Sonnet on the Sonnet / Of Poetry, Chains and Feet

SONNET ON THE SONNET

If by dull rhymes our English must be chain'd,

And, like Andromeda, the Sonnet sweet

Fetter'd, in spite of pained loveliness;

Let us find out, if we must be constrain'd,

Sandals more interwoven and complete

To fit the naked foot of poesy;

Let us inspect the lyre, and weigh the stress

Of every chord, and see what may be gain'd

By ear industrious, and attention meet:

Misers of sound and syllable, no less

Than Midas of his coinage, let us be

Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown;

So, if we may not let the Muse be free,

She will be bound with garlands of her own.

(John Keats)

Interpretation for the Poetry-Challenged

(we cannot be the only ones out there!)

OF POETRY, CHAIN AND FEET

If we must follow the rules of English poetry and rhymes,

And like Andromeda

(you know that chick chained to a rock as an offering to the Sea Monster which is how she met her prince charming),

the sweet sonnet

is chained, despite its painful loveliness

(too pretty for its own good you see);

If we must be chained, let us find out,

Better sturdy shoes

(not sure how shoes will help with the chains but hey oh)

To fit the naked foot of poetry

(yes, so poetry has limbs … alright);

Let us inspect the harp

(obviously poetry also has a harp),

and pinch

Every chord, and see what happens

When you listen carefully and pay attention:

Only a handful of sounds and syllables to be counted, just like

Midas, whose avarice made him spend his days counting his coins

(so yeah, how does that relate to listening to a harp for sounds and syllable… a form of avarice I suppose … your guess is as good as mine),

let us be

Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown

(sure, why not);

So, if we must keep the Muse captive,

She will be captive by the chains she made herself

(if this ain’t stupidity, I don’t know what it is)

So let me summarise, there are rules to follow in poetry, and even if those rules make us miserable and hinder creativity and inspiration, let us be content and welcome those rules and chains and let’s be thankful they keep us in a tight boring box coz that’s the way it goes, even if there is beauty and inspiration just in front of said box

Mental Slap!