Slog - Comments on "Poetry is Archaic," Say Poets

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:20:19 -0800

What are the duties of the title? We have a new one yearly, right? Does the American equivalent have obligations tied to the title?

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:21:35 -0800

I think that I shall never see
A port as lovely as sherry
The dregs are port
The sherry's sport

Yet naught but wine for me

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:21:43 -0800

I assume that's 630 bottles total, not 630 a year, which seems like rather a lot. Is it good Sherry? Or ten dollar plonk? The problem with Sherry is, if it's fino, you don't want 630 bottles of it at once, and if it's something that takes age OK like amontillado or oloroso, well, not even I want to drink THAT much of it. It's probably some horrible Harvey's Bristol Cream. And even if it's some rare Lustau single cask, you have to churn out your official state poem every year, and I don't think they allow dirty limericks or old-fashioned "It took a Welsh miner to find her vaginer" type stuff.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:54:06 -0800

I could crank out one new poem a year for 5,000 pounds and 630 bottles of sherry. Would they accept an epic science fiction poem written entirely in waka form?

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:30:13 -0800

@4 - only if you wrote it in Klingon.

Comment by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me

You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:26:51 -0800

@3 Its actually a "butt of sack per annum". A butt of wine = 2 hogsheads or 3 tierces (126 gallons). So that would be ~ 630 bottles each year.

Apparently the Brits like their writers (even poets) to be old style... Heavy drinking wife beaters.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:43:48 -0800

Well that would be interesting. Adapting the Klingon rhythmic structure to 5-7-5-7-7 shouldn't be too hard, I guess, but it would sound a little arbitrary.