When the bevel drives

[John Parry]

Peter - sorry I have to disagree. There's a rhythm there that makes it trip off the tongue, which (to me) makes it poetry. I have real difficulty with 'Dunkirk' - the scansion changes with every verse, but I don't think anyone would deny that one's poetry as well.

Rachel - somewhere I have a copy of a 'Cumbrian' version of Jabberwocky, in which an old friend of mine substituted Cumbrian place names for the nonsense words of the original. I can't find it just now, but if I do I'll post it. It began:

T'was Bigrigg, and the Sealy Scales,
Did Haile and Sella in the Field.....

Regards - John

[Rachel]

johnrparry said:

Rachel - somewhere I have a copy of a 'Cumbrian' version of Jabberwocky, in which an old friend of mine substituted Cumbrian place names for the nonsense words of the original. I can't find it just now, but if I do I'll post it. It began:

T'was Bigrigg, and the Sealy Scales,
Did Haile and Sella in the Field.....

Thanks John. I'd like to see it.

[PeterW]

John:

Peter - sorry I have to disagree. There's a rhythm there that makes it trip off the tongue, which (to me) makes it poetry.

Don't be sorry about it, John. One man's meat etc. It would be a dull old world if we all agreed about everything.

I didn't have any problems (eventually) with Dunkirk - though I had to read it three times before I got the rhythm. It's quite challenging, and has to be read, or spoken, in a rhythmic semi poetic, semi-prose way rather than in the manner of a poem with a set metre and scansion and repeated identical verse forms, with slight pauses sometimes in a verse. For example, a slight pause before 'You'll need a crew, she said' to make it a line on its own, and the slightest of pauses between 'crew' and 'she said'. At least, that's how I read it. Others will differ. That's the beauty of poetry. And it should always be read aloud.

Rachel:
I too love Lewis Caroll. One of my favourites is The Hunting of the Snark. I have the original 1984 vinyl 'concept album' of Mike Blatt's musical version with Art Garfunkel, Roger Daltrey and Cliff Richard in the cast, and narration by John Hurt and Sir John Gielgud. All backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. I could listen to Gielgud's beautiful voice all day, and would have loved to hear him read the whole piece.

When I first saw it on sale I was a bit iffy about how a musical version would turn out, but this one is excellent. I've seen a video clip of a charity performance at the Albert Hall with Billy Connolly as the Bellman, and he was superb. I'd like to get the full DVD of that.

BTW, have you ever notced that all the characters - Bellman, Baker, Beaver, Butcher, Billiard Marker etc, all begin with B?

The later West End production with a different cast wasn't a success, and the critics slated it. Oh well, interpretation again, I suppose.

I once heard an old recording of Leslie Howard reading Jabberwocky. The intonations and flow of his voice in just the first verse was riveting. I believe there is a recording somewhere of Peter Ustinov reading it. That I would love to hear. They must be two totally different interpretations. Have you heard Ustinov reading an excerpt from the London Telephone Directory? Brilliant.

PeterW

[Rachel]

Peter,

It hadn't crossed my mind that there were sound/video recordings of the Lewis Caroll poems. I will have to try and track some down.

Edward Lear is another poet in the same vein. Try www.poetry-online.org/lear_the_pobble_who_has_no_toes.htm

I do believe that I have heard Peter Ustinov and the London Telephone Directory but it was a long time ago. Ah ... Leslie Howard; his voice is evocative of a whole period of British cinema.

Peter Sellers also did some good recordings of this nature. His "Hard Days Night" in Shakespearean mode is a favourite of mine. I have two vinyl recordings of his, "The Best of Peter Sellers" and "Sellers Market". That reminds me of another favourite "Balham - Gateway to the South".

Also don't forget Joyce Grenville. Her monologues are marvellous. monologues.co.uk/First_Ladies/Stately_as_a_Galleon.htm always leaves me with the giggles.

[kiev4a]

"He left it dead and with its head
He went galumphing back."

I've known the entire poem by heart since I memorized it when I was about 16 after reading in MAD Magazine! I once knew a fellow who could recite the entire poem...BACKWARDS!