This is a recurrent experience for me, as I recall reading "The Ruin" that first time you shared it, John. It does call to mind the later "Ozymandias," as it did for David. I think I also recall commenting that time (I haven't checked) how the poem even more naturally reflects backwards. Literary expressions of time's ruin seem to be as old as literature itself, which provides a sense of how early in recorded history, thousands of years before us, humans already experienced that feeling of the depths of past time and its ravage of our creations.
Such a powerful and generous write, John Halbrooks: The simple explanation to the word "weird" as it was used in its time throws me back my study of Donne with Professor Andrew Bongiorno at Oberlin where he had us go to OED to look up words and place them in their context of time. And then there's you nod to Matthew Long and I am off to check him out. You are simply so smart and so good-hearted.
What a hauntingly beautiful poem to start my Sunday with. Thanks for sharing all of your insights, John! There's such a poignancy to the wormholes devouring the text, and how that amplifies the poem’s function as a wormhole to another place and time.
I also loved coming across the OE spelling of “demesnes.” I first encountered it in Benjamin Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw, when Miss Jessel sings to Flora of “beauty forsaken in the beast’s demesnes.” It's such a gorgeous word to look at!
John, thank you for recommending me to your readers. Your kind words are sincerely appreciated. It is quite exciting to have discovered such a wonderful community of writers and readers here. Thanks for sharing your rendering of this beautiful poem. As I read the lines it was if I was remembering a place I knew, something deep within the collective psyche. I have my copy of Beowulf and am excited to get started! All the best.
Thank you, Mary. And now the OED is online. One of the first things I do in just about every course is show students where to find it on our library’s website.
Wonderful. And reminds me of Ruth Scurr’s book ‘John Aubrey: My Own Life’ - how Aubrey regarded himself as an antiquarian, and, over three hundred years ago, reflected so deeply on ancient relics; on a long lost past.
This is a recurrent experience for me, as I recall reading "The Ruin" that first time you shared it, John. It does call to mind the later "Ozymandias," as it did for David. I think I also recall commenting that time (I haven't checked) how the poem even more naturally reflects backwards. Literary expressions of time's ruin seem to be as old as literature itself, which provides a sense of how early in recorded history, thousands of years before us, humans already experienced that feeling of the depths of past time and its ravage of our creations.
Matthew Long has been a great addition to my Substack community of writers I enjoy and readers I value. Great choice for SOTW!
The poem was great. I kept thinking of Ozymandias, which is more about the vanity of a person, but does share the theme of time's ravages.
Thank you for sharing this from the Exeter book. I have been reading through some translations of the incredible poetry contained there, and wrote some thoughts about The Wanderer here: https://open.substack.com/pub/codyilardo/p/the-wanderer?r=1q8ur0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Such a powerful and generous write, John Halbrooks: The simple explanation to the word "weird" as it was used in its time throws me back my study of Donne with Professor Andrew Bongiorno at Oberlin where he had us go to OED to look up words and place them in their context of time. And then there's you nod to Matthew Long and I am off to check him out. You are simply so smart and so good-hearted.
Thank you for introducing Matthew Long. Find his work relatable. I have happily subscribed.
What a hauntingly beautiful poem to start my Sunday with. Thanks for sharing all of your insights, John! There's such a poignancy to the wormholes devouring the text, and how that amplifies the poem’s function as a wormhole to another place and time.
I also loved coming across the OE spelling of “demesnes.” I first encountered it in Benjamin Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw, when Miss Jessel sings to Flora of “beauty forsaken in the beast’s demesnes.” It's such a gorgeous word to look at!
John, thank you for recommending me to your readers. Your kind words are sincerely appreciated. It is quite exciting to have discovered such a wonderful community of writers and readers here. Thanks for sharing your rendering of this beautiful poem. As I read the lines it was if I was remembering a place I knew, something deep within the collective psyche. I have my copy of Beowulf and am excited to get started! All the best.
Beautiful poem. Love the attention to wyrd - something my students have always enjoyed in Macbeth! Do you translate Old English regularly?
Have also just subscribed to Matthew's Stack, thanks for the rec.
The poetry in those words is magical. Thank you, John.
Thank you, Mary. And now the OED is online. One of the first things I do in just about every course is show students where to find it on our library’s website.
Wonderful. And reminds me of Ruth Scurr’s book ‘John Aubrey: My Own Life’ - how Aubrey regarded himself as an antiquarian, and, over three hundred years ago, reflected so deeply on ancient relics; on a long lost past.