Thanks Douglas. Ha! Outed! The aspect of the books being a kind of
fantasy narrative on the meaning(s) of poetry is true, actually...
Though only for those who notice and care to think about it; it works
perfectly well as an epic romance, and that's how most people take it.
Although those Bards have a little to do with Ollaves and suchlike,
they are probably a little too humanistic and post Romantic for
Desmond's interest. The central idea in the series is admittedly
pinched from Robert Graves's analysis of the Welsh bardic poem The
Battle of the Trees, by Taliesin I think, which is (according to
Graves, anyway) a coded alphabet which lists the sacred properties of
trees and also the seasonal and lunar phases (or was that me? I think
it was Graves). But my primary drive in the books, aside from writing
a page-turning magical adventure, was to examine the humbler ethics of
human relationship, both between people and between us and the
environment.
Reading the Cauldron made me think of Blake (perhaps it was the Mill
as much as its tone) who might be the modern connection you're looking
for, Douglas. And I guess it also links to alchemy, which briefly
interested Rimbaud. Hmm.
xA
On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 12:29 AM, Douglas
Barbour<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Well, it would take some time, & not all of us can see ourselves quite as
> ancient bards (even if we'd like to).
>
> I see Alison responded, but on another aspect of your post. So I shall
> mention that her fantasy series, beginning with The Gift, actually creates
> mages who are poets, that is bards. I see it as a kind of fantasy narrative
> take on a lot of what this commentary seems to be about.
>
> As for the 'bardic take' & commentary, if we could find contemporary ways of
> making it mean for us now, perhaps..., it would depend, among other things,
> on how each of us defines that term, 'spiritual'...
>
> Doug
> On 26-Jun-09, at 7:46 PM, Desmond Swords wrote:
>
>> Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but i am only a spammer having
>> a
>> giggle, and no one will talk to me about a text i discovered several years
>> ago first translated in 1979, an old Irish 7C bardic take on what poetry
>> is
>> and how it works
>>
>> http://www.thunderpaw.com/neocelt/poesy.htm
>
> Douglas Barbour
> [log in to unmask]
>
> http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
>
> Latest books:
> Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
> http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
> Wednesdays'
> http://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-from-aboveground-press_10.html
>
> The abandoned world offers its wild particulars,
> leaves in the air, a single leaf on water.
> ............
> The rain falls like rain.
>
> David Helwig
>
--
Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
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