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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Haven't heard of any of these poets! Thanks, should be interesting.
just local kids, some from alphaville (the band) some friends thats about it

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Eating Poetry by Mark Strand - http://www.palace.net/~llama/poetry/strand1

He wishes for the cloths of heaven by W.B.Yeats - http://www.kalliope.org/digt.pl?longdid=yeats2002021474

My soul is dark by Byron - http://englishhistory.net/byron/poems/mysoul.html

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Mending Wall or Out, Out both by Robert Frost.

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Speaking of nonsense poetry, I love Kurt Schwitters' "Sonate in Urlauten", although I must admit that it gets a bit tiresome after a while (it lasts 40 minutes or so). You can hear some excerpts, recited by Schwitters himself, here: http://www.peak.org/~dadaist/English/Graphics/ursonate.html
I can't do the whole thing, but I have been perseverating on bits of it. 🙂 Rinnzekete bee bee... Rinnzekete bee bee...
Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B...

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I love Kurt Schwitters' "Sonate in Urlauten", although I must admit that it gets a bit tiresome after a while
Small doses are best, but it's great stuff! Truly absurb but somehow liberating, I'd love to see someone perform it.

Christian Morgenstern's Galgenlieder are also a great antidote to seriousness, although they only really work in German.

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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Small doses are best, but it's great stuff! Truly absurb but somehow liberating, I'd love to see someone perform it.

Christian Morgenstern's Galgenlieder are also a great antidote to seriousness, although they only really work in German.
I wouldn't have thought it was possible to translate the "Galgenlieder", but at least some of them have been translated to English, and the translation is extremely well done. I especially like the translation of "Fisches Nachtgesang". 😉

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I especially like the translation of "Fisches Nachtgesang". 😉[/b]
It is a popular poem. Here you can even find it translated into Latin:

http://www.geocities.com/latinra/english.html

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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
It is a popular poem. Here you can even find it translated into Latin:

http://www.geocities.com/latinra/english.html
In the English translation I know, by Max Knight, the symbols are upside down. 🙂

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Originally posted by Nordlys
In the English translation I know, by Max Knight, the symbols are upside down. 🙂
The translated fish expose their bellies to the moon, perhaps in homage to another Morgensternish beast:

The Moonsheep

The moonsheep stands upon the clearing.
He waits and waits to get his shearing.
The moonsheep.

The moonsheep plucks himself a blade
returning to his alpine glade.
The moonsheep.

The moonsheep murmurs in his dream:
'I am the cosmos' gloomy scheme.'
The moonsheep.

The moonsheep, in the morn, lies dead.
His flesh is white, the sun is red.
The moonsheep.

-- Christian Morgenstern

(Some of Stevie Smith's stuff is in this vein).

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The Does' Prayer

The does, as the hour grows late,
med-it-ate;

med-it-nine;

med-i-ten;

med-eleven;

med-twelve;

mednight!

The does, as the hour grows late,
meditate.
They fold their little toesies,
the doesies.

(Morgenstern / Knight)

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the inward eye, W Wordsworth

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Originally posted by D43M0N
Mending Wall or Out, Out both by Robert Frost.
The Road Not Taken.....

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I memorized the entire raven for drama class in junior high school.

My favorite poem would have to be daddy by sylvia plath, poe comes in second for me.

Edit : I'd like to add that hearing James earl jones recite the raven on the simpsons was quite a treat for me. Something about his voice just matches the poem so well.

I also have a tape called the poet speaks, where sylvia plath reads three of her more wel known poems, it will send chills down you to hear her read it lady lazurus.

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Originally posted by Nyxie
I memorized the entire raven for drama class in junior high school.

My favorite poem would have to be daddy by sylvia plath, poe comes in second for me.

Edit : I'd like to add that hearing James earl jones recite the raven on the simp ...[text shortened]... ms, it will send chills down you to hear her read it lady lazurus.
Jesus christ bananas, here I thought I was doing something original, sheesh. :'( Way to break my spirit, ya jerks.

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Originally posted by seraphimvulture
Jesus christ bananas, here I thought I was doing something original, sheesh. :'( Way to break my spirit, ya jerks.
Well if it makes you feel better I don't remember it all now. The teacher told us all to memorize a poem or a famous momologue from a play. I was about halfway through and everyone looked about half passed out when the teacher interrupted me and said " that's enough". So I never got to even recite the whole thing. What a waste of time memorizing it.