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Parody, Amphigory, Mock Heroic Verse


Tinker

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Explore the Craft of Writing
Greek Verse

Parody (from the Greek parodia -a song sung beside…) is the satirical imitation or mimicking of another's distinctive, usually serious writing. The goal is for comic effect or ridicule. In most cases the structure of the poem is dependent upon the structure of the piece being imitated.

A parody can also simply be a mocking of subject such as in Billy Collins' Paradelle for Susan. In this instance Collins was making fun of poets who sacrificed substance for form. The parody inadvertently invented a verse form and the Paradelle, was born.

The parody is usually regarded as a step up from burlesque. "Parody at its best deals with sophisticated stylistic techniques while burlesque is often cheerfully vulgar." NPOPP. Parody can be found as far back as 5 BC Greece. Greek Verse, the beginnings.

The Abominable Snowman by Ogden Nash

I've never seen an abominable snowman,                                                          
I'm hoping not to see one,
I'm also hoping, if I do,
That it will be a wee one.

Oh, give me a home-- Anonymous

Oh, give me a home, where the beer bottles foam,
Where with blondes and brunettes I can play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
'Cause my wife is out working all day.

 

(With apologies to Christopher Marlowe)
The Passionate Vampire
by DCMarti1

Come drink of me and be my love,
And we will all the horrors prove
That crags, swamps, and dying fields
And woods with haunted mansions yield.

We shall listen to the wolves that bay,
Watch beautiful, shining daemons play,
Feast on the finest whitened skin
And find delight, not remorse, with sin.

A coffin shall I make for Thee
Out of the deepest ebony,
And line it in satin (blood red!)
With matching pillows for thy head.

Dark orgies for thy pleasure,
Ancient tomes for thy treasure,
Stately requiems by Death played,
These before us each night arrayed.

In blackness of my own disdain
As cruel tyrants we shall reign.
If these evils thy heart may move,
Then drink of me and be my love.

 

 

 

 

 

Passionate Shepherd to His Love
by Christopher Marlowe

C
OME live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.

here will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.

There will I make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle.

gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,
Fair linèd slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.

belt of straw and ivy buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.

Thy silver dishes for thy meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.
  • Amphigory is a parody or nonsense verse. The word comes from (Greek amphi + gyros = circle on both sides, and -agoria speech), speaking in circles. Silliness and wit are the main goals , amusing while containing little inside knowledge. The structure is at the discretion of the poet. Martian Poetry would fall under this genre.

    Overslept by John Litzenburg

  • Amphigouri is an invented twist on Amphigory, above. It is still a silly, nonsense poem but with the challenge to include 3 made up words within the poem. It should be written in any recognizable verse form such as a sonnet, a cinquain, a haiku, etc and it the poet is encouraged to rhyme if possible. Created by R.J. Clarken at Poetic Bloomings.
     
  • Mock-heroic verse is a sub genre of the parody which was popular in England in the 17th century. Hudibras by Samuel Butler is an example of Mock-heroic verse in which religion, government etc is mocked through the use of clever language. John Dryden's Mac Flecknoe mocks the Protestant poet Thomas Shadwell. The frame is at the discretion of the poet.

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com

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