I cannot emphasize strongly enough

[james_davis_nicoll]

that secondary world fantasies are set in entirely invented worlds to which Earth's actual history may have little to no relevance.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

And languages. Dear author, if your secondary world has poetry that rhymes, I will not read your books.

(Dear poets, if your English poetry does not rhyme I will not read it. (Unless it has heavy alliteration and a caesura in every line.))

[karinfromnosund]

You know, it is perfectly possible to translate poetry. There are people who do that. Poets, actually

[philrm]

I can't comment on the Polish originals, but Michael Sandel's translations of the poems produced by Trurl's Electronic Bard in the First Sally (A) of The Cyberiad are works of sheer genius.

[mindstalk]

Kandel, not Sandel, but yes.

[philrm]

Arrgh! I have no idea how I typed Kandel's name as 'Sandel', especially as I had just pulled the book off the shelf to check which section the Electronic Bard appears in. (At least there is a Michael Sandel, although he's a political philosopher rather than a translator.)

[alexseanchai]

I suspect what anon is objecting to—re secondary-world poetry; I am certain of what anon is objecting to about non-rhyming poetry composed in English and anon is 100% entitled to be 100% wrong—is the thing where like, someone looks for the first time at an inscription in ancient Egyptican hieroglyphics or whatever, and reads it out loud in English without spending more than ten seconds looking at it first, and it's rhyming couplets.

which is an entirely fair objection that is entirely likely to have no bearing whatsoever on whatever poetry is in the book. not least because, sure, the dwarves aren't speaking English when they're singing about smashing plates and things Bilbo Baggins hates, but Tolkien in translating to English decided to prioritize preserving the rhyme and rhythm.

[jazzfish]

I commend to you a) John M. Ford's Aspects, and b) Andrew Plotkin's essay on languages and linguistics in same, for reasons that would be a spoiler for the essay if I were to enumerate them.

[viktor_haag]

Not all poetry
Need rhyme or alliterate
Or rhythmic measure

[(Anonymous)]

*applause*

-Awesome Aud

[(Anonymous)]

Hark! Let us speak,
of the word-smiths of old,
whose keen tongues cut deeply
into the shields of hearing;
when the measure of the poet
was the cleverness of his kennings.

--
Nathan H.

[NB "Shields of hearing" is actually authentic, "skjöldum heyrnar" from a praise poem for King Magnus Haakonsson (of Norway), who was also called "Magnús lagabœtir" or "Magnus Law-mender" which is itself kind of poetic to my ear.]

[jreynolds197]

This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

[(Anonymous)]

Should I attribute this to you, or is it from another poet?

-Awesome Aud

[jreynolds197]

This is Just to Add

I have not attributed
a poem that was by
William Carlos Williams
To him.

Forgive me,
the poem was delicious.

My bibliographic
sins are many, and
I am sorry.

--jreynolds197, 2022

[elusis]

This is Just to Point Out
I have awarded
an internet
that you
have won

and which
you almost certainly
do not
need.

Forgive me,
I literally
lol'ed at
your reply.

[goljerp]

I Was Also Reminded
of a short
biography
of SF writer
and poet
Jo Walton

which can be found
on her website
at http://www.jowaltonbooks.com/about-jo-walton/ .

Forgive me,
URLs
aren't
very poetic.

[magedragonfire]

You sound fun at poetry slams.