tomato basil.

god, that WAS rude. What is wrong with people?

ION, I lost my driver's license on vacation and am spending my lunch calling various lost and found offices. Seems to be a lost cause.

Yea! I'm so glad you liked it, Nilly! It's one of my favorites.

And, hey, your description of bootless jibes with hopeless, and is much more poetic.

So there!

juliana, "doth" is like "do" or "does"?

it's actually one of my audition pieces

I wish I could hear you say it. I need to read it aloud in order to try to figure it out, and I'm sure that reading-aloud by somebody who understands and loves it will improve this (like, when trying to study Talmud, for example, being able to read it properly, puncuating the right places and the like, means you already figured out lots of what's going on inside the complicated sentences there).

t Goes back to read for a second time

your description of bootless jobes with hopeless, and is much more poetic.

Whee! I'm more poetic than actual meaning of words. Um, never mind.

"Doth" is basically "does-eth" -- an old-fashioned way of conjugting verbs. The King James Bible is full of "eths", since it's from the same period. (USian Biblical quotes are almost always KJ, I find.)

Also, good for a lark into goofy "Nutty wisheth for warm weather" talk.

I like a lot of Shakespeare's dialogue -- the snotty bits and the classical references that say more about the person speaking them than about the situation. In Richard II, the king about to be deposed says,

Down, down I come, like Phaeton in his chariot --

Now, if you know Phaeton was a little Greek twerp who stole Apollo's chariot of the sun, and screwed up the weather because he couldn't control it, and got a thunderbolt in the hindparts for his trouble -- do you really think the king should be comparing himself to Phaeton?? THe sentence itself is proof out of the king's own mouth that he's not fit to be a leader.

juliana, "doth" is like "do" or "does"?

Yup. Archaic form. And Shakespeare is most often best understood when heard. He wrote to be heard, not to be read.

(Which is not to say that one shouldn't read Shakespeare - one most certainly should. It's just that one shouldn't feel silly if they prefer hearing someone speak it to reading it.)

Thanks, Nutty.

THe sentence itself is proof out of the king's own mouth that he's not fit to be a leader.

Wow, that's smart. [Edit: Oy. Could this sentence read any dumber?]

I recently read an article about the old translation of "Don Quixote" (sp?), and how in the use of language the translator changed pretty much the whole meaning of the book, just by choosing the words he used, not the literal meaning behind them. For Don Quixote himself, for example, he used biblical references, which made him look all serious and not-delusional, due to the connections that come to Hebrew-speakers from such language. That's what your description reminded me of.

juliana, I think that sonnet is lovely. How each thing helps keep the lover "Thyself away art present still with me", how all of the parts of him help each other in his love and longing.

It's just that one shouldn't feel silly if they prefer hearing someone speak it to reading it

Thanks.

Also, thanks again, to both you and Erin, for sharing something you love. Totally made my day.

Hey Erin,

Don't know if you're still looking for poems to pair with "I Have a Dream" but I've always liked Gwendolyn Brooks "Speech to the Young". It's a nice companion. For latino poets, maybe some Octavio Paz? I don't know what grade you've got. Maybe he's a little bit much. "Hermandad" might be nice for high schoolers. Both of them can be found here.

Perkins, we should plan for another day of visiting and apartment-up-fixing, me and my drill and you and your bare windows and un-hung curtains and ginormous cats, and possibly a movie or three.

Yes, we do. I've had emailing you (and MG and Juliana) on my to do list. When would be good for you?

naptime.

I like a lot of Shakespeare's dialogue -- the snotty bits ...

I particularly like the snotty bits:

Henry IV Pt1

Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them?