More Roethke. Not one of my favorite poems, but from a craft/diction standpoint you might be interested in some the edits he made: your thoughts/the thoughts. Here is an early and final version of Reply to Censure.
I remember that Bly essay wherein he talks about the fur of words - which I thought silly when I first read it. But not so much now. Defamers, defilers? Makes you really want to dig down to the root of the words with the OED and find out why maybe one is more precise than the other.
Reply to Censure (Early Draft)
Expect the staring eye,
The insolence of hate,
The churlish pedantry
Of those inveterate
Defilers of the good,
They mock your deepest thought
And jeer the fortitude
Whereby the good is wrought.
Though passion is reviled
And cravens cry you down,
Delight keeps undefiled
A wisdom of its own.
Hope has a toughened skin
That keeps sufficient store
Of dignity within,
And quiet at the core.
Reply to Censure (Final Draft)
Repulse the staring eye,
The hostile gaze of hate,
And check the pedantry
Of those inveterate
Defamers of the good,
They mock the deepest thought
Condemn the fortitude
Whereby true work is wrought.
Though just men are reviled
When cravens cry them down,
The brave keep undefiled
A wisdom of their own.
The bold wear toughed skin
That keeps sufficient store
Of dignity within,
And quiet at the core.
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2 comments:
Guess it's time to re-read Roethke's poems.
I rather like this but can't remember encountering it before. Is it in Words for the Wind or the Far Field?
Oh, and thanks for the heads-up by I do check your site every day through my RSS reader, though I read more sites than I ever have time to write comments on.
Hi Loren, good to hear form you. "Reply" is in Words for the Wind. I hear you about commenting. Sigh.
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