/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.20113962]

Greatest poem of all time

[Anonymous No.20113966]

eeeecchhhh

[Anonymous No.20114000]

>>20113962
The real greatest poem.

[Anonymous No.20114009]

>>20113962
Paradise Lost is far better and even that's not the greatest poem (though it is one of the greats, and more so than the Idylls)

[Anonymous No.20114109]

I like the Edwin Morris poem by Tennyson

[Anonymous No.20114416]

>>20114009
do you know of any enlish language poems better?

[Anonymous No.20114444]

>>20113962
The one you like the most
/thread

[Anonymous No.20114450]

>>20113962
>400 pages
I'm alright

[Anonymous No.20114480]

>>20114416
The Faerie Queene

[Anonymous No.20114497]

>>20114450
zoom zoom

[Anonymous No.20114603]

>>20114480
Allegorical tripe

[Anonymous No.20114611]

>>20114480
Solid answer.
>>20114416
A case could be made for the wasteland or beowulf.

[Anonymous No.20114632]

>>20114416
Better than this Tennyson bit? Of course.
The Waste Land and Four Quartets and Prufrock
Every book by Yeats from Responsibilities onward
The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You
The Prelude
Everything Shakespeare wrote
Song of Myself
Ranger

[Anonymous No.20114644]

>>20114632
Retarded answer

[Anonymous No.20114669]

>>20114450
I forgot nobody actually reads here on /lit/

[Anonymous No.20114789]

>>20114669
>if you don't want to read 400 pagse from yet another 3rd rate anglo poet then you don't read
Must be fun having double digit IQ

[Anonymous No.20114836]

>>20114789
>pagse
Must be fun having single digit IQ

[Anonymous No.20114857]

Just finished it myself. Liked every poem except for "Merlin and Vivien" which was weaker than the rest. Obvious manipulation from Vivien and a boring Merlin.
"Guinevere" is the best of the poems. Arthur's speech to Guinevere is excellent. You can feel his pain at the betrayal of Lancelot and Guinevere.

Lo! I forgive thee, as Eternal God
Forgives: do thou for thine own soul the rest.
But how to take last leave of all I loved?
O golden hair, with which I used to play
Not knowing! O imperial-moulded form,
And beauty such as never woman wore,
Until it came a kingdom's curse with thee--
I cannot touch thy lips, they are not mine,
But Lancelot's: nay, they never were the King's.
I cannot take thy hand; that too is flesh,
And in the flesh thou hast sinned; and mine own flesh,
Here looking down on thine polluted, cries
"I loathe thee:" yet not less, O Guinevere,
For I was ever virgin save for thee,
My love through flesh hath wrought into my life
So far, that my doom is, I love thee still.
Let no man dream but that I love thee still.
Perchance, and so thou purify thy soul,
And so thou lean on our fair father Christ,
Hereafter in that world where all are pure
We two may meet before high God, and thou
Wilt spring to me, and claim me thine, and know
I am thine husband--not a smaller soul,
Nor Lancelot, nor another. Leave me that,
I charge thee, my last hope. Now must I hence.

[Anonymous No.20114895]

>>20114836
>found a typo!!
God you're such a retard

[Anonymous No.20114903]

>>20114895
That's rich coming from the guy who spells 'pages' as 'pagse'

[Anonymous No.20114909]

>>20114789
stop posting, you're embarrassing yourself

[Anonymous No.20114946]

Stop arguing over silly things are start posting your favourite passages.
Overall the holy grail in Tennyson wasn't as stirring as older versions, since the Victorian lacked the true belief of the medievals, but this part was nice.

And hither am I come; and never yet
Hath what thy sister taught me first to see,
This Holy Thing, failed from my side, nor come
Covered, but moving with me night and day,
Fainter by day, but always in the night
Blood-red, and sliding down the blackened marsh
Blood-red, and on the naked mountain top
Blood-red, and in the sleeping mere below
Blood-red. And in the strength of this I rode,
Shattering all evil customs everywhere,

[Anonymous No.20114976]

>>20114903
>reading comprehension this low

[Anonymous No.20115082]

Theres better
A sample from one edition of the Death of Oscar describing his grandfather's lament

Have you fallen, Oscar, chief of spears,
Midway in thy rugged race?
The heart of age is in distress,
Beholding wars which ought to have come
Have been bereft of their renown.
When shall gladness dwell in Selma?
When shall grief depart the Great Bens?
My children fall from time to time;
Finn is mid the last of his race.
My fame is ebbing from song ;
Sad will be my age, and friendless,
Like a cloud of mist dwelling in my hall ;
I shall not hear my son on the hill,
Amid the pride and power of arms.
Let the heroes of the Great Bens shed tears ;
Young Oscar shall rise no more.

[Anonymous No.20115286]

>>20114632
no, i meant for Milton obviously.
based yeats though. I cant wait to read The Prelude. i love some of wordsworths ballads
>>20114611
eliot truly lacks creativity

[Anonymous No.20115294]

>>20115286
I see, I would still hold many of these choices above Milton as well honestly.
What's currently stopping you from reading the Prelude?

[Anonymous No.20115308]

>>20115294
in the middle of moby dick rn. will probably read it after although my friend lent me the blade runner pkd novel so i should probably also read that first lol.

i could be convinced for peak yeats being better than milton.

[Anonymous No.20115315]

>>20115308
Are you someone who can only read one book at a time?
If not strictly, then I would suggest reading it immediately, it can be read in a day, and though it won't be appreciated in a day, that's not the point, read it again and again and again when you have the chance.

[Anonymous No.20115337]

>>20115315
i had been planning to savor it, but i know what you mean, the really beautiful books are worth reading your whole life. I could see wordsworth writing something that meaningful to me.

[Anonymous No.20115343]

>>20115337
>I could see wordsworth writing something that meaningful to me.
He already did, my friend.

[Anonymous No.20115355]

>>20115343
do yuo mean the Prelude? or the ballads which ive already read?

[Anonymous No.20115379]

>>20114444
somebody gotta check these quads

my nigga got sum quads, my nigga

[Anonymous No.20115408]

>>20113962
Wrong

[Anonymous No.20115481]

Tennyson is the first poet I read that I actually liked. I liked the Kraken so much I memorized it.

[Anonymous No.20115523]

>>20114000
>>20115408
stop posting your translated poetry, it makes you look a lot worse than the OP

[Anonymous No.20115562]

>>20115523
shhh dont tell the pseuds/ newfags

[Anonymous No.20115569]

>>20114976
jokes on you, he was only pretending to be retarded
I think

[Anonymous No.20116002]

Damn it OP, you make this thread then fuck off. I want your insights into The Idylls. Arthur threads here are always "Is Le Morte d'Arthur worth reading?" and nothing more.

[Anonymous No.20116933]

>>20115523
that kalevala translation is kino though

[Anonymous No.20117869]

>>20114444

[Anonymous No.20117948]

>>20113962
Actual answer:

Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost are both better epics (and I think those are already middling in a lot of respects).

Cathay is my pick for the best poetry in the English language

Keats Hyperion exists only as a fragment and it's a masterpiece. A case could be made for it being the best epic poem in English had it been completed.

Insert list of the usual titans: Modernists, Shakespeare, Whitman etc all wrote better poetry

That being said I have a soft spot for this, I think it's pretty fun to read. I'd rank it below Tasso and Ariosto but I will definitely reread it at some point.

But what makes it so great in your eyes, OP?

[Anonymous No.20117956]

>>20116002
Same. Outside of posting excerpts he left us blue balled. I haven't read it yet, but I want to get more into Arthurian mythos once I finish more classical mythologies.

[Anonymous No.20118652]

>>20114000
Wagner rules!

[Anonymous No.20118681]

>>20114480
This. Spenser is the GOAT poet in the English language. He filters normies so hard.

[Anonymous No.20118703]

>>20117948
If Keats wasn't lazy and finished the shit he started and lived 5-10 more years, he would almost unanimously be considered the greatest poet of all time.

[Anonymous No.20119135]

>>20113962
You're telling me that the numbskull who wrote this turgid shit wrote the greatest poem of all time?

The Charge of the Light Brigade
I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said;
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's not to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
IV
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

[Anonymous No.20119137]

>>20118703
It is extremely unfortunate the romantics died so young lol. I think they all showed massive potential, and Keats is the only one who's really heavily studied anymore and he died the youngest / earliest. Hyperion is just a better Paradise Lost.

[Anonymous No.20119215]

keats is great but so is shelley and wordsworth before he fell off. i dont really get the keats obsession or why hes the only one people still read

[Anonymous No.20119305]

>>20119215
Keats is one of the few poets who truly got to the root of what poetry could and should be. He was almost a proto-aestheticist, in understanding that pretty words arranged in a certain way is literally all that matters, and trying to put arrogant moralizing or subjective experience into a poem is going to doom it to be ephemeral. And he was proven correct in the end.
The only other poets who operated with this same ethos were Spenser (who Keats idolized), Swinburne, Dante Rossetti and Oscar Wilde (probably the most underrated poet in history).

[Anonymous No.20119339]

>>20119305
yeah honestly i love keats and there are aspects in which he shits on everyone but theres nothing ephemeral about shelley or wordsworth and thats just an aestheticist talking point. Im really not convinced on the merits of aestheticism. any criteria of what art should be is going to be arbitrary and actually not that helpful to the development of aesthetics. I appreciate both "styles" of approaching things (not that its clear cut) but i dont see anything about that list you made thats impressive compared to an opposing list you could make.

[Anonymous No.20119580]

>>20115408
How kino is it? I'm finally starting to run out of absolutely soul shaking kino works, I'm saving up Idylls and the post-homerica because I know they will be pure unadulterated raw kino. Those two and possibly the Kalevala are probably all I have left. Guess I'll just reread the Divine Comedy and Homer after that.

[Anonymous No.20120680]

>>20117948
>Cathay is my pick for the best poetry in the English language
kill yourself

[Anonymous No.20120689]

>>20119305
>Spenser (who Keats idolized), Swinburne, Dante Rossetti and Oscar Wilde
I'm surprised to see Wilde in this list given the other names(whom I love). I have never read his poetry but his novels did not give me a very good impression. Which poems would you recommend of his?

[Anonymous No.20121173]

Tennyson was also a bit squeamish about including a few things, maybe due to Victorian sensibilities. Mordred is just nephew, not also son through incest. The Elaine of Astolot doesn't offer to be Lancelot's side piece.
That said, Elaine of Astolot's story was told better by Tennyson than Mallory. Built up her growing affection then rejection by Lancelot better, rather than just dropping dead right away.

[Anonymous No.20121191]

>>20119580
I've only read three runes, and my only point of comparison is The Iliad, but the translation is beautiful and the mythology is interesting.

[Anonymous No.20121428]

>>20114603
isnt that the point of poetry

[Anonymous No.20122000]

>>20114416
>>20114611
>>20114480
>>20114632
>>20115408
This isn't even Tennyson's best poem. In Memoriam A.H.H and Maud are much, much better than Idylls of the King.

My top five greatest English poems of all time are:
>Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
>In Memoriam A.H.H by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
>The Tower by W.B Yeats
>Faire Queen by Edmund Spenser
>The Wasteland by T.S Eliot

[Anonymous No.20122011]

>>20119135
He was the poet laureate of England, so writing nationalistic poems was kind of the job. But the motherfucker did write In Memoriam A.H.H.

[Anonymous No.20122449]

>>20117948

>Cathay
>Best poem in the English language

This is bait, right?

[Anonymous No.20122453]

>>20122449
Has to be

[Anonymous No.20122561]

>>20119305
>Oscar Wilde
Kill. Yourself.

[Anonymous No.20122612]

>>20122561
nah bro, he practiced aestheticism, that makes him aestheticker.

[Anonymous No.20122623]

>>20119305
>He was almost a proto-aestheticist, in understanding that pretty words arranged in a certain way is literally all that matters

Could the answer truly have been right under our noses all along?

[Anonymous No.20122627]

>>20113962
I liked mariana

[Anonymous No.20123253]

>>20122612
Wilde was a fake aesthetic who spent his whole life moralizing and projecting

[Anonymous No.20123269]

>The greatest poem of all time? Why, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, of course.

[Anonymous No.20124059]

>>20120689
Basically all of them. Here's a short one that can fit in a post.

The wild bee reels from bough to bough
With his furry coat and his gauzy wing.
Now in a lily-cup, and now
Setting a jacinth bell a-swing,
In his wandering;
Sit closer love: it was here I trow
I made that vow,

Swore that two lives should be like one
As long as the sea-gull loved the sea,
As long as the sunflower sought the sun,—
It shall be, I said, for eternity
‘Twixt you and me!
Dear friend, those times are over and done.
Love’s web is spun.

Look upward where the poplar trees
Sway in the summer air,
Here n the valley never a breeze
Scatters the thistledown, but there
Great winds blow fair
From the mighty murmuring mystical seas,
And the wave-lashed leas.

Look upward where the white gull screams,
What does it see that we do not see?
Is that a star? or the lamp that gleams
On some outward voyaging argosy,—
Ah! can it be
We have lived our lives in a land of dreams!
How sad it seems.

Sweet, there is nothing left to say
But this, that love is never lost,
Keen winter stabs the breasts of May
Whose crimson roses burst his frost,
Ships tempest-tossed
Will find a harbor in some bay,
And so we may.

And there is nothing left to do
But to kiss once again, and part,
Nay, there is nothing we should rue,
I have my beauty,—you your Art,
Nay, do not start,
One world was not enough for two
Like me and you.

[Anonymous No.20124114]

I like Ulysses by Tennyson. Not sure if he intended it but Ulysses comes across as a spoiled man-child shrugging off his responsibilities to go off with the lads again.

[Anonymous No.20124577]

>>20124114
Extremely female post.

[Anonymous No.20124606]

>>20113962
how did they take this photo back then?

[Anonymous No.20124624]

>>20123253
i was being ironic obviously

[Anonymous No.20124641]

>>20114009
Loved paradise lost

[Anonymous No.20124678]

>>20114497
Zoom zooms don't even come here much less read so thanks for letting this board know you're full of shit and dont care about the truth

[Anonymous No.20124685]

>>20114909
Anglo cope