The Ode Less Travelled Part 20

25 Including Sir Geoffrey Keynes's definitive 1957 edition.

26 It was T. S. Eliot. It was T. S. Eliot.

27 'But that's just plain silly' is amphibrachic: these feet can get into your system. 'But that's just plain silly' is amphibrachic: these feet can get into your system.

A quintain quintain or or cinquain cinquain being a five-line verse. being a five-line verse.

29 But not Oxford Street, which would be more of a dactyl, this is an oddity of English utterance. But not Oxford Street, which would be more of a dactyl, this is an oddity of English utterance.

30 'The repet.i.tion of the sound of an initial consonant or consonant cl.u.s.ter in stressed syllables close enough to each other for the ear to be affected' is how the 'The repet.i.tion of the sound of an initial consonant or consonant cl.u.s.ter in stressed syllables close enough to each other for the ear to be affected' is how the New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics puts it, with trademark elegance and concision. puts it, with trademark elegance and concision.

31 p.r.o.nounced p.r.o.nounced scissor-gee scissor-gee: 'a pair of connected or corresponding things'.

32 From the C text: shorn of its yoghs and thorns, thanks to Elizabeth Salter and Derek Pearsall's invaluable edition, published by Edward Arnold for York Medieval Texts. From the C text: shorn of its yoghs and thorns, thanks to Elizabeth Salter and Derek Pearsall's invaluable edition, published by Edward Arnold for York Medieval Texts.

33 A work-shy monk, not attached to any monastic order. Like Chaucer, Langland was very down on the species. A work-shy monk, not attached to any monastic order. Like Chaucer, Langland was very down on the species.

34 My edition of My edition of Gawain Gawain was edited by Tolkien, who did much to popularise Middle English verse, through his scholars.h.i.+p as much as through his Middle Earth fantasies. was edited by Tolkien, who did much to popularise Middle English verse, through his scholars.h.i.+p as much as through his Middle Earth fantasies.

35 Derived from the theology of Duns Scots, whom Hopkins revered. Derived from the theology of Duns Scots, whom Hopkins revered.

From the French vers libre vers libre, coined in Paris in an 1886 edition of La Vogue La Vogue, which included excerpts of Whitman among the Laforgue and Rimbaud.

37 A reading of those poets will of course reveal much in the way of metrics, form and rhyming, but the generality of their work escaped into free verse. A reading of those poets will of course reveal much in the way of metrics, form and rhyming, but the generality of their work escaped into free verse.

38 A Filipino language. A Filipino language.

39 Technically a Technically a mora mora-timed language: morae being phonological units of duration.

40 The longest syllabic verse poem in the language, according to the The longest syllabic verse poem in the language, according to the Princeton Encyclopedia Princeton Encyclopedia. I triedfor your sake, dear reader, I triedbut gave up after line 23.

1 Named after Leo, the twelfth-century Canon of Saint Victor's in Paris. Named after Leo, the twelfth-century Canon of Saint Victor's in Paris.

2Near rhyme and rhyme and off off rhyme are terms used too. rhyme are terms used too.

3 Presumably this is what a poetaster does: give poe-a-try... Presumably this is what a poetaster does: give poe-a-try...

4Aphaeresis means the dropping of a first letter or letters of a word: in poetry it refers to means the dropping of a first letter or letters of a word: in poetry it refers to 'neath, 'twas, 'mongst 'neath, 'twas, 'mongstthat kind of thing. It's also something to do with separating plasma from blood cells, but that needn't worry us.

5 Or 'bachelor' with 'naturaler' as Ogden Nash manages to do... Or 'bachelor' with 'naturaler' as Ogden Nash manages to do...

6 From the Italian word meaning 'slippery down-slope' and used for a kind of glib Italian dactylic rhyme. There is a Sdrucciolo dei Pitti in Florence, a sloping lane leading down to the Pitti Palace. I once ate a bun there. From the Italian word meaning 'slippery down-slope' and used for a kind of glib Italian dactylic rhyme. There is a Sdrucciolo dei Pitti in Florence, a sloping lane leading down to the Pitti Palace. I once ate a bun there.

7 From the French From the French rime riche rime riche.

8Hight is an archaic word for 'called', as in 'named': 'a poet hight Thomas Hood'. is an archaic word for 'called', as in 'named': 'a poet hight Thomas Hood'.

9 Anthony Burgess wrote a novel Anthony Burgess wrote a novel Abba Abba Abba Abba which imagines a meeting between Keats and the Italian sonneteer Belli: the t.i.tle is a pun on the Petrarchan rhyme-scheme and the Hebrew for 'father'. Not sure where the Swedish popsters got their name. which imagines a meeting between Keats and the Italian sonneteer Belli: the t.i.tle is a pun on the Petrarchan rhyme-scheme and the Hebrew for 'father'. Not sure where the Swedish popsters got their name.

10Sir William 'Topaz' McGonagall, Knight of the White Elephant, Burma, a t.i.tle conferred by King Thibaw of Burma and the Andaman Islands in 1894 William 'Topaz' McGonagall, Knight of the White Elephant, Burma, a t.i.tle conferred by King Thibaw of Burma and the Andaman Islands in 1894

11 Despite Tennyson writing a poem about Despite Tennyson writing a poem about their their charge too: 'The charge of the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade!' Don't milk it Alfie, love... charge too: 'The charge of the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade!' Don't milk it Alfie, love...

12 Having said which I have invented a poetic method that utilises the provokingly silly incompetence of Voice Recognition Software, allowing its mistakes to furnish interesting poetic ideas. It gave me 'power monkey' for 'poet manque' recently. Such aleatory a.s.sistance can be suggestive. Having said which I have invented a poetic method that utilises the provokingly silly incompetence of Voice Recognition Software, allowing its mistakes to furnish interesting poetic ideas. It gave me 'power monkey' for 'poet manque' recently. Such aleatory a.s.sistance can be suggestive.

1 Although, to be fair, he did repent and write: 'the worst mistake I made was that stupid, suburban prejudice of anti-Semitism.' Although, to be fair, he did repent and write: 'the worst mistake I made was that stupid, suburban prejudice of anti-Semitism.'

2 Incidentally, on the off-chance that you have submitted a poem for any compet.i.tion that I have judged, or plan to in the future, please don't think that I will condemn a poem to the bin because it is in free verse or raise one to the top of the pile because it is formal. A good free verse poem is better than a bad sonnet and Incidentally, on the off-chance that you have submitted a poem for any compet.i.tion that I have judged, or plan to in the future, please don't think that I will condemn a poem to the bin because it is in free verse or raise one to the top of the pile because it is formal. A good free verse poem is better than a bad sonnet and vice versa vice versa.

3 Actually, I have to confess I quite like 'afterloved'... Actually, I have to confess I quite like 'afterloved'...

4 You may think 'forbade to wade' is a clumsy internal rhymeactually 'forbade' was (and still should be, I reckon) p.r.o.nounced 'for-bad'. You may think 'forbade to wade' is a clumsy internal rhymeactually 'forbade' was (and still should be, I reckon) p.r.o.nounced 'for-bad'.

5 Mind you, at the time of going to print the website advertising these glories had not been updated since 2004. I do hope the compet.i.tion hasn't been stopped. Mind you, at the time of going to print the website advertising these glories had not been updated since 2004. I do hope the compet.i.tion hasn't been stopped.

6 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds produced their alb.u.m Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds produced their alb.u.m Murder Ballads Murder Ballads in 1996. in 1996.

7 Written at the time of the trial but published posthumously. Another wonderful Housman tirade against s.e.xual intolerance is to be found in 'The Laws of G.o.d, the Laws of Man'. Written at the time of the trial but published posthumously. Another wonderful Housman tirade against s.e.xual intolerance is to be found in 'The Laws of G.o.d, the Laws of Man'.

8 A A dithyramb dithyramb is a kind of wild choral hymn (usually to Dionysus, the Greek G.o.d of wineBacchus to the Romans). It now often refers to any rather overblown, uncontrolled verse style. is a kind of wild choral hymn (usually to Dionysus, the Greek G.o.d of wineBacchus to the Romans). It now often refers to any rather overblown, uncontrolled verse style.

9 Someone told me they saw a grave to one John Longbottom, who died at the age of ten. His gravestone read Someone told me they saw a grave to one John Longbottom, who died at the age of ten. His gravestone read ars longa, vita brevis ars longa, vita brevis: a rude epitaph for a churchyard, but witty. Works especially well if you remember that in Latin the 's' is always unvoiced unvoiced...

10 I don't want you to go thinking that this is the usual kind of conversation I have, least of all my friends. I don't want you to go thinking that this is the usual kind of conversation I have, least of all my friends.

11 Not Not triplets triplets, which are three-line groups that rhyme with each other aaa aaa, bbb bbb etc. etc.

12 In its strictest form, the word In its strictest form, the word Sestina Sestina should also appear in the should also appear in the envoi envoi. Crazy, huh?

13 Anthony Holden, in Anthony Holden, in The Wit in the Dungeon The Wit in the Dungeon, his masterly biography of Leigh Hunt, has this to say about the incident: 'Whether or not Carlyle's crusty old wife actually had given Hunt a kiss, let alone leapt from her chair to do so, we will never know; no such unlikely moment is doc.u.mented in any of the relevant parties' letters or journals.'

14 See if you can get hold of 'A Platonic Blow' for example. See if you can get hold of 'A Platonic Blow' for example.

15 I mean I mean exotic exotic in its original sense of 'from far away' not in the travel brochure sense. in its original sense of 'from far away' not in the travel brochure sense.

16Cracked them! Coconuts, you see. And china plates. Cracked them! Ho, ho. No but really, ho them! Coconuts, you see. And china plates. Cracked them! Ho, ho. No but really, ho ho ho.

17 A manila envelope rhyme? A manila envelope rhyme?

18 Jewish readers may wonder why Milton is writing about the Jewish readers may wonder why Milton is writing about the tefillin tefillin: 'phylacteries' here actually refer to religious trinkets used by Presbyterians, whose intolerance the sonnet attacks. Presbyterians Presbyterians, as you may know although Milton probably did not, is an anagram of Britney Spears Britney Spears.

19 The full manifesto can be read at: http://www2.uol.com.br/augustodecampos/concretepoet.htm The full manifesto can be read at: http://www2.uol.com.br/augustodecampos/concretepoet.htm

20 Save the rich-rhyme Save the rich-rhyme sylva sylva of course... of course...

1 After all, a large bowl of strawberry trifle or a buzzing electric d.i.l.d.o would make most people look twice... After all, a large bowl of strawberry trifle or a buzzing electric d.i.l.d.o would make most people look twice...

2 Though also a great danger that such demotic diction dates even more rapidly than old-fas.h.i.+oned 'poetical' language. Though also a great danger that such demotic diction dates even more rapidly than old-fas.h.i.+oned 'poetical' language.