Thursday, July 27, 2017

Literarily Angsty

A dreaded sunny day
So I meet you at the cemetry gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
~The Smiths



Yup, I'm just sharing this song today by The Smiths because he mentions Keats and Yeats and Oscar Wilde (whom I quoted on Wednesday, small world) and (obliquely) Cyrano deBergerac.



If you must write prose and poems
The words you use should be your own
Don't plagiarise or take on loan


An instrumental version:



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A Word Edgewise has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Linda!

Addendum: Michelle is sharing the ekphrastic golden shovel swap poem I wrote for her, plus her response poem. (Last week, Brenda shared the Narnia swap poem I wrote for her.)

13 comments:

Jane @ www.raincitylibrarian.ca said...

This is a new one for me, thanks for sharing! I love it when songs reference poets, since songwriters and poets really are kindred spirits.

Linda B said...

Such an interesting song, Tabatha, all wrapped up in a relationship and writing, too, and then Keats and Yeats. Passion in it, and I wonder whence it came?

michelle kogan said...

This group, The Smith's remind me of a present day Bob Dylan with a much livelier and lighter beat to their music, but poetic as Dylan's material always has been. Nice twist of music with words. The instrumental is so lively, loved them both, thanks!

Irene Latham said...

This is quite on target for me, as I've just been reading a lot about the poet Shelley (in relationship to his marriage to author Mary Shelley). Interesting time for poets. I also see songwriting as a style of poetry.... some of my most favorite lines come from songs! xo

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

Tabatha, I'm fond of this song. I like that poetry is part of our culture. That we can own the elder poets as our statesmen.

Kay said...

This is new to me, too. I feel better already knowing that Keats and Yeats are on my side! I'm going to have to listen to it again to get all the references.

jone said...

Thanks for this post. Yeats hails from my grandfather's home town in Scotland.

Catherine said...

What an intriguing song. But don't poets (and songwriters) always "take on loan" words and lines that inspire them? Thanks for sharing, Tabatha!

Tabatha said...

Catherine, yes, I wondered about that, too! I adore mentor texts. Maybe he was thinking more about this kind of thing:
http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2013/06/poetry-plagiarism.html

Carol said...

I am always so in awe of the brains of creative geniuses (like you and the Smiths) make! I get stuck on wondering, "Keats and Yeats are on your side. Where would the poem/songstress ever have gotten the ORIGINAL line? Where did that come from?" Hmm....I don't think of lines like that, or if I do, I'm in rush hour traffic in Denver and can't remember them by the time I get to a place where I could write them down.

Mary Lee said...

It's too early and quiet and I'm too lazy to go get headphones, but I clicked through on the link you left for Catherine and fell down the rabbit hole of an article "The Accidental Plagiarist." Fun stuff!

Mrs. Wyman said...

Love the Smiths! I had missed that line, though. Thank you! You never know where fun stuff will turn up! -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/

Ruth said...

I couldn't connect to the video, but my daughter is playing me the song on her phone. :-) Thanks for sharing it!