CXIII
Don May 17th, 2010
CXIII
Wordsworth wrote an endless poem in blank verse on” the growth of a poet’s mind.” I shall attempt a more modest feat for a more distracted age: a blog, “Things which a Lifetime of Trying to Be a Poet has Taught Me.”
One of Luther’s most serious disciples was Johan Sebastian Bach, the greatest contrapuntist (some would say the greatest composer) who ever lived. This is the first of a number of attempts to get something of the quality of Bach’s music down in words—a task not ever to be completely achieved! How do you express the idea of, not just one note interacting with other notes to form the harmony, but whole melodies interacting with each other? The acrostic, among other things, tries to capture something of the multilayered nature of Bach’s work.
Bach
Joining word to pitch and pitch to time,
Sounds line up to flow into the air.
Bach could make whole lines with lines to rhyme
And flow in streams of thought beyond compare.
Christ gave him this grace, to let us hear
His angels’ songs with (now!) the fleshly ear.
Donald T. Williams, PhD
- Art/Aesthetics , Poetry
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