What word is this what word is this that sullies forth its annual opening of eye that generates such hope that more meaning such to the hopeful gives bandied before the year does end but no end if known of knowing blend what word is this that bleeds the heart to pray suffer such indigent love unknown yet same vein courses all life through in never-ending beauty, unveiling of eternal body splendid, that imperfect diamond creator spirit shines tis Christmas Christmas! where the forever gift is born and in the perpetrators mind becomes again that one great joy everlasting in the flesh absorbed Richard Scutter Advent 2021
Words
Responding to Shakespeare – Emotional Extremes
Words often give extremes in emotional feeling … poetry and the arts are reknown for such expression … here is a well-known example from Shakespeare and Macbeth …
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing
Macbeth (5.iv.18-27)
Responding to these words at the other end of the spectrum ….
Today, and today, and today
in marvellous paradise
absorbing second by second
the full cup of divine love
where all our tomorrows have a new sun
aglow in glorious light, forever shining.
It is the tale of a wise-man,
alive in the knowledge of the forever now
full of beauty and joy,
signifying everything.
The release of such words is often thought of as an aid in dealing with emotional disturbance.
And words can become close friends in dealing with difficult situations. The outstanding example of this is ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’.
Have a great day whatever great – great being defined as appropriate to your situation!
Feeling a little ‘mimsy’ perhaps? – Lewis Carroll
Looking at humour in poetry … the Victorian-age did produce some creative light relief from the conservative life of text … one of the most famous pieces being …
Jabberwocky
the first and last stanza …
“Twas brillig, and slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
From Through the Looking-Glass, Chap 1
Lewis Carroll (1832 – 1898) = Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Anglican deacon and lecturer in mathematics)
Humpty Dumpty’s explication:
Brillig = 4 O’Clock in the afternoon … the time for broiling things for dinner
Slithy = lithe and slimy … two meanings packed into one word -a portmanteau word
Toves = a combination of badger/lizard/corkscrew … make nests under sundials and live on cheese
Gyre = to go round and round like a gyroscope … it does in fact mean circular motion
Gimble = make holes like a gimlet = a small tool for making holes
Wabe = grass plot around a sundial … it goes a long way before it and a long way after it
Mimsy = flimsy and miserable
Borogrove = thin shabby looking bird with its feathers sticking out all around
Mome = short for ‘from home’, Rath = green pig
Outgrabe = outgribing = something between bellowing and whistling with a kind of sneeze
From Through the Looking-Glass, Chap 6
Out of all the nonsense words above slithy and mimsy have a wonderful feel and quite an acceptable explanation or should I say they are quite texplanable.
If you are feeling creative have a go at creating portmanteau words. (Portmanteau = a large suitcase consisting of two parts that fold together.) See if you can come up with something really interesting. For example – gentle and kind = kindle. However, a word of warning when working with children … work with an Alice who knows what is right and proper … we do not want to destroy the spelling of the correct words! … i.e. before becoming too proright.
You could also try the reverse and take a genuine word and break it into two components e.g. bright = brilliant and light … I’m not sure what you call this – the unpacking of the suitcase to view the contents?
It is no surprise though that such creative (all be it nonsensical) words were the result of writing for children who love such play and it is a wonder that more new words did not migrate to colloquial use.
… and here’s truly hoping you are not having a mimsy day!
my word in your ear 