David gets kultchered.
May. 10th, 2004 10:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davywavyEvery week, The Spectator Magazine runs a competition which is usually fairly literary; writing pastiche prose of some variety is the norm. The competition in the latest issue was the write a music hall song about King Louis XIV, and that’s the usual sort of thing – an odd juxtaposition of ideas. I usually make a game stab at entering, and sister and I have occasionally won, but a music hall song about Louis the XIV escaped me. After a promising start (to the tune of ‘My old man, said follow the van’):
Louis the roi
Said ‘”L’etat, c’est moi
It kinda puttered out as an idea, and, as Louis XVI was the revolutionary king, I couldn’t even include the line:
Orf went the tumbril wiv the nobs packed in it
Which was quite a disappointment to me.
Then we got to (the tune of "I'm 'enry the Eighth I am, I am"):
Je suis Louis le Quatorze, Louis le Quatorze je suis, je suis
'er indoors'll tell you 'er old man's
Plus epatant que le Treize ou Quinze
I can state for definite
Que chacun de mes subjets croit
Le soleil shines out mon derriere
Louis le Quatorze, c'est moi
However, one positive benefit that this poetic endeavor had was to get me thinking about poetry, and to realize that whilst everyone talks about Iambic Pentameter, I, like most people, hadn’t a clue what it was. So I looked it up, and found out that it’s a poetical form with five Iambs to the line.
Which probably means little enough to you, end even less to me. However, not to be downhearted I persevered and learned more and, with a confident spring, I decided to test my newfound knowledge and write some Iambic Pentameter. Picking randomly for a subject, I struck upon Troy and the Iliad. It was the first thing into my head, and all that demonstrates is that my subconscious really doesn’t like me.
Still, not bad for a first effort, I think. Opens well and gets weaker, but I’m quite pleased.
The song of Agamemnon and Achilles.
I called your name and asked your trust in war
I sang of long forgot allegiance mine
You took your sword and gave your word to me
But I was not to be denied in love
And took to bed Briseis your concubine
Then Gods avenged on me the theft of thine
Honour’s just claws demand a price be paid
And Zeus withholds his spear from us until
Demands of sullied honour are obeyed
To raise the anger of our men and set
Their spears at foemans armoured breast I gave
The call that all may leave. In hope that brave
Aegean men have steel inside their hearts
Reject my words and press the fight instead.
Flying war, seeking home they turned their ships
Towards the distant shore of Greece and fled
But stood forth brave Odysseus who cried for peace
And told the tale of ten long years of war.
Twenty lines is quite enough of that, thank you very much.
Louis the roi
Said ‘”L’etat, c’est moi
It kinda puttered out as an idea, and, as Louis XVI was the revolutionary king, I couldn’t even include the line:
Orf went the tumbril wiv the nobs packed in it
Which was quite a disappointment to me.
Then we got to (the tune of "I'm 'enry the Eighth I am, I am"):
Je suis Louis le Quatorze, Louis le Quatorze je suis, je suis
'er indoors'll tell you 'er old man's
Plus epatant que le Treize ou Quinze
I can state for definite
Que chacun de mes subjets croit
Le soleil shines out mon derriere
Louis le Quatorze, c'est moi
However, one positive benefit that this poetic endeavor had was to get me thinking about poetry, and to realize that whilst everyone talks about Iambic Pentameter, I, like most people, hadn’t a clue what it was. So I looked it up, and found out that it’s a poetical form with five Iambs to the line.
Which probably means little enough to you, end even less to me. However, not to be downhearted I persevered and learned more and, with a confident spring, I decided to test my newfound knowledge and write some Iambic Pentameter. Picking randomly for a subject, I struck upon Troy and the Iliad. It was the first thing into my head, and all that demonstrates is that my subconscious really doesn’t like me.
Still, not bad for a first effort, I think. Opens well and gets weaker, but I’m quite pleased.
The song of Agamemnon and Achilles.
I called your name and asked your trust in war
I sang of long forgot allegiance mine
You took your sword and gave your word to me
But I was not to be denied in love
And took to bed Briseis your concubine
Then Gods avenged on me the theft of thine
Honour’s just claws demand a price be paid
And Zeus withholds his spear from us until
Demands of sullied honour are obeyed
To raise the anger of our men and set
Their spears at foemans armoured breast I gave
The call that all may leave. In hope that brave
Aegean men have steel inside their hearts
Reject my words and press the fight instead.
Flying war, seeking home they turned their ships
Towards the distant shore of Greece and fled
But stood forth brave Odysseus who cried for peace
And told the tale of ten long years of war.
Twenty lines is quite enough of that, thank you very much.
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So an iamb is "te tum"?
Date: 2004-05-10 02:40 pm (UTC)*tumbleweeds roll past*
Nope, still no sarcasm. Really :)
Re: So an iamb is "te tum"?
Date: 2004-05-10 02:41 pm (UTC)This is why I keep her about, ladies and gentlemen.
No, really.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-10 02:43 pm (UTC)Re: So an iamb is "te tum"?
Date: 2004-05-10 02:44 pm (UTC)There's your next challenge :)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-10 02:46 pm (UTC)Re: So an iamb is "te tum"?
Date: 2004-05-10 02:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-10 03:14 pm (UTC)Ha, so close and yet so far....
no subject
Date: 2004-05-10 03:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 02:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 03:34 am (UTC)Remind me to kill her when I have the chance.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-16 01:22 pm (UTC)