Friday, December 26, 2008

Poetry Break: "Paradise Gainsaid"

Apfelwein
Die Eva hat im Paradies wie wir alle wissen
Schonmal kräftig in einen Apfel reingebissen;
Irgendwann fand ein Hesse wohl heraus
Man presst die Äpfel besser aus,
Die Brühe vergärt wie ist das fein
so nach und nach zu Apfelwein.
(German Poem from BBC; Image from Wikipedia)
(Image by: "EvaK (Eva Kröcher) / evak_nospam (at) ekks.org")

After my Christmas greeting to all, I wrote the poem below to give to my wife for an additional Yuletide present. Actually, it's intended as a poem from the fallen Adam to his postlapsarian Eve, written as a gift for their declining years:
Paradise Gainsaid
There is a garden in thy grace
Where trees of lively knowledge grow,
An earthy paradise to face
The harvest fruits of all our woe.
Here apples ferment, by and by,
Till tears of Apfelwein we cry,

If cry we must, when eyes disclose
That occidental sun aglow
Decline toward that which never shows
Its face though faced with that flambeaux.
Yet face it must we, by the bye,
Till tears of Apfelwein we cry.

Yet in this earthy garden still,
How statue-like I see thee stand
To counter time that comes to kill
All thou attempt with eye or hand,
From sacred apples' last good-bye
Till tears of Apfelwein we cry.
My wife liked these lines but observed, "It's a sad poem." I disagreed, in part, objecting that it's more stoical than sad. She considered this and nodded . . . though perhaps merely out of courtesy.

By the way, I allude to three other poems, at least, but leave to readers the task of identifying which three.

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6 Comments:

At 4:18 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yours is a beautiful poem.

 
At 5:32 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks, Christopher. I was worried -- after my wife's reaction -- that it might be considered too sad. I hadn't intended it that way, but the muse amuses herself in these ways.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 9:42 PM, Blogger A.H. said...

Milton nicely spiced with Campion. I don't find it sad either, more resigned to the Fallen World of time.

 
At 9:51 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Eshuneutics, good call . . . just add a little touch of 'Poetic' justice.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 9:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Image stolen from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apfelwein_Geripptes_Bembel.jpg

Naming the author and license is required

 
At 1:50 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

EvaK, thanks for informing me that I had not sufficiently cited my source.

I had cited Wikipedia and linked there but had not noticed the additional information required for citing of this image.

I have added the details insofar as I understand what is required. Please inform me if more is needed.

I would not wish to be accused of having 'stolen' anything, and I don't believe that I had done so since I did provide a citation and link, even if insufficient.

At any rate, I hope that my citation of your work is now sufficient.

Jeffery Hodges

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