Poe\u27s  The Raven\u27 and Other Poems  was a collection of some of the best verse of his career.  This collection of my own verse is definitely not of the same quality, but the logological constraints followed should be of interest to readers

Bulten, John J.

English

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mpiled which words. l. Two ring­trang-ISg-D 19 I'tg rS :lg eS eO rlg rS l's t s r5 S r ,5 ,5 ng er rS S 5 5 S S S S 137 "A PALE GOLD RAVEN" AND OTHER POEMS JOHN J. BULTEN Boynton Beach, Florida Poe IS'" The Raven' and Other Poems" was a collection of some of the best verse of his career. This collection of my own verse is definitely not of the same quality, but the logological constraints followed should be of interest to readers. "When, Boaster?" is an Anachuttle, a verse form invented by Walter Shedlofsky, which' contains a subject hidden vertically in the verse, an initial acrostic which anagrams the subject, and shuttle rhymes (spoonergrams) at the end of each line. This verse contains, in fact, four in various ways. The first stanza, and works "A Pale Gold Raven" different mutations of the subject, hidden subject takes ridicule without return in the with little reward in the second stanza. is a retelling of the original "Raven", but each line is an anagram of EDGAR ALLAN POE plus one free letter. Once the conversation starts (in the fourth stanza), the raven and the lad take alternate stanzas, but the raven gets the last two. The next poem is a line-by-line anagram, my own small contri­bution to the "significant" collection of anagrams of WHAT IS THE MEANING OR PURPOSE OF LIFE initiated by John Henrick in May 1989. In this poem, the writer is in control at the start but the anagram takes control by the These verses are followed Richard Rankin's November double dactyl, in which the nth character of the verse. difficult to include articles not counting the initial "A" en~, perhaps a metaphor of life. by two automynorcagrams inspired by 1989 article. one a sonnet and one a nth word of the verse begins with the The sonnet demonstrates that it is not in automynorcagrams; it contains five, which can be prefixed to any automyn­orca gram where syntax permits. The final poem is simply a versification of Proverbs 31: 10-31, with lines beginning with successive letters of the alphabet as they did in the original Hebrew. When boaster Honor rarely Essays egged Nothing witty Brew an ethos Other novelty WHEN, BOASTER? thought that chalk dull fiction, airy, housed that prose, wry biter, on, tact would answered our new, he often should soften come be slighter sly writer. speaks there; piques there. 138 A~ab each day works, with stubborn pages. Sense the wax each night, pith stub, burn wages. Tested hidden roots; (false bight--the Brown Sea) Entered often, best words bright, the bouncy; Reframed such, each for chock-full dictionary. A PALE GOLD RAVEN Alone, pal, regard Gall! Appeared no Angel, paloma? Red a pale 01' reading: eagle, or paladin. and pale goal, per Galahad, no leper; A pale raven--gold, raven:' "Do age, pall, or a deil-angel P.A.; opal e'en--glared, a load, plague near? and a plague lore. sage: "And all pore? Ape gall and gore? Page	 all, and more. Leap glad na more!" Page all, and more!" Hear a long plead, Raven loged (a lap: "Hope--real, glad? An nae, pad really, go god Pallas) ere an age, a plan led for "Rap!" Dole a glance eager lad plans, "0 love? A grand plea near place. A gold raven pale, do lag! plan, or else--gad!--a gal pads? A Lenore? Na pillage adore! page, and all sore! Na--agape ell door. Nae gala deplore!" Adapt gal Lenore!" Reread plan, goal; Pa lias agreed on Raven pled, itA goal? ode area palling-­ general payload. Enlarged paloma? rave on legal pad. Load, leper again, Plagal mode? Near Again, do peer, all repeat, "Lad, a long person, a glad lea? glad, alpen (afore)-- page done--all war! Na! Pillage adore! Glad	 para Lenore? A nag all deplore!" Nae! Gala deplore! Lad, glare at open Angered, a pallor Hope, and all rage door, glean a pale, on pate, all raged, gone? Plead alarm, old anger. Appeal ponder a gall sea: do gap! All are one-­a la penal reb: "God! "0, garland, please, repel diagonal! Deal age, pain, Lor'? and lag, heal pore. All paged no more! E.g.,	 all pain adore?" Pan a galled sore!" Leap glad na more!" WHAT IS THE MEANING OR PURPOSE OF LIFE? I.	 I whip up these fool arrangements of hippie tiles, from huge want of reason. II.	 Graph 'em: one L, two T's (no heap). I suffer of grim fate, while I push open treason. III.	 Fog afar: "three tens plus one" whomp out feelings (for whom?), their appeasin'. FOUR.	 Enigma now hath people; strife is What the meaning or pur~ose of life is. AUTOMYNORCAGRAMS A bard, a rhymer, daily art renews, Has yet much energy, replenished duly. An idea looms; you aren't right to ruse Each night, each week, so hasten, author schooly. A BE Cc Dc H, K M N o L ed I" oal? ? rm, one-­1"e! e!" 139 Your etymology, though most use coolly, Has eddies never ere received glad yet. Repeat, elucidate; please list each newly Ideaed substantive. (Have, else, direst debt.) Unless logologists, your audience net Is due extremely average lines of ode. Make sure you're often using alphabet Real easy (not the rough, impassive goad). Having the tact of rakes, use solid end. Extract a climax; hardship ne'er intend. Paddling, addling Dactylic dimeter, Lacking in nothing good, Always drives daft. Lunatic 'idyllic Now gets delectable: Automynorcagrams Come too. (You laughed?) THE WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER A wife of noble character who can find? And where a woman virtuous and wise? Because her value's more than diamonds mined, Beryls, or rubies, in her husband's eyes. Completely confident in her is he, Convinced that he will never suffer need; Day after day she does him good, you see, Devoid of any evil work or deed. Entrusted thus, she buys cotton and wool, Eagerly making clothing for her brood, Feeding her children wisely, as a rule, From far away, as freighters, bringing food. Get up, observe: she wakes while all else sleep; Guests, family, and servants, all are fed. Has she spare time? she buys a field to reap, Harvest, and sow; she plants a garden bed. In everything, her vigor never fails; If she has work to do, her arms are strong. Judiciously she chooses better sales, Just buy the lamp that she knows will burn long. Know that she is industrious, to boot, Keeps hand to spindle, never needing rest; Looks also to the poor and destitute, Lending a hand to those who are less blessed. May snows come? she's unworried for her fold, Makes sure that all are warmly dressed in reds. No bed of hers needs blankets or is cold, Nor does she lack fine linen clothes or spreads. On top of this, her husband is well-known, One man who earns respect throughout the land. 140 Preparing clothes for sale, she earns her own; Proud merchants purchase all she has in hand. Queenly, she wears both dignity and strength, Quite carefree where the future is concerned. Rightly and wisely she can speek at length; Rich proverbs, her discourse, by all are learned. Seeking to look to all the house's ways, She does not eat the bread of idleness. Those children of her household offer praise, The husband knows she is one he will bless: "Up through the ages, women have done true, Unblemished, noble actions, which stand tall. Verily, verily I say to you, Virtuous woman, you surpass them all." We know that charmers lie, disguise what's what. Women of beauty also reach discord; Xanthic will be the skin that now glows. But X is the woman's sign who fears the Lord. You see, the one who follows after Jesus, Yes, that one works to build a heavenly store; Zion will praise her as much as she pleases, Zealously singing of her at Heaven's door. A MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS DICTIONARY Word Ways does not usually review dictionaries devoted to words and jargon in a specialized field. However, Richard Weiner's Dictionary of Media and Communications (Webster's New World, 1990,. $29.957, a ill-page compendwm of well over ten thousand boldface entries (thirty thousand definitions in all) is worth at least a brief review. The range of topics is exceptionally wide - from book-publishing and typography to rhetoric, from stage and TV production to computer techno­logy, from newspapers and magazine publishing to advertis­ing. Even palindrome and anagram are defined! The book is full of logological and onomastic arcana. Did you know that Alan Smithee is a fictitious director's name in TV credits, as George Spelvin or Harry Selby is a fictitious character in a playbill? Did you know that 73 means "best regards" and 95 means "urgent message" in wire-service jar­gon? Did you know that an exclamation point is a banger, a shout, a shriek, or a screamer? or that the comma before an and in a series of items is a Harvard comma? The occasional editorial aside lends piquancy to the dull definition. Under shooting ratio (film shot to film actually used), he comments "Ask Elaine May about Ishtar." South is slang for fa ilure, but "a successful campaign is not hailed a s going north. 1/ 

A Pale Gold Raven  and Other Poems

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A Pale Gold Raven and Other Poems

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