Science or Art, IP, abab Options

[jgdittier]

Is poetry a science or an art,
its form an inmate's solitary state,
enchained by prose's flavor, naught but tart,
encased in walls of brick or solid slate?

When wisdom rules as commeth forth from mind;
if crystal hard, a mold, no choice allows.
Behold, we've verse of scientific kind,
less choice for guffaws, nor for laughs and howls.

If verse is art, the poet then is free
to entertain us any way his muse
can choose, like Charlie on "Berg's" knee,
and none of Milton's methods man may lose.

May bards e'er be the forces to elate,
humanity's approach to verse, sublime
and pray our minds we vow to never sate
and lose these joys we nurse with beat and rhyme.

note "Berg's" =Edgar Bergin, ventriloquist/humorist,
Charlie McCarthy was his dummy

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Ron...

Most kind of you - and inventive to use that technique. (Could we have a web address for "Quills" please? I think the previous one didn't work for non members, as I recall.)

Could I ask you please, for my brain is a simple one, to kindly put your arguments down in continuous prose, as to what you think the difference is between modern and olden forms. I suggest that in your answer, above, you focus on the prejudice you perceive in modern academia. You may well be right; I have no idea. But it still leave the central question of difference by stance, rather than category and example.

If you've written your arguments down previously, why not just copy them here, too? I'm sure many would be interested.

I’ll put it this way - I see no difference in the degree of limitations imposed by Swap Quatrains and Shakespearean Sonnets (and Daniel sees great possibilities in each). But you do see a modern / olden schism. It’s that schism I’m trying to understand. Thanks!

Yours in hopeful anticipation, James.