Your weekly slice of Poetry

I recently completed the first mow of my yard, the first clear act that Spring is fully set in and Summer is approaching. Mowing a large yard allows for much contemplation, and so it has inspired some of the selections of poetry for today's Poetry Pie.

Damon the Mower

Andrew Marvell (1621—1678)

As a young man, there is little to do with one's mind while mowing besides thinking about a girl. In this poem, Marvell describes such a man who is engaged with just such a thought: the love of Juliana. Marvell has written a few poems centered around a mower, each with the standard trope of the unrequited love of a beautiful woman. There is the sense that Love has brought tragedy to the man, changing a time of joy in nature to a sorrow.

This all perhaps seems dramatic; you can feel the angst of Damon as he speaks. There are hints at the comical nature of this scene when, near the end, he misses his mark and mows his own ankle.

The edgèd steel by careless chance
Did into his own ankle glance;
And there among the grass fell down,
By his own scythe, the Mower mown.

This poem is written in iambic tetrameter, in eight line stanzas (octets). It is further rhymed in couplets: AABBCCDD.

The Tuft of Flowers

Robert Frost (1874—1963)

Another poem where mowing is a theme, this one focuses not on love but on nature, work, and being alone. Frost is a master at establishing themes within nature and drawing subtle truths out of them. In this poem, the speaker is out working in a field after a mower had been through it and sheared down the grass. This previous worker was gone, yet his presence remained. He had spared a patch of flowers from his mowing, simply for the sake of their beauty, and this decision brought his spirit near to the speaker of the poem. Whereas at first they were merely two workers with separate jobs in a field, now their was a bond between them as they worked together (though separately).

Frost draws out these points by repeating a refrain: "Whether they work together or apart." As workers in this world, we can view each other as separately motivated, disinterested parties, each alone in the same world. Yet, the better view holds us all as working together for the same ends: the stewardship of creation.

This poem is written with couplet stanzas in iambic pentameter.

Love Not Me For Comely Grace

John Wilbye (1574-1638)

This brief poem serves as the text for a madrigal written by John Wilbye. Wilbye was an Englishman who is best known for his two volumes of madrigals. Madrigals are short, acapella pieces written in a strong contrapuntal style ("counter-point," in which each voice sings a distinct melody.) I came across this poem in my Oxford Book of English Verse and loved its simplicity and tenderness. The third to last line is truly memorable.

And love me still, but know not why;

A recording of this madrigal can be found on YouTube by a choral group known as I Fagiolini. They have an album that reproduces many of Wilbye's madrigals.

The Old Yet New, Enduring Cord

Abram Newcomer

A simple poem written almost 7 years ago, this one contained a secret message for my future wife. Prone to forgetfulness, I'm glad this poem exists, as it reminds me of all the joys involved when asking her to marry me.

For some reason I feel that I most naturally write in iambic tetrameter; when I'm drafting lines in my head, they always come out this way. The four foot length for each line (tetrameter) just seems perfect for the phrases that I want to create. This one was enjoyable to write for that reason, and for many more.

I hope these were enjoyable and that they gave you something light to think about today. Take care!