me smile. yeah, we've come a long way in so many ways and in others ... not so much. easy to read and follow. no spaggies. imagery is excellent.
love,
barbara
Comment Written 22-May-2009
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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Barbara, thanks so much. Brooke :-)
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brooke,
you are very welcome.
hard to believe this style has been around 400 years.
wow~
love,
barbara
Comment from Peter@Poole
This is a very competent quatern, Brooke, of which you are the best exponent on this site. However, in your first stanza, I would suggest replacing 'debuted' with 'debued', which is a dictionary alternative. Peter
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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This is a very competent quatern, Brooke, of which you are the best exponent on this site. However, in your first stanza, I would suggest replacing 'debuted' with 'debued', which is a dictionary alternative. Peter
Comment Written 22-May-2009
reply by the author on 22-May-2009
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Oh, I've never seen it spelled that way before - is that a Brit thing because Ray told me he didn't know how to pronounce debuted when he reviewed me. That just looks so peculiar to me. :-) Thank you so much, Peter. Brooke :-)
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Ray might not be expected to know, but I have checked my own understanding. I'm glad it gives you a neat rhyme. I adore you poetry.
