Near Xanadu

[dedalus]

Amid lurid banners and flowing brash regalia,

he sought excitement in style, truth in harmony,

but found neither: the shade trees of persuasion

lined the Avenue of Lies in sycophantic symphony,

a cosmic clang of frivolities, the troubled words,

and driven speech of those left languishing behind,

in a dispensation of dull and dismal diminutives,

a somnolent seedy selection of lazy lying words

and melancholy melodies; brush all aside, Sir,

and enter the cool vacant space beyond such things

where lissome girls greet you with goblets of wine,

with sweetmeats, with dishes of pale plump fruit .

[dcmarti1]

Being gay, why not taught guys with a dirty martini and a plate of crab puffs? :)

 

Just kidding. I liked, of course, the alliteration and the allusions. "Avenue of Lies". Pennsylvania Ave? Downing Street? Any country's main politico street?

 

Lurid banners. If I use it now it would be theft. GREAT adjective.

[Benjamin]

Rich and colourful work, profound yet with something for everyone to contemplate, particularly among the alliterations. Your last two lines have an almost theological promise about them. G.

[dedalus]

This is a bit over the top, even for me! I was playing around the other day (it was raining) and started writing down alliterative and semi-alliterative phrases. I decided to see if I could put them together and make a poem. Voila! What you see is what happened. The biggest job was in trying to get lines of equal or similar length. Mea culpa. <Bren>

[Benjamin]

Alliteration can breathe life and energy into poetic lines (especially those that aren't subject to rhyme). You're no doubt aware that as our language evolved, it was probably used as a mnemonic coupled with stresses, for early traditions when few people were literate and poetry was recited aloud. Modern poets however, have such a wide variety of knowledge and subtle devices,that it seems to be generally regarded as more of an ornament rather than a valuable and useful literary tool.

[dedalus]

Poetry was sung, and then chanted. This ties in with the ceremony of early (and even later) Christian services: the High Mass is a prime example. Now we can decide where Bob Dylan fits in ....

[David W. Parsley]

probably hiding behind the lissome girls...

 

Thanks, Bren, for another interesting romp, in language and topic.

 

- Dave

[Tinker]

Now this was a departure from what I have come to expect from your poetry but none less entertaining. Your alliterative rhyme almost made me giddy. Fun read.

~~Tink