To find an idyll was my quest,
Bowed to a fickle turn of fate,
Instead, I'd find the perfect guest,
May not be the one you await.
Spent time perusing Tennyson,
For King Arthur I've long adored.
In England -- he's a denizen,
But, to be honest, I was bored.
As poets go, I know I'll find,
My choices could have been much worse,
He barged in with his lengthy lines,
Engulfed my mind with his blank verse.
His flourish with the pen and sword,
Alas, left me at an impasse.
I woke myself, afraid I'd snored,
And stumbled on to something crass.
At first I thought it tribute fare,
Titled, "Alfred Lord Tennyson" --
'Twas Dorothy Parker standing there,
Brutally honest and genuine.
To quote her here, I simply must,
And hope she'll come at my behest,
To think of all the guts she'll bust --
She's the ultimate party guest!
"Should Heaven send me any son,
I hope he's not like Tennyson.
I'd rather have him play a fiddle
Than rise and bow and speak an idyll."
I find my mind is now awake,
This celebration's on the rise,
Of course, he'll stay, for Classic's sake --
But, Parker's poems are my new prize!
To Tennyson I'll apologize,
And dispel all thought of rumor,
For the scene tonight I'll idealize
Is rife with party drinks and humor.
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Author Notes
Inspiration: I was researching Idylls and read some works from Tennyson, then discovered Dorothy Parker's poem (likely mislabeled as an idyll) titled, "Alfred Lord Tennyson." It was then I was inspired. Blame it on my Muse ;)
I also read Siegfried Sassoon's (1886 - 1967) "Idyll" and found it to be an enjoyable example of the type of idyll which depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene.
http://www.poetrysoup.com/siegfried_sassoon/biography
"If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of "The Elements of Style." The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy."---Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)
"That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone - Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment."---Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Should Heaven send me any son,
I hope he's not like Tennyson.
I'd rather have him play a fiddle
Than rise and bow and speak an idyll.
by Dorothy Parker
Lines On Reading Too Many Poets
Roses, rooted warm in earth,
Bud in rhyme, another age;
Lilies know a ghostly birth
Strewn along a patterned page;
Golden lad and chimbley sweep
Die; and so their song shall keep.
Wind that in Arcadia starts
In and out a couplet plays;
And the drums of bitter hearts
Beat the measure of a phrase.
Sweets and woes but come to print
Quae cum ita sint.
by Dorothy Parker
Quae cum ita sint translated: That being the case
Ballade at Thirty-five
This, no song of an ingenue,
This, no ballad of innocence;
This, the rhyme of a lady who
Followed ever her natural bents.
This, a solo of sapience,
This, a chantey of sophistry,
This, the sum of experiments, --
I loved them until they loved me.
Decked in garments of sable hue,
Daubed with ashes of myriad Lents,
Wearing shower bouquets of rue,
Walk I ever in penitence.
Oft I roam, as my heart repents,
Through God's acre of memory,
Marking stones, in my reverence,
"I loved them until they loved me."
Pictures pass me in long review,--
Marching columns of dead events.
I was tender, and, often, true;
Ever a prey to coincidence.
Always knew I the consequence;
Always saw what the end would be.
We're as Nature has made us -- hence
I loved them until they loved me.
by Dorothy Parker
(An excerpt from poetrysoup.com)
Sarcastic, raw and deep describe many of Dorothy Parker's satirical poems, short stories, articles and journalism pieces.
Legacy
Dorothy was a true leader for women, writers, thinkers and activists. She definitely walked the walk. She courageously survived many losses in her life, lived on both American coasts, traveled extensively and had a robust personal and professional life. Her prolific collection of her work is innovative and creative and continues to show incredible genius and imagination to writers today. Although for Parker life was a constant transition of ups and downs, she had the consistency of her talent and voice to pull her through, even the darkest of times.
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
http://www.poetrysoup.com/dorothy_parker/biography
Equal billing must go to Alfred Lord Tennyson:
By definition, Idyll is poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age.
Prime examples: "Ulysses" and "Idylls of the King" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Alfred Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1850�¢??1892 and is one of the most popular English poets. He lived from 6 August 1809 - 6 October 1892.
Idylls of the King, published between 1859 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom. The whole work recounts Arthur's attempt and failure to lift up mankind and create a perfect kingdom, from his coming to power to his death at the hands of the traitor Mordred. Individual poems detail the deeds of various knights, including Lancelot, Geraint, Galahad, and Balin and Balan, and also Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. There is little transition between Idylls, but the central figure of Arthur links all the stories. The poems were dedicated to the late Albert, Prince Consort. The Idylls are written in blank verse. Tennyson's descriptions of nature are derived from observations of his own surroundings, collected over the course of many years. The dramatic narratives are not an epic either in structure or tone, but derive elegiac sadness in the style of the idylls of Theocritus. Idylls of the King is often read as an allegory of the societal conflicts in Britain during the mid-Victorian era. (Wikipedia.org)
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