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Hear hear!

Andrew was a poet, but never knew it
Till he picked up Bertie’s tome, and went right to it.

To be serious, I owe that book a huge amount.  I visited Lars Håkan-Svensson in Lund, once, and after chastising me (rightly, but gently) for not having read enough Harry Berger, noted that he was conscripted as an outside reader for an article submission on Spenser.  He rejected it because it hadn’t cited the SpEnc as a basic source on the topic.  I’ve been very careful (most certainly not careful enough) ever since!

--Tom

Ps  If Lars is reading this, please correct me again if I’m wrong.

On 3/24/10 2:15 PM, "andrew zurcher" <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Verses composed upon The Spenser Encyclopedia, by A. C. Hamilton


Hail, hallowed lectionary! sacred Tome!
From which we lesson at appointed hours
Upon the arcane mysteries of our Poem,
And fresh our own, and quicken other powers!
A pillar Petrarch had, where Wyatt leant,
Trajan and Nelson one apiece -- but see,
Great generals single columns must content
When every page of Hamilton has three!
The English church was built on thirty-nine,
But seven articles have made a nation;
Our book, more articled, is more divine,
A new America of education!
Leave Cortez to surmising -- this, my rhyme! --
Not just for nineteen-ninety, but all time.


With the affectionate gratitude, Bert, of the true encyclopedia junkie,

az


Andrew Zurcher
Queens' College
Cambridge CB3 9ET
United Kingdom
+44 1223 335 572

hast hast post hast for lyfe