Randolph writes:
>
>
So, this raises the question, why is
there such resistance out there (again, not aiming this at the initiator of
this interesting thread, Matthew I think?) to looking up words in
dictionaries? I've seen poets like Bernstein denounced for "obscurities"
which are in my thirteen year old's school dictionary.
>
>
I entirely agree about this. In my own case, it wasn't the day that was
obscure (I'd guessed it was the same as Maundy Thursday) but its connection
with the rest of the poem - and I groaned with exasperation when Candice
pointed it out. I really should have seen it. On the other hand, the very
plausible connection with Blake, which Alison guessed at without having seen
the poem, turned out to be a red herring. It's hardly ever 'obscure' words
that cause difficulties with poems - it's more likely to be a question of
knowing which path to follow.
Best wishes
Matthew
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