Friday, July 14, 2017

Poetry Friday: Spain

Apparently today's Poetry Friday theme is Macaroni and Cheese.  Take a look at Tabatha's roundup.  I looked a bit for something on this topic, but was depressed to find that the Poetry Foundation website is all shiny and new since I last looked at it, and now I can't search it properly any more.  Maybe they are still working on it - I'll check back later.

Meanwhile, my daughter, who is studying in England this summer, just excitedly informed me that she bought this: 


This means more to her than it does to me, since she has had an Auden class and I have not, but it does mean a lot to me that my nerdy, bookish daughter is trawling used bookstores with her nerdy, bookish classmates/tribe members and finding delight in words.  And when I read the text, I found that there is something vaguely comforting about reading about the political preoccupations of previous generations rather than those of my own generation.  All the intellectuals of the day had opinions on the Spanish Civil War, and many of them (most famously, Hemingway) went and fought in it.  History is "the operator, the organiser."

To-morrow the rediscovery of romantic love,
the photographing of ravens; all the fun under
Liberty's masterful shadow;
To-morrow the hour of the pageant-master and the musician,

The beautiful roar of the chorus under the dome;
To-morrow the exchanging of tips on the breeding of terriers,
The eager election of chairmen
By the sudden forest of hands. But to-day the struggle.

To-morrow for the young the poets exploding like bombs,
The walks by the lake, the weeks of perfect communion;
To-morrow the bicycle races
Through the suburbs on summer evenings. But to-day the struggle.


Here's the rest, with some commentary. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has posted today, cheesy or otherwise!  Happy Poetry Friday!

13 comments:

jan godown annino said...

Brava! for your Spain-touring daughter.
May there always be independent bookstores of previously published editions needing liberation.
And, Auden!

This is a mighty fine share, Ruth.

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

He had such a way with words. Your daughter sounds like the girl I used to be. :-)

Tabatha said...

A stunning find. Thanks for sharing Suzanna's discovery with us. Here's to being under Liberty's masterful shadow.

Rebecca Herzog said...

What a great find! I wish there were more independent bookstores near me.

Tara said...

What a great find! I hope Suzanna has a glorious trip - how exciting for her.

Linda Mitchell said...

Oh, my. I have never come across that poem. And, I was glad of the analysis because it went right over my head. lol. What a fun find in England! I hope that your daughter has more fun finds and enjoys the words in a new way. I'm a bit jealous of traveling to used book stores in Europe. Alas, I make due with reading your post. Thanks to you and her for sharing!

Buffy Silverman said...

Sounds like your daughter has met the right tribe--and yes, there is comfort in knowing that previous generations have struggled and fought the good fight.

michelle kogan said...

Your daughter found a treasure Ruth. I found s treasure similar to this at last years Newberry Library book sale, Edna St. Vincent Millay's "THERE ARE NO ISLANDS ANY MORE." Curious how the politics of early time repeats itself with often uncanny foresight. Thanks for sharing all!

Robyn Hood Black said...

I love that you love your daughter's nerdy, bookish adventures! What a special time for her. Thanks for sharing the poem, and the historical context - Humans. Sigh.

Mary Lee said...

I can see why that did your heart good (and I share your distress about the Poetry Foundation website. I tweeted them about it. We'll see what they say...). "But to-day the struggle." Indeed.

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Clearly I need to read more Auden. I'm so happy to hear of your daughter's browsings...may the generations of book lovers roll on.

Kay said...

Oh, history can give needed perspective. I'm glad your daughter is finding her way through England. My daughter heads there the first of next year.

Carol Varsalona said...

These lines struck me,
To-morrow for the young the poets exploding like bombs,
The walks by the lake, the weeks of perfect communion;
To-morrow the bicycle races
Through the suburbs on summer evenings. But to-day the struggle.