Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#27564 04/27/01 05:17 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
Has anyone ever seen an example of an Altar Poem, or have a link where i might find one?

My source (http://jdc-concrete.com/TERMS.HTM#inflexiv) defines an Altar Poem as follows:

"in English poetry from the Renaissance a poem where the verses or stanzas take the form of the subject of the poem (Wither, Quarles, Benlowes, Herrick and Herbert)"

these sound interesting, if i'm understanding the concept correctly (and am i wrong in assuming that the original altar poem, from which the name was derived, was about/in the form of an altar? anyone have access to the poem itself?)

TIA
b


#27565 04/27/01 06:18 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Found this via "Altar Poem" in Google :

"Concrete poetry is the modern development of an old poetic device, in which the poem is printed in a particular design. "The Altar," an altar-shaped poem by the 17th-century English poet George HERBERT, is a famous example. In more recent times Guillaume APOLLINAIRE and E. E. CUMMINGS made typographical design an integral element of some of their poems, and such later poets as Ian Hamilton Finlay and Richard Kostelanetz experimented with the style."
Any help?
wow


#27566 04/27/01 06:47 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
cool, thanks wow. i'd actually read that same excerpt, and was disappointed that it (1) didn't specify whether Herbert's "The Altar" was written as a literal interpretation of the Altar Poem style (okay, granted, it's unlikely) or if the Altar Poem indeed took its name from Herbert's offering (that's a pun, sadly) and (2) the site didn't provide the poem itself.

it hadn't occured to me to simply google "George Herbert The Altar" until i read your post; and voila:


1 A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears,
2 Made of a heart and cemented with tears;
3 Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
4 No workman's tool hath touch'd the same.
5 A HEART alone
6 Is such a stone,
7 As nothing but
8 Thy pow'r doth cut.
9 Wherefore each part
10 Of my hard heart
11 Meets in this frame
12 To praise thy name.
13 That if I chance to hold my peace,
14 These stones to praise thee may not cease.
15 Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,
16 And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.


(darnit, i can't figure out how to switch to plain text so that the format won't be lost... HEEELLLLLP, tsuwm!)


#27567 04/27/01 07:05 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
1     A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears,
2 Made of a heart and cemented with tears;
3 Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
4 No workman's tool hath touch'd the same.
5 A HEART alone
6 Is such a stone,
7 As nothing but
8 Thy pow'r doth cut.
9 Wherefore each part
10 Of my hard heart
11 Meets in this frame
12 To praise thy name.
13 That if I chance to hold my peace,
14 These stones to praise thee may not cease.
15 Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,
16 And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.


ya mean like that??


#27568 04/27/01 07:34 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
thanks darlin =)

now, please tell your secret.

i tried [format][plaintext][format=0][text][quote]etc , to no avail.


#27569 04/27/01 09:09 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
[ pre ]


[ /pre ]


#27570 04/30/01 09:01 AM
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
R
addict
Offline
addict
R
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
blue]Has anyone ever seen an example of an Altar Poem, or have a link where i might find one?

The mouses tale in Alice (can't remember which one offhand - apologies] is a good example.
Rod



#27571 04/30/01 11:56 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
B
old hand
Offline
old hand
B
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
Years ago I used to routinely writes these. Many 4th grade teachers create these with their class, and therefore they've got a bad rap. I think they're lots of fun, sometimes haunting. All the good examples I know are in German. Here is an English one I found, albeit a 4th grade type one in English:
http://teenwriting.about.com/teens/teenwriting/library/blank/okstory1250.htm



#27572 04/30/01 01:07 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Do they all HAVE to be "altar poems"? I got a lovely one in the shape of a tree, and I'd rather call it a tree poem.


#27573 04/30/01 03:49 PM
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
R
addict
Offline
addict
R
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
Do they all HAVE to be "altar poems"? I got a lovely one in the shape of a tree, and I'd rather call it a tree poem.

I think it is useful to have a single word (or word phrase) to describe a poem which is typographically shaped to represent its subject. It just so happens that Altar has been chosen as that word. Which I agree seems rather strange. If enough people agree we could start a movement to popularise (pople for Brits) a new word. Suggestions?

Rod




#27574 04/30/01 04:40 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
on the other hand, if a poem has been shaped to represent its subject, it has in all probability been altered.{smile}


#27575 05/01/01 01:15 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
My tree poem "Photo Sin Thesis" had to be trimmed a bit, no doubt!


#27576 05/01/01 07:49 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
F
member
Offline
member
F
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157

I clicked on belligerentyouth's link to the teen poem, but both times my Internet froze up. Did anyone else have this problem??


#27577 05/01/01 07:54 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A

I clicked on belligerentyouth's link to the teen poem, but both times my Internet froze up. Did anyone else have this problem??


no problem here. lemme guess... AOL?


there are pop-ups on that site... perhaps you have a personal firewall running?



#27578 05/03/01 04:55 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
F
member
Offline
member
F
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 157
I wasn't on my own computer... Oh, well. Just curious.


#27579 05/04/01 04:33 AM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
As Addisonian was an AWAD not so long ago, here is an article from the Spectator by Addison on these poems, the earliest known examples of which are by the Greek poet Simmias of Rhodes and date back to 324 BC. Addison didn't think much of them, by the way.

http://harvest.rutgers.edu/projects/spectator/text/may1711/no58.html



Bingley


Bingley
#27580 05/04/01 01:08 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Oh! The article mentions one of our own!!
"The Sheperd's Pipe may be said to be full of Musick, for it is composed of nine different Kinds of Verses, which by their several Lengths resemble the nine Stops of the old musical Instrument, [that [2] ] is likewise the Subject of the Poem. [3]"

Coo-ool!


Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5