Today's poet

Gerard Manley Hopkin's 'Windhover' and Robert Frost's 'Blue Butterfly Day' inspired a couple of my prints....and Neruda too. Some amazing choices here.

It is blue-butterfly day here in spring,
And with these sky-flakes down in flurry on flurry
There is more unmixed color on the wing
Than flowers will show for days unless they hurry.

But these are flowers that fly and all but sing:
And now from having ridden out desire
They lie closed over in the wind and cling
Where wheels have freshly sliced the April mire.

Robert Frost

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XRunner

Training

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I really enjoyed this poem (and the link), it reminded me about a really good book I read recently "Regeneration" by Pat Barker which amongst other things talks about Siegfried Sasoon and Wilfred Owen's time at Craiglockhart during the first world war (due to "shell shock")...an interesting part of history...must read the next one in the trilogy if I can drag myself away from the computer!!!....

here is a short Siegfied Sassoon poem which I like (unusually it is not about the war!):

What you are I cannot say
Only this I know full well-
When I touched your face today
Drifts of blossom flushed and fell.

Whence you came I cannot tell;
Only with your joy you start
Chime on chime from bell on bell
In the clositers of my heart.

Another one by SS is considerably more serious, appertaining to his time at Craiglockhart and relating to his sense of guilt that he was no longer on the front line (as you were probably aware he ultimately objected to the 1ww).

Sick Leave

When I'm asleep, dreaming and lulled and warm,
They come, the homeless ones, the noiseless dead.
While the dim charging breakers of the storm
Bellow and drone and rumble overhead,
Out of the gloom they gather around my bed.
They whisper to my heart; there thoughts are mine.
"Why are you here with all your watches ended?

"From Ypres to Frise we sought you in the Line."
In bitter safety I awake, unfriended;
And while the dawn begins with slashing rain
I think of the Battalion in the mud.
"When are you going out to them again?
Are they still not your brothers through our blood?".

Han- i really like your poem, Autumn seems to get a rough time from the poets tho i think! looking forward to the translation.

Hes- that was a really pretty piece...hope your weekend went well!

Southern Softie- i am waiting for the limerick! :)

Hes, are you an artist?

Some lovely poems here! It is a great joy to discover new things! Thank you for starting this thread Freckle :)

Hey, google is your friend!

As I must still have my poetry books (or all those i bought before I moved to my chapel) in a box in store as I can't find them... I decided to Google Hans Lodeizen and found an interesting paper on him in... ENGLISH!

With lots of his poems in Dutch and English...

You will find it here http://www.lowensteyn.com/poetry/lodeizen1.html

Never been much of a one for poems but , this one captured me a few years ago .

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Or video version on utube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvZeuzXGFb0

Quote:

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Originally Posted by freckle

Oooo hello nightingale and welcome to this thread! What a beautiful poem...more please :) pd very appropriate for this time of year with all those migrating birds...

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I would love to be able to contribute more but I think thats as good as it gets from me (perhaps I started too high)

The poem is know to Pilots and ,I think, it really captures the feeling of freedom some of us are lucky enough to expierience during some of our airbourne exploits .

Here is a link to one of many sites about Gillespie and that poem http://www.skygod.com/quotes/highflight.html



.

Ours is not a violent country.
Despite its exiguous carcasses,
rigid furs
across which farm-children
stumble on callous mornings,
no murders are committed.

Ours is an innocent land.
Despite its ominous offerings
- an open vole
an unattached wing
which could not have belonged
to Hughs' crow -
we are not implicated
in indictable crimes

The beaters, stumbling ahead,
are not even paid;
they wipe their pink noses
on cardigan sleeves
and know little enough.
Our polished shot-guns
are never sawn off.

Fenlanders by Peter Cash

Not running related and not hill related, but I like the feeling of the fens this poem offers. I think that feeling must be true of many isolated rural places, fen and fell alike. The innocence of rural violence.

I have attempted a couple of OMM haiku :o

Stumbling on tussocks
My face flayed by gritty rain
Elan Valley day

Quivering darkness
Wind frightens our little tent
Elan Valley night

Sat in grey workplace
July sun feels long time done
Headtorch glows in frost


:o

Hehe, DT's winter poems are really bleak and grim aren't they. I can't really find a poem that expresses how I feel but, simply put, I love all of the seasons and the weather that's thrown at you in this country. And I love all of the hills and wilderness too whether its in Snowdonia, the New Forest, the Peak, the Dales, the Lakes, the North York Moors, Kilder, the Scottish Borders or the Scottish Highlands or where ever. I even love midges :D ;)

Running in the hills just puts you out in it all, whatever's going and as a sport/hobby/obsession you just appreciate all the nuances, beauty and scaryness included, that each place, season and type of weather brings.

Here at work I'm generally surrounded by mamby pamby types and all they frigging talk about is how bad the weather is and how they were unable to do anything at the weekend, other than drink a lot and/or watch X Factor. They yearn for foreign holidays of not doing much other than drinking a lot and lying by the pool and then, when the weather is hot in this country, they complain about that too :rolleyes:.

Autumns fantastic and winter, bring it on!

To convey one's mood
In seventeen syllables
Is very diffic

Saw this recently, can't remember where apologies if it was on here, can't be bothered to go back and check.

(John Cooper Clarke)

Hey Grouse, JCC is one of my faves.
Not quite Haiku, but:

I married a monster from our space
It wouldn't be so bad but shes got no face.

Genius!:D

Charley's Great Race

One day, six starters lined up for a race,
And poor old Charley came in seventh place.
No kidding--Chuck came seventh out of six,
And, honest, there were no late-entry tricks.
What happened was, the day was damp and chilly,
And who showed up, but Charley's old friend Billy,
Encumbered in a heavy winter coat,
With linings, straps, and fur all round the throat.
(The athletes had to wear the altogether,
Which must have turned bits blue in that cold weather.)
Well, there was Billy cheering with the crowd,
And when he gets excited, Bill gets loud.
The race came by, the crowd jumped up, and ran
Alongside, each one cheering for his man.
So Bill yells, "Charley! Good job! You can do it!
Get going, man! You're coming last! Oh, screw it!"
At Charley's side he ran, that old coat flapping,
Cheering, exhorting, pleading, whooping, clapping.
Away up front, the five guys crossed the line,
And got their wreathes of olive, oak and pine,
While Bill urged Charley on with pleas and nudges,
Until he found himself among the judges.
Sixth placer! Those officials, unimpressed,
Just DQ'd Bill for being overdressed.
But when you think, there is a happy end
--Old Charley's glad he's only got one friend!

Nicarchus, Satire, AD 1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

Hehe, DT's winter poems are really bleak and grim aren't they. I can't really find a poem that expresses how I feel but, simply put, I love all of the seasons and the weather that's thrown at you in this country. And I love all of the hills and wilderness too whether its in Snowdonia, the New Forest, the Peak, the Dales, the Lakes, the North York Moors, Kilder, the Scottish Borders or the Scottish Highlands or where ever. I even love midges :D ;)

Running in the hills just puts you out in it all, whatever's going and as a sport/hobby/obsession you just appreciate all the nuances, beauty and scaryness included, that each place, season and type of weather brings.

Here at work I'm generally surrounded by mamby pamby types and all they frigging talk about is how bad the weather is and how they were unable to do anything at the weekend, other than drink a lot and/or watch X Factor. They yearn for foreign holidays of not doing much other than drinking a lot and lying by the pool and then, when the weather is hot in this country, they complain about that too :rolleyes:.

Autumns fantastic and winter, bring it on!

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Right you are Stolly - and to be honest when I'm fell running it's the only time I really feel alive, and that's the poetry in my life.

been trying to compose a haiku but it is really difficult...

in the space between our minds
I hope we can find
a salve
to ease your ache

told you it was crap!

laters[/QUOTE]

Your too harsh on yourself Freckle - I like it, brave attempt and I enjoyed the metaphor.

Let's have a go. Not sure I've counted my syllables correctly (5,7,5?)

Autumn's light fading,
Fell gathered; safely folded.
Reach for my head-torch.


Need some more work (and talent ;))

Let's have a go. Not sure I've counted my syllables correctly (5,7,5?)

Autumn's light fading,
Fell gathered; safely folded.
Reach for my head-torch.

Moss Dog.....I loved it :p can just imagine you :), thanx for your kind comments

Haikus are great. Everyone can have a go.

Map, Compass, Whistle,
Emergency rations. Hat
and gloves optional

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harry H Howgill

Haikus are great. Everyone can have a go.

Map, Compass, Whistle,
Emergency rations. Hat
and gloves optional

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HHH :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Harry H Howgill

Haikus are great. Everyone can have a go.

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Does this mean we make our own poems up?:cool:

I wandered lonely as a cloud,
It was low cloud,
I got lost on the hills,
And found myself.

Ok so i nicked the first bit:o

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

does This Mean We Make Our Own Poems Up?

i Wandered Lonely As A Cloud,
It Was Low Cloud,
I Got Lost On The Hills,
And Found Myself.

Ok So I Nicked The First Bit:o

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:D :D :D
Like it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

Does this mean we make our own poems up?:cool:

I wandered lonely as a cloud,
It was low cloud,
I got lost on the hills,
And found myself.

Ok so i nicked the first bit:o

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Snigger:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

Does this mean we make our own poems up?:cool:

I wandered lonely as a cloud,
It was low cloud,
I got lost on the hills,
And found myself.

Ok so i nicked the first bit:o

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Absolutely we can.

You've got the knack already :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

Does this mean we make our own poems up?:cool:

I wandered lonely as a cloud,
It was low cloud,
I got lost on the hills,
And found myself.

Ok so i nicked the first bit:o

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goooood evening merry legs and bravo!!!!!

Inov-8? PB?
Choose your weapon. Fight it out
up the muddy fell.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by freckle

goooood evening merry legs and bravo!!!!!

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Good evening and thank you;)

To recce, or not to recce?
That is the question.
Waterproof or windproof?
Helly Hanson or vest on:confused::D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

Good evening and thank you;)

To recce, or not to recce?
That is the question.
Waterproof or windproof?
Helly Hanson or vest on:confused::D

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Merry you appear to be a natural ;) i'll organise a publisher forwith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by freckle

Merry you appear to be a natural ;) i'll organise a publisher forwith

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Excellent, no need to look for a job after december, i'm a poet and i didn't know it:cool:

Im loving writing haiku. Only problem is I have bits of paper everywhere :(

My Bob Graham haiku, dedicated to Breezie :)

Hard Lakeland round daunts
Twenty seven thousand feet
Moot Hall steps beckon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

Im loving writing haiku. Only problem is I have bits of paper everywhere :(

My Bob Graham haiku, dedicated to Breezie :)

Hard Lakeland round daunts
Twenty seven thousand feet
Moot Hall steps beckon

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Got my own BG haka/haiku

I've started,
so i'll finish!

Forgive me for being fick, but whats a haiku:confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by merrylegs

Got my own BG haka/haiku

I've started,
so i'll finish!

Forgive me for being fick, but whats a haiku:confused:

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Its a japanese three line non rhyming poem. Often the lines have 5-7-5 sounds or syllabols (sp?) but it doesn't have to. There's reference to the seasons and the first two lines are connected in some way whereas the third is a move away. If you use Google there's a wikihelp site highlighted, which explains far better than I can ;) I'm addicted :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

Its a japanese three line non rhyming poem. Often the lines have 5-7-5 sounds or syllabols (sp?) but it doesn't have to. There's reference to the seasons and the first two lines are connected in some way whereas the third is a move away. If you use Google there's a wikihelp site highlighted, which explains far better than I can ;) I'm addicted :cool:

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Thanks mate,
Good to see you last Saturday in the wintry rain,
Off to another thread now;)
Hows that?

Merry, its great! And so are you :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

Merry, its great! And so are you :)

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Nah, i'm just yer average bald headed, fellrunning, happy chappy:D

Singing in the rain
What a glorious feeling
I'm happy again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grouse

Singing in the rain
What a glorious feeling
I'm happy again.

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Seen that before..................maybe painted on a cave wall:D

Good morning...isn't everyone getting good at haiku (myself excluded!), the BG ones are great!...here is my morning haiku....

I sip tea
leaves under galloping feet
in my mind

(looking forward to a run with other folk tonight!)

:)

not haiku, or running and more about "human" nature than the world outside but i like it....:)

your little voice
Over the wires came leaping
and i felt suddenly
dizzy
With the jostling and shouting of merry flowers
wee skipping high-heeled flames
courtesied before my eyes
or twinkling over to my side
Looked up
with impertinently exquisite faces
floating hands were laid upon me
I was whirled and tossed into delicious dancing
up
Up
with the pale important
stars and the Humorous
moon
dear...
How i was crazy how i cried when i heard
over time
and tide and death
leaping
Sweetly
your voice

ee cummings

Reached the peak,
Heart thumping, Lungs burning,
Now like Eagle fly.


Not sure if done Haiku right but here is my attempt anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tri-mind

Reached the peak,
Heart thumping, Lungs burning,
Now like Eagle fly.


Not sure if done Haiku right but here is my attempt anyway.

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Bloody brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :)