Historical persons challenge -- the discussion

[AlwaysHungry]

sounds good to me

and thankyou for all your hard work hosting this challenge.

Thanks for your in-depth comments on so many of the individual poems. I'd like to see more of that. I hoping that after the IDs of the authors are made public, that they will comment on their own poems, on how they conceptualized their respective tributes. These are essentially love poems to people we haven't met personally.

 

[GuiltyPleasure]

My thanks too, to you, AH.

 

[Angeline]

My thanks too, to you, AH.

Yes. Challenges are good for so many of us here and this one has generated a lot of poetry and discussion.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

My Googling suggests that "From the Earl's Point of View" is about Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. There has been a lot written about him. Back in those days, investigations of this sort were not "shut down for national security reasons".

According to Wikipedia , some people also think that Sergius and Bacchus were gay, along with 77% of all artists and U.S. presidents. However, the Sergius and Bacchus poem doesn't go in that direction.

And yet more Googling revealed to me the source for at least part of the "Triptych for Leaena". It is ALCIPHRON, Letters 4. Letters of Courtesans, re-cast in verse by our mystery author.

For "Unkulunkulu", I got nothin'. There is a well known author named Biyi Bandele, but he is Nigerian and Unkulunkulu is a Zulu word. I give up.

 

[greenmountaineer]

My Googling suggests that "From the Earl's Point of View" is about Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. There has been a lot written about him. Back in those days, investigations of this sort were not "shut down for national security reasons".

According to Wikipedia , some people also think that Sergius and Bacchus were gay, along with 77% of all artists and U.S. presidents. However, the Sergius and Bacchus poem doesn't go in that direction.

And yet more Googling revealed to me the source for at least part of the "Triptych for Leaena". It is ALCIPHRON, Letters 4. Letters of Courtesans, re-cast in verse by our mystery author.

For "Unkulunkulu", I got nothin'. There is a well known author named Biyi Bandele, but he is Nigerian and Unkulunkulu is a Zulu word. I give up.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unkulunkulu

 

[AlwaysHungry]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unkulunkulu

Right, I found that. But the poem refers to someone named Bandele, who I assumed to be the subject of the poem. That person remains a mystery to me.

 

[butters]

Right, I found that. But the poem refers to someone named Bandele, who I assumed to be the subject of the poem. That person remains a mystery to me.

i wondered if it referred to the novelist/playwright Biyi Bandele, but i'm unfamiliar with his work to see a clear link. this looks like a greenmountaineer piece to me, inasmuch as he's always educating me. it's a strongly-voiced piece, whoever the author is.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

i wondered if it referred to the novelist/playwright Biyi Bandele, but i'm unfamiliar with his work to see a clear link.

Right, I mentioned him earlier, but he's Nigerian, and Unkulunkulu is a Zulu word. There must be a different explanation.

 

[todski28]

My Googling suggests that "From the Earl's Point of View" is about Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall. There has been a lot written about him. Back in those days, investigations of this sort were not "shut down for national security reasons".

According to Wikipedia , some people also think that Sergius and Bacchus were gay, along with 77% of all artists and U.S. presidents. However, the Sergius and Bacchus poem doesn't go in that direction.

And yet more Googling revealed to me the source for at least part of the "Triptych for Leaena". It is ALCIPHRON, Letters 4. Letters of Courtesans, re-cast in verse by our mystery author.

For "Unkulunkulu", I got nothin'. There is a well known author named Biyi Bandele, but he is Nigerian and Unkulunkulu is a Zulu word. I give up.

Unkulunkulu is clearly a gm poem!
Now I wonder if the historical figure in this is "god" i.e. the juxtaposition of the christian god and the Zulu god,
Both seem to have similar characteristics and man himself has perverted the ideals. I am probably a long way off the mark

However in my view gm has a past history of attempting to reconcile "god" or belief structures in his poetry.

 

[Magnetron]

Unkulunkulu is clearly a gm poem!
Now I wonder if the historical figure in this is "god" i.e. the juxtaposition of the christian god and the Zulu god,
Both seem to have similar characteristics and man himself has perverted the ideals. I am probably a long way off the mark

However in my view gm has a past history of attempting to reconcile "god" or belief structures in his poetry.

Shaddup or I'll twist your arm behind your back and Uncle Uncle You.

 

[greenmountaineer]

Unkulunkulu is clearly a gm poem!
Now I wonder if the historical figure in this is "god" i.e. the juxtaposition of the christian god and the Zulu god,
Both seem to have similar characteristics and man himself has perverted the ideals. I am probably a long way off the mark

However in my view gm has a past history of attempting to reconcile "god" or belief structures in his poetry.

You outed me, tod as did butters. (Funny how tod turns into God with auto-correct. It must be an omen. LOL). I'll talk more about the poem when Always Hungry outs the others.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

You outed me, tod as did butters. (Funny how tod turns into God with auto-correct. It must be an omen. LOL). I'll talk more about the poem when Always Hungry outs the others.

Which will be in about 14 hours.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

Just to clarify, what I will post in the morning will be the list of authors, to facilitate the guessing game. The outing of the individual poem authorship will happen Friday morning.

 

[Angeline]

The new poem, "esterlin," is delightful. Yeah I know its subject and its author but I'll hush as it was just posted.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

Poetry fans will not need to strain to figure out the subject.

 

[Angeline]

Poetry fans will not need to strain to figure out the subject.

Is that why you didn't tell us this one?

 

[todski28]

Poetry fans will not need to strain to figure out the subject.

What about thw uneducated? I was about to go google, because I have no clue as to what this is about.
I guess I'm more a word assmbler than a poet

 

[Trixareforkids]

What about thw uneducated? I was about to go google, because I have no clue as to what this is about.
I guess I'm more a word assmbler than a poet

Lol,,oh cum now Todski, 'e was famous for his lack of capitalization

 

[todski28]

Lol,,oh cum now Todski, 'e was famous for his lack of capitalization

I have read 2 ee cummings poems my whole life, both of them because honey adored e-mailed them to me to show me who she was parodying in a couple of her pieces. So i didnt know that either, kinda the opposite to you then

 

[AlwaysHungry]

List of authors who submitted poems for this challenge​

AlwaysHungry
Ashesh9
Butters
EllenMore
greenmountaineer
GuiltyPleasure
HarryHill
Magnetron
Minervous
Pelegrino
Piscator
Seanathon
Tzara

A number of authors submitted multiple entries. Which ones? How many entries? I ain't sayin'.

Let the identity guessing commence.

Full disclosure: I submitted a new translation. So although the choice of English words is mine, the underlying idea and the form comes from some German dude.

Please vote​

Kindly send me a PM with your top two choices. You need not have entered a poem to vote. Voting results, as well as the identities of the authors for each poem, will be posted on the morning of the 22nd (I know I originally said the 23rd, but I would like to have one full day for the authors to describe how they approached the challenge, before the Halloween challenge goes into high gear.)

 

[legerdemer]

I've utterly failed at this challenge... but I have followed the poems as they've been posted, and have some guesses for who wrote what. I'm curious how many I got right or even close...

But most importantly, there are so so many gems here! So beautifully crafted, I am truly in awe.

M guesses and comments:

The Librarian (#2) and American Sonnet for Mother Theresa (#8) are by greenmountaineer. [Not even a challenge - his style, craft and precision shine through.] I liked the playfulness and lightheartedness of The Librarian a lot - the last stanza is oh so sexy for its innuendos!

Springtime on the Ark (#4) - GuiltyPleasure?
Julius Turing Mourns His Son (#7) - also GuiltyPleasure ; I thought this was extremely well done in its treatment of the subject - a sad, too early end of a brilliant mathematician, "sacrificed" to the stupidity of a culture not yet ready for him.


Blues for Number 25 (#5) - I will say only that it was delightful how well it weaves quite heavy duty history and politics into poetry. Truly well done.


Excerpts from "The Fantastic Story of Saint Sergius & Saint Bacchus" (#6) - I think I sniff out Pelegrino here. But I confess it's not because I recognize the poetic style, though I think I'm starting to, but rather the way the poem looks on the page.

The Paracosm of Ellis Bell (#9) - extremely well crafted, though I know nothing of its subject. It manages to be finely chiseled and beautifully lyrical at the same time, and in the end, wistful and philosophical.

The Maid of Orleans (#10) - a worthy tribute to Joan, I think this one has evidence of EllenMore's pen in it. Very very nice throughout, but that last line
"A noble mind loves noble forms of grace." - is a killer line! Perfect ending.

Radium Girls (#11) - Butters, perhaps? Or HarryHill? or....maybe GP again? I don't truly know but I love the poem - tongue-in-cheek yet full of affection, and manages to convey the excitement they must have felt for what got them in the end.


Sen no Rikyū (#12) - ouch!!! Tzara?


On a Wheel and a Prayer (#14) - Magnetron, perhaps? My guess of the author here has more to do with the "pastoral" choice of subject, and the tongue-in-cheek treatment. And the reference to William Carlos Williams at the End was perfect.


Unkulunkulu (#20) - Piscator?

Untitled (#21) - a nice homage to a paradoxically towering figure

Estlin (#22) - about e.e. cummings of course, but by.... Tzara?


I guessed at a couple of others, but I'll just put these out there for fun.

Again, all my humility and respect for those of you who submitted to this challenge. There are quite a number that I loved, and choosing will be tough!!

__________________

 

[Tzara]

My first guess is that The Maid of Orleans is by AH. Three reasons: Die Jungfrau von Orleans is a play by Schiller, and AH has previously translated Schiller. He has stated he submitted a translation, and the wording of the poem makes use of the anachronisms "thee," "thyself," "thou," etc. which AH has used before.

But, you know, its just a guess.

 

[Tzara]

"P.K. Page," which is a poem I really liked, I'm guessing is GuiltyPleasure.

I'm just wondering if she voted Green today.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

"P.K. Page," which is a poem I really liked, I'm guessing is GuiltyPleasure.

I'm just wondering if she voted Green today.

Speaking of voting -- I have received only one PM with votes thus far.

 

[greenmountaineer]

Springtime in the Ark, I'm guessing EllenMore

Blues for Number 25, haven't a clue, but it's sharp, quite unexpected

The Paracosm of Ellis Bell, Guilty Pleasure

Radium Girls, Harry Hill, although maybe Magnetron

P.K. Page, butters

The Maid of Orleans, AH

Estlin, Tzara

Ash and I have already admitted to two of the poems. As to the rest I'm stumped, except for two others of mine.