...At this poem by Billy Collins, from his latest collection, The Trouble With Poetry. I have no formal permission (or any form, actually) to reprint it here, and will remove it immediately if asked, but I think it is too wonderful not to share.
The Introduction
I don't think this next poem
needs any introduction--
it's best to let the work speak for itself.
Maybe I should just mention
that whenever I use the word five,
I'm referring to that group of Russian composers
who came to be known as "The Five,"
Balakirev, Moussorgsky, Borodin--that crowd.
Oh--and Hypsicles was a Greek astronomer.
He did something with the circle.
That's about it, but for the record,
"Grimke" is Angelina Emily Grimke, the abolitionist.
"Imroz" is that little island near the Dardanelles.
"Monad"--well, you all know what a monad is.
There could be a little problem
with mastaba, which is one of those Egyptian
above-ground sepulchres, sort of brick and limestone.
And you're all familiar with helminthology?
It's the science of worms.
Oh, and you will recall that Phoebe Mozee
is the real name of Annie Oakley.
Other than that, everything should be obvious.
Wagga Wagga is in New South Wales.
Rhyolite is that soft volcanic rock.
What else?
Yes, meranti is a type of timber, in tropical Asia I think,
and Rahway is just Rahway, New Jersey.
The rest of the poem should be clear.
I'll just read it and let it speak for itself.
It's about the time I went picking wild strawberries.
It's called "Picking Wild Strawberries."
Isn't that marvelous? I think it perfectly captures The Artist--full of self-aggrandisement while struggling to communicate simple truth in new ways (new ways which can "only" be told through obscure cultural and historical references). And, of course, being a music nerd, I was stoked that Collins' first reference was "The Five" (whose inclusion, I have already convinced myself, adds to the poem because they were largely untrained musicians, grand experimentors of their time).
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2 comments:
I'm entirely facinated by the way norms for respecting intellectual property take a hike when it comes to MANY blogs (including my own on more than one occassion.)
THIS is a topic I've given quite a bit of thought to but have not entirely resolved.
When is it "okay" to reproduce someone else's work without direct permission or payment? Some would say you're cool so long as you credit the source and aren't doing it commercially. After all, in a way aren't you really PROMOTING their work rather than STEALING it?
Or is that just one more rationalization to excuse what I do?
I like this poem and was looking for it on line and found it on your site. Thanks for posting it. In several cases I've asked about posting a poem or book excerpt and find that generally authors actually like it.
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