[1575] Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments (Sonnet LV)

Yesterday's parody made me realise that we hadn't yet run the original...

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rime;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
  So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
  You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.

	-- William Shakespeare

This is a love poem with a twist. Or, at least, it is *nominally* a love
poem. What it really is is a poem that is, in the most literal sense, full
of itself - an extended boast about Shakespeare's skill at writing poetry.
Now don't get me wrong, I love this sonnet, and would even rank it among
the Bard's best. It is indeed a monumental tribute to Shakespeare's poetry
that the sonnet rings true, that it doesn't grate on the ear the way
less-worthy bragging is wont to do. But stripped of the beauty of the words,
what it is essentially saying is "You will be immortal because I am a great
poet, and this is a great poem".

On a somewhat tangential note, one thing that never fails to impress me when
reading Shakespeare's sonnets is how many ever-fresh variations he manages
to ring up on a bare handful of themes. "Age cannot wither her, nor custom
stale / Her infinite variety", wrote Shakespeare of Cleopatra, and I can
think of no more fitting epitaph for the man himself.

Links:

 We've run plenty of Shakespeare (one might even get the idea he's a
 somewhat popular poet):
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet_S.html#Shakespeare

 For another parody of a trite sentiment in poetic clothing, see A. D. Hope's
 "His Coy Mistress to Mr. Marvell" [Poem #1568]



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From: Dan <chooseJesus@>

Regarding literary translation, I'm of the opinion that it may be enjoyed
two ways: as an art form in itself or as a companion poem to the original.
The former is usually the case when the reader is not aware that the poem he
or she is reading is a translation and it is appreciated on its own merits;
the latter takes place usually among translators themselves who flex their
literary muscle through the rediscovery and imitation of conventions in the
mother poem in terms of number of syllables and rhyme for example with the
effect of, as a student of mine recently pointed out, replicating the
essence of the translated. I prefer to call it the poem's tone and mood
though.

My two cents anyway.


...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces
perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope
does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

THE HOLY BIBLE, Romans 5:3-5