poetry

1y

*//
《台灯下的蜘蛛》

在一个夜晚，我发现它
悬浮于我的笔记本上方
一只灰黑色的蜘蛛，无所适从
它在我的书桌上迷路了多久？
很快，我的发现再次惊扰它
不得不向着更黑暗处流浪
在二十平米的房间绕行一周后
它会试着接受，
与一个人类同居的事实

2024 年 8 月 15 日
#诗 #poem #poetry #2gpoetband

(no description)

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189d

These are the hills, these are the woods,
These are my starry solitudes;
And there the river by whose brink
The roaring lions come to drink…

—Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Land of Story-Books”
from A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES
📚🛋️🦁

A poem for World Book Day (UK & Ireland)
🖼️ by Roger Duvoisin, 1944

@bookstodon

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #books #RobertLouisStevenson #19thcentury #Victorian #imagination #WorldBookDay #kidlit #childrensliterature

The Land of Story-Books
by Robert Louis Stevenson

At evening, when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl
All in the dark along the wall,
And follow round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter’s camp I lie,
And play at books that I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.

These are the hills, these are the woods,
These are my starry solitudes;
And there the river by whose brink
The roaring lions come to drink.

I see the others far away
As if in firelit camp they lay,
And I, like to an Indian scout,
Around their party prowled about.

So, when my nurse comes in for me,
Home I return across the sea,
And go to bed with backward looks
At my dear land of Story-books.

A black-and-white illustration for Robert Louis Stevenson's poem “The Land of Story-Books”. A large, black, ornate, Victorian armchair sits in a shadowy corner. A small boy peeks out behind it, pointing a toy rifle. Behind him are images from his imagination: a smouldering campfire; the faces of two (quite friendly-looking) lions; a native American, wearing a feathered war-bonnet and wielding a tomahawk, can be seen behind the chair; and a sly-looking wolf prowls on the left edge of the frame.

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293d

Cauld, cauld as the wall
That rins frae under the snaw
On Ben a’Bhuird…

—Nan Shepherd, “Cauld, cauld as the wall”
published in A KIST O SKINKLAN THINGS (ASL, 2017)

https://asls.org.uk/publications/books/volumes/a-kist-o-skinlan-things/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Scots #Scotslanguage #winter

Nan Shepherd
Cauld, cauld as the wall

Cauld, cauld as the wall
That rins frae under the snaw
On Ben a’Bhuird,
And fierce, and bricht,
This water’s nae for ilka mou,
But him that’s had a waucht or noo
Nae wersh auld waters o the plain
Can sloke again,
But aye he clim’s the weary hicht
To fin’ the wall that lowps like licht,
Caulder than mou can thole, and aye
The warld cries out on him for fey.

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1y

Surrealism at 100: A Reading List

On the centennial of the founding of Surrealism, this reading list examines its radical beginnings, its mass popularity, and its continued evolution.

By Allison C. Meier via @JSTOR_Daily

https://daily.jstor.org/surrealism-at-100-a-reading-list/?utm_term=Surrealism%20at%20100%3A%20A%20Reading%20List&utm_campaign=jstordaily_09192024&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email

#books #art #literature #poetry

The covers of Surrealist Manifestos by André Breton and Yvan Goll. Wikimedia Commons

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1y

*//
《无人罚站的午后》

在午后的雷声中想起往事
也许并没有那道雷
只是记忆中的闪回
光线穿过，两扇窗帘汇合处
就像大汗淋漓梦中惊醒
或者，什么也没有梦到
只是想起往事
想起还小的时候
站在房檐下无人罚站的午后

2024 年 8 月 15 日
#诗 #poem #poetry #2gpoetband

(no description)

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270d

Finally, I’m done with the phone calls and everything else
and when I switch on the radio it feels like lying in salt water –
all I need to do is breathe: Bach will keep me afloat…

—Elizabeth Burns (1957–2015) was born #OTD, 14 December

1/3

https://www.wayleavepress.co.uk/?page_id=898

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #womenwriters #music #classicalmusic #Bach

Listening to Bach’s B Minor Mass in the kitchen
by Elizabeth Burns

Finally, I’m done with the phone calls and everything else
and when I switch on the radio it feels like lying in salt water –
all I need to do is breathe: Bach will keep me afloat.
I’m mixing yeast into flour, making rolls for my daughter’s
birthday breakfast in the morning, kneading and kneading
the dough then setting it to rise; arranging in a glass
the last of the tiny pink roses with a sprig of green,
finding the blue candles and ironing the tablecloth,
the one my granny embroidered, sweeping the floor,
thinking about the hot August night of the birth,
and about the people we met on Westray last week,
and the presents I still need to wrap, and Bach himself
who is like a mountain covered in wildflowers,
and the singers in the Albert Hall who, the conductor says,
get close to godliness through this performance;
and I’m wondering, as all those voices fill my kitchen
with the Mass, if this is what he means: the sense
of time and place dissolving, so what divides us
from the past and elsewhere, and from each other,
falls away, and everything’s connected and we are all
drops of water in this enormous breaking wave.

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291d

The City is of Night; perchance of Death…

James “B.V.” Thomson (1834–1882) – poet, journalist, translator, anarchist, atheist – was born #OTD, 23 Nov, in Port Glasgow. Best known for his long poem THE CITY OF DREADFUL NIGHT, he influenced TS Eliot & is seen as a progenitor of Modernism

1/4

https://psychogeographicreview.com/the-city-of-dreadful-night/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Victorian #19thcentury #modernism #TSEliot

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291d

Wha’s Doctor Wha? Wha better kens nor he
that jouks the yetts and rides the birlin wheels
o time and space, shape-shiftin as he reels
through endless versions o reality? …

—James Robertson, “Doctor Wha”
First published in Where Rockets Burn Through (ed. Russell Jones, 2012)

Today, 23 November, is Doctor Who Day!

1/2

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Scots #Scotslanguage #sciencefiction #SFpoetry #DoctorWho #DoctorWhoDay

Doctor Wha
by James Robertson

Wha’s Doctor Wha? Wha better kens nor he
that jouks the yetts and rides the birlin wheels
o time and space, shape-shiftin as he reels
through endless versions o reality?
Bit dis he ken himsel? Weel, mibbe sae,
yet wha’s tae ken gin aw that’s kent by Wha
maks mair or less or better sense ava
nor whit we ithers ken, or think we dae?
The universe is fou o parallels:
wha’s like us? Hunners? Thoosans? We oorsels
micht be mere glisks o life-forms yet tae be.
Whit’s real? Whaur’s here? When’s noo? Wha’s quick or deid?
Wha’s jist a thochtie in anither’s heid?
Wha’s Doctor Wha? Wha better kens nor he?

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293d

I’m just borrowing
These bones
From the stars.
Come then, fire,
To claim them
Back.

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1y

Polish poet, dramatist, painter, sculptor, and philosopher Cyprian Norwid was born #OTD in 1821.

Considered a "rising star" in his youth, Norwid's original, nonconformist style was not appreciated in his lifetime. Partly due to this, he was excluded from high society. His work was rediscovered and appreciated only after his death by the Young Poland movement of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprian_Norwid#

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait of Cyprian Kamil Norwid in 1871.

Norwid is shown with a serious, contemplative expression. His eyes often seem deep-set and thoughtful, conveying his intellectual depth and the hardships he endured. The expression also reflects his status as a misunderstood and underappreciated figure during his lifetime.

Norwid is seen wearing formal, yet modest clothing, which aligns with his austere lifestyle. His hair and beard, slightly disheveled, contribute to his image as a Romantic artist.

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289d

Burns and Nature
21 January, Glasgow – free

An exploration of Robert Burns’s relationship to nature, told through poetry, spoken word & film.

This event, presented in partnership with the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow, will examine Burns’s relationship to place, his life as a farmer, & his perspective on humanity’s relationship to the natural world.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/burns-and-nature-tickets-1975112411391

#Scottish #literature #18thcentury #RobertBurns #poetry #environmentalism #nature

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290d

Computer’s First Christmas Card: a Poetry/Coding workshop
4 December, Mitchell Library, Glasgow – free

Inspired by Edwin Morgan’s poem ‘The Computer’s First Christmas Card’, attendees at this Poetry/Coding workshop will code a festive poem & leave with a handmade Christmas card! There will also be a chance to see some items from the Edwin Morgan collection.

No experience of coding or creative writing necessary.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/computers-first-christmas-card-a-poetrycoding-workshop-tickets-1969671946815

#Scottish #literature #Glasgow #poetry #coding #writing

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1y

"If the fifteenth century discovered America to the Old World, the nineteenth is discovering woman to herself."
"Woman's Political Future" Speech

American writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born #OTD in 1825.

She was an abolitionist, suffragist, poet, teacher, public speaker, and writer, one of the first African American women to be published in the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Ellen_Watkins_Harper

Books by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/345

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

In: Women of distinction : remarkable in works and invincible in character
Year: 1893
https://archive.org/details/womenofdistincti00scru/page/n40/mode/1up?view=theater

Harper is dressed in modest, formal clothing, typical of the period. Her attire reflects her professional status and her role as a speaker and activist. She is shown in a high-necked dress with simple accessories, emphasizing her seriousness and professionalism.

Harper is often portrayed with a straight, upright posture, which adds to her aura of authority and poise.

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290d

The night tinkles like ice in glasses.
Leaves are glued to the pavement with frost.
The brown air fumes at the shop windows,
Tries the doors, and sidles past…

—Norman MacCaig, “November night, Edinburgh”
published in The Poems of Norman MacCaig (Birlinn, 2011)

https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-poems-of-norman-maccaig/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #November #winter #Edinburgh #normanmacCaig

Norman MacCaig
November night, Edinburgh

The night tinkles like ice in glasses.
Leaves are glued to the pavement with frost.
The brown air fumes at the shop windows,
Tries the doors, and sidles past.

I gulp down winter raw. The heady
Darkness swirls with tenements.
In a brown fuzz of cottonwool
Lamps fade up crags, die into pits.

Frost in my lungs is harsh as leaves
Scraped up on paths. – I look up, there,
A high roof sails, at the mast-head
Fluttering a grey and ragged star.

The world’s a bear shrugged in his den.
It’s snug and close in the snoring night.
And outside like chrysanthemums
The fog unfolds its bitter scent.

Edited 290d ago

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1y

Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri died #OTD in 1321.

Dante is known for establishing the use of the vernacular in literature at a time when most poetry was written in Latin, which was accessible only to educated readers. His use of the Florentine dialect for works such as The New Life and Divine Comedy helped establish the modern-day standardized Italian language.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri

Books by Dante Alighieri at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/507

#books #literature #poetry

Andrea del Castagno, Dante Alighieri, ne Ciclo degli uomini e donne illustri, affresco, tra il 1448 e il 1451, Galleria degli Uffizi, Firenze

The painting of Dante Alighieri by Andrea del Castagno, part of the Ciclo degli uomini e donne illustri (Cycle of Famous Men and Women), is a fresco created between 1448 and 1451. It is housed in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The portrait honors Dante as one of the most prominent literary figures in Italian history.

In this fresco, Dante is depicted as a tall, solemn figure, wearing a traditional red robe with a matching cap (a zucchetto), which was associated with scholars and intellectuals. The red color symbolizes Dante's prominence and the honor bestowed upon him in Florence's cultural history.

Dante’s face is dignified and contemplative, reflecting his status as a thinker and poet. His face is slightly turned to the side, emphasizing his prominent nose and thoughtful gaze.

He is shown standing in a stately posture, holding a book in his hand, most likely representing The Divine Comedy. The book signifies his contribution to literature and his intellectual achievements.

Botticelli’s "The Map of Hell" is a detailed and dramatic representation of Dante’s Inferno.
The painting is structured around a massive funnel or pit, which spirals downward toward the Earth’s core. These circles narrow as they descend, representing Dante’s journey through Hell, where the severity of sin increases the deeper one goes. Each ring or layer corresponds to a specific category of sin, following the structure Dante outlined in Inferno.
The first circle represents Limbo, where virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized souls reside in a less tormented, shadowy existence.
The second circle shows those punished for lust, buffeted by strong winds.
The third circle depicts gluttons suffering in a filthy, icy slush.
The fourth circle portrays the misers and spendthrifts, forced to push heavy weights against one another.
The fifth circle illustrates the wrathful fighting each other in the River Styx, while the sullen are submerged beneath it.
The sixth circle shows heretics trapped in flaming tombs.
The seventh circle is divided into three sub-circles, where violent sinners are punished, including those who commit violence against others, against themselves, and against God.
The eighth circle depicts the fraudsters suffering in ten ditches, each with a unique punishment based on the type of fraud.
The ninth and final circle is the frozen lake of Cocytus, where traitors are encased in ice, and Lucifer himself resides at the center, holding the ultimate traitors in his jaws.

Illustration for Paradiso (of The Divine Comedy) by Gustave Doré.

The illustration of Paradiso from The Divine Comedy by Gustave Doré is a breathtaking and ethereal portrayal of Dante's ascent into Heaven. Doré’s illustrations for The Divine Comedy, completed in the 19th century, are renowned for their dramatic use of light and shadow, as well as their grand, visionary style. His illustrations for Paradiso stand out for their portrayal of divine beauty, light, and celestial order.

In typical illustrations of Paradiso, Doré masterfully captures the overwhelming presence of divine light. This light, emanating from the center of the illustration, symbolizes the presence of God. The radiance fills the entire composition, with Dante and Beatrice often depicted as tiny figures in comparison to the vast, celestial brightness. The light represents purity and divine truth, essential themes of Dante's journey through Heaven.

Surrounding the light, Doré often illustrates ranks of angels or blessed souls arranged in celestial circles or spheres. These figures are frequently portrayed in intricate, flowing robes, with wings outstretched, creating a sense of motion and harmony. The angelic beings are shown in concentric circles, as Dante describes in Paradiso, reinforcing the structured, ordered nature of Heaven according to medieval cosmology.

The illustration of Purgatorio, Canto XXX, 60-146 by William Blake, titled Beatrice Addressing Dante, is a vivid and emotional representation of the moment when Beatrice confronts Dante in the Earthly Paradise near the summit of Mount Purgatory. In this scene from Dante’s Purgatorio, Beatrice appears in a triumphal chariot, symbolizing divine grace, to address Dante for the first time, offering him spiritual guidance and chastising him for straying from the path of righteousness.

At the center of the composition is Beatrice, standing in her chariot. She is depicted as a radiant and almost otherworldly figure, with an aura of divine authority. Blake often emphasizes Beatrice’s spiritual purity by portraying her with soft, flowing robes and a serene expression, which contrasts with the darker tones of the surrounding environment. Her posture is commanding but graceful, reflecting her role as a guide and embodiment of divine love.

Below or to the side of Beatrice, Dante is shown kneeling or standing in awe, gazing upward toward Beatrice with a look of intense emotion. His posture and expression reflect a mixture of reverence, penitence, and shock.

The chariot in which Beatrice stands is a key symbol in this illustration, representing divine authority and grace.

Blake’s illustration blends heavenly and earthly elements, reflecting the liminal space of the Earthly Paradise.

Edited 1y ago

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1y

*//

我給你的愛以數量取勝
寫一百封情書
郵費又上漲了呢
我很著急
一筐筐蘋果正在運送而來的路上
到你手上就熟透了吧
或許我還是應該
採摘青澀的那些
不成熟的愛數以萬計

不成熟的愛數以萬計
但我相信
再青澀的都會在你手中漸漸成熟
我的耐心要比路程更長
比宇宙終始更長
當他們把咖啡果實叫做咖啡櫻桃
驚愕之餘，也感到釋懷
請把我也種在山林裡
我會和陽光，和成熟消耗的時間和解

⋯⋯
love letter

#诗 #poem #poetry #2gpoetband

(no description)

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1y

English poet, playwright, critic, Nobel Prize laureate T. S. Eliot was born #OTD in 1888.

Eliot first attracted widespread attention for his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" from 1914 to 1915, which, at the time of its publication, was considered outlandish. It was followed by The Waste Land, "The Hollow Men", "Ash Wednesday", and Four Quartets. He was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Books by T. S. Eliot at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/599

#books #literature #poetry

T. S. Eliot, photographed one Sunday afternoon in 1923 by Lady Ottoline Morrell.

Eliot is captured with a contemplative, somewhat somber expression. His face appears serious and introspective, a mood reflective of his complex, often dark literary themes.

Eliot is dressed formally in a suit, typical of the style of an educated, professional man of the 1920s.

The photograph is relatively straightforward, with Eliot seated in a relaxed but poised manner. The simplicity of the composition focuses attention on Eliot’s face and presence, allowing his personality to take center stage. Lady Morrell's photographic style often emphasized the character of her subjects, and this portrait reflects that approach.

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1y

British artist, writer, poet, playwright, novelist, painter, designer of lamps, and bohemian Mina Loy died #OTD in 1966.

Loy's poetry is known for its non-traditional structure, free verse, and exploration of the female experience, such as Lunar Baedecker (1923). In 1914, while living in an expatriate community in Florence, Italy, Loy wrote her Feminist Manifesto. Loy was also a visual artist, working in painting, sculpture, and design.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mina_Loy#

#books #literature #poetry

Photograph of Mina Loy

Anonymous - Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy (Introduction), carolynburke.com

Loy is typically depicted with a thoughtful, almost enigmatic expression, emphasizing her intellectual and artistic depth. Her gaze often appears direct and intense, conveying her confidence and unconventional spirit.

Loy’s attire tends to reflect her modernist aesthetics—simple yet avant-garde, blending elegance with a rejection of traditional norms.

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1y

*//
《伞的坟墓》

风穴，是城市受到的诅咒
是伞的坟墓，晴天雨天
连同它庇护下的一株野草
也被连根拔起，翻腾
我们卷进夏季的尾声

2024 年 8 月 25 日
#诗 #poem #poetry #2gpoetband

(no description)

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269d

How Robert Frost summoned a classic from life’s timeless moments

Perhaps the most famous work by the US poet Robert Frost, ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ (1923) exemplifies his style with its vivid scenery and accessibility.

https://aeon.co/videos/how-robert-frost-summoned-a-classic-from-lifes-timeless-moments?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a5fbf00b6b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Frost at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1091

#books #literature #poetry

Robert Frost, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing forward.

From the Library of Congress collection, the image captures the young Frost during the period when he wrote some of his most celebrated poems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_by_Woods_on_a_Snowy_Evening#/media/File:Robert_Frost,_1910s.jpg

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288d

Skint, baw ragged, poackets ful eh ma
fingers, cannae afford tae burn toast an
it’s November. Christmas is close…

—William Letford, “This is it”
Published in DIRT (Carcanet, 2016)

https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784102005/dirt/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #November

This Is It
by William Letford

Skint, baw ragged, poackets ful eh ma
fingers, cannae afford tae burn toast an
it’s November. Christmas is close. Av been
away bit noo am back an ivery coarner
is a different colour cause am hame an
memories ur painted wae mischief. Am
outside Gregs eatin a macaroni pie an a
busker picks up eez guitar an plugs in eez
amplifier. The sound fae the strings is
like frost. Eez young an the dreams thit
wur boarn in eez bedroom wake me up.
Am watchin people passin an they know
thit eez good bit they don’t want tae look.
They turn thur heeds an tilt thur ears
an jog on. If a hud a spare pound
a wid throw it bit a don’t so a jist listen.
I’d like tae tell um thit this is it, this is
where the hammer hits the stane an sparks
ur made, standin oan a corner in yur hame
toon, an audience eh one radge eatin a
macaroni pie, bit singin, wee man, yur singin.

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285d

I would like to tell her not to wear such flimsy shoes,
that rubble contains the whole spectrum of knowable
and unknowable dangers…

—Marjorie Lotfi, “Picture of Girl and Small Boy (Burij, Gaza, 2014)”
published in THE WRONG PERSON TO ASK (Bloodaxe Books, 2023)

https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Gaza #Palestine #PalestineSolidarity

Picture of Girl and Small Boy (Burij, Gaza, 2014)
Marjorie Lotfi

I would like to tell her not to wear such flimsy shoes,
that rubble contains the whole spectrum of knowable
and unknowable dangers: sheets of metal ripped
to knife edge, live wires, bloated arms reaching

for light. Her hair, scraped back into a ponytail,
is open to sky; remnants of buildings filter down
one concrete chunk at a time, and the midday bells
of rockets ring out above her. She carries a boy

on her still narrow hips, his legs entwined around
her yellow dungarees. Like a rodeo rider, his left arm
grips her shoulder to steady himself, or her,
while his torso reels back and away; his body

is asking to slow down, to turn back. Instead,
her eyes comb the ground for a next step, fingers
of her free hand curled into a claw, as if
to frighten off what she somehow sees ahead.

A Palestinian girl carries a child across rubble from a building that police said was destroyed by an Israeli air strike, in the Burij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, August 1, 2014. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly. Marjorie Lotfi's poem describes the picture in detail:

Picture of Girl and Small Boy (Burij, Gaza, 2014)
Marjorie Lotfi

I would like to tell her not to wear such flimsy shoes,
that rubble contains the whole spectrum of knowable
and unknowable dangers: sheets of metal ripped
to knife edge, live wires, bloated arms reaching

for light. Her hair, scraped back into a ponytail,
is open to sky; remnants of buildings filter down
one concrete chunk at a time, and the midday bells
of rockets ring out above her. She carries a boy

on her still narrow hips, his legs entwined around
her yellow dungarees. Like a rodeo rider, his left arm
grips her shoulder to steady himself, or her,
while his torso reels back and away; his body

is asking to slow down, to turn back. Instead,
her eyes comb the ground for a next step, fingers
of her free hand curled into a claw, as if
to frighten off what she somehow sees ahead.

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273d

“No Extra Words“ – The Scottish Poet Norman MacCaig (1910–1996)
16 Dec, free online

Anette Degott looks at the life & work of Norman MacCaig
via Scotland HUB at Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz

@litstudies

https://www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/reading-scotland/

#Scottish #literature #poetry #20thcentury #NormanMacCaig

Reading Scotland with Anette Degott

“No Extra Words“ – The Scottish Poet Norman MacCaig (1910–1996)

Tuesday, 16th December 2025
6.00–7.30 pm (German time) on MS Teams

www.scotland.uni-mainz.de

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286d

Mirror, mirror on the wall
show me in succession all
my faces, that I may view
and choose which I would like as true…

—“Through the Looking Glass”, by Veronica Forrest-Thomson (1947–1975) – born #OTD, 28 Nov

published in COLLECTED POEMS (Shearsman Books, 2008)

1/3

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/143680/through-the-looking-glass

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #WomenWriters #postmodern

Through the Looking Glass
by Veronica Forrest-Thomson

Mirror, mirror on the wall
show me in succession all
my faces, that I may view
and choose which I would like as true.

Teach me skill to disguise
what’s not pleasing to the eyes,
with faith, that life obeys the rules,
in man or God or football pools.

Always keep me well content
to decorate attitude and event
so that somehow behind the scene
I may believe my actions mean;

that one can exercise control
in playing out a chosen role;
rub clouded glass and then,
at will, write self on it again.

But if, in some unlucky glance,
I should glimpse naked circumstance
in all its nowhere-going-to,
may you crack before I do.

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269d

jollymerry
hollyberry
jollyberry
merryholly
happyjolly
jollyjelly
jellybelly
bellymerry
hollyheppy
jollyMolly
marryJerry
merryHarry
hoppyBarry
heppyJarry
bobbyheppy
berryjorry…

—Edwin Morgan, “The Computer’s First Christmas Card”
first published in THE SECOND LIFE (Edinburgh University Press, 1968)

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #concretepoetry #20thcentury #EdwinMorgan #Christmas #ChristmasCard #computer

(written in bright green text, in a monospaced font on a black background, to emulate an old CRT computer monitor)

The Computer's First Christmas Card
by Edwin Morgan

jollymerry
hollyberry
jollyberry
merryholly
happyjolly
jollyjelly
jellybelly
bellymerry
hollyheppy
jollyMolly
marryJerry
merryHarry
hoppyBarry
heppyJarry
bobbyheppy
berryjorry
jorryjolly
moppyjelly
Mollymerry
Jerryjolly
bellyboppy
jorryhoppy
hollymoppy
Barrymerry
Jarryhappy
happyboppy
boppyjolly
jollymerry
merrymerry
merrymerry
merryChris
ammerryasa
Chrismerry
asMERRYCHR
YSANTHEMUM

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