January 30, 2020

JAN 30, English literature survey course: "La Belle Dame sans Merci" (Keats' poem)



Authors' Note: 

rĂªverie (rehv-uh-REE): French for ‘dream, daydream’

grotesque: term adopted from French for an ancient Roman decorative artform rediscovered in Rome in the 15th century. Grotesques depict fantastical scenes and figures; the related adjective highlights the bizarre and even frightening nature of the images

grot: poetic variant of ‘grotto’ 

merci (mehr-SEE): French for mercy, forgiveness

   The usual critical view is that the protagonist of the poem, transfixed by the 'faery's child', has been trapped and victimized. However, Keats' description in his poem written in 1819 (but taking place in a mythical medieval past), leaves little doubt that the 'Belle Dame' is underage. The societal view of what constitutes child molestation / statutory rape seems to have changed over time.

You can review the entire curriculum for our 'English Classics Survey Course' at "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE.

 

January 29, 2020

JAN 29, magical palindromes: introductory poem and examples #1 to #5








wordplay; palindromes; magic palindromes; Giorgio Coniglio




You can become an expert fan of our wordplay concoction 'magical palindromes' by reviewing the explanatory material found in ancient days on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" HERE; then, you could check how we applied this technique to 'canal palindromes' by viewing this more recent post.











January 27, 2020

JAN 27, wordplay map: American Scramble-towns, 1


Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams (letter scrambles) is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 




LINKS to other nonsense in this series: 

Forward to the first Canadian map.
Forward to the next American map (2).














January 26, 2020

JAN 26, waterfowl: great blue herons



  


great blue heron; snowyegret;; great egret; Mt. Pleasant; South Caro.ina







You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. (Or, if you prefer, you can view them on Facebook in Giorgio's photo-albums).


January 25, 2020

JAN 25, fabric art: the fabric artist




textile art; landscapes; South Carolina


You can find other examples of awesome illustrative fabric art on this blog in posts for the dates January 27February 20, and March 19, 2020.
You can also review these illustrated verses in "In Stitches: The Fabric Artist", as posted on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. 



WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE POETRY ON THIS SITE?
POEMS: Poetry appearing on this site was written (unless otherwise indicated) by Giorgio Coniglio (registered pseudonym), and for the most part contributed to the online humour dictionary-site...
OEDILF (Omnificent English Dictionary iLimerick Form). In its 15 years of existence, OEDILF has worked its way alphabetically from Aa- to Gr-, with the goal of accumulating a verse defining every meaning of every word in the English language. This co-operative project has  accumulated over 107,000 carefully edited limericks, with completion date estimated to be around the year 2065. In the past three years, Giorgio has contributed over 300 poems to the project; the site's accession number for the verses is indicated at the bottom of the relevant slides in our presentations.


January 24, 2020

JAN 24, wordplay maps: new world palindromes (#3,#4)

TO ENLARGE any slide or stand-alone photo on this blog, just click on it. To reverse the process, and return to this standard view, find the little 'x' in the upper right corner of the black field and click there.












You can view the entire collection of these 50 wordplay maps, by accessing the collection 'Tourists Palindromic Guides: The Americas'. Start by clicking HERE

January 23, 2020

JAN 23, wordplay map: sister-cities anagrams (3) Cadsort/Punscribe







NAVIGATING THIS SITE ('Daily Illustrated Nonsense')
To go back to our first daily informative blogpost (January 1, 2020), click, then scroll down HERE
To move about in time, scroll down a little further, below the 'Comments' section, and look for the rather subtle line that gives the options of..
  'Newer Post'  'Home' and  'Older Post'
To see more recent material, click on the left side, on 'Newer Post'. To see older material, back towards the inception on New Years' Day 2020, click on 'Older Post'.






January 22, 2020

JAN 22, American satire: laying blame





 The author reveals that he was influenced in this formulation by TV interviews given by his niece, the clinical psychologist Mary Trump.

We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find dozens more on this topic in 7 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

January 21, 2020

JAN 21, American satire: the "Mooch"






We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 30 more on this topic in 5 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 




January 20, 2020

JAN 20, singable satire: "FIRST TERM ON THE RANGE"

PARODY-ORIGINS: These verses were originally conceived as poetic lyrics. However, they can, like almost all limericks, be easily sung (sometimes with minor modifidations) using  certain well-known tunes; in this case, the classic American western ballad "Home on the Range", 1872 (lyrics that also underwent a transition from poetry to song) -- the best known recording is by Bing Crosby, 1933.

LIMERICK VERSE:  Original poetry, the limerick "Hillary Pilloried" was written by Giorgio Coniglio in November
 2017.
Many of the other constituent verses have been published at the OEDILF website (Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form) by  Giorgio. 





Author's Note  The results of the acrimonious U.S. presidential election in November 2016 caused despondency and resentment in some segments of the population. Donald J. Trump ran a successful campaign under the slogan "Make America Great Again", and won the electoral college majority. After the election, there was considerable distraction by unproductive disputes over the popular vote, possible voter fraud, and the size of crowds at inaugurations.

PARODY-SONGLINK:
Click HERE to proceed to our blog "Silly Songs and Satire" where you can access ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "First Term on the Range" on your favorite instrument. Otherwise, you can follow along with the poetry lyrics, as given above. 
 

INTRODUCTION: a) Lead-off Verse "Hillary pilloried"
                        b) Chorus (the largest group of voices ever assembled)

ADDED VERSES: (YOU SHOULD SING THE CHORUS AFTER EACH VERSE, for FAIRNESS)
1. Covfefe
2. White House Communications
3. Pardoning "Sheriff Joe"
4. Second Amendment
5. Trade Renegotiations
6. Male Accountability
7. Morning Tweetstorm
...


FIRST TERM on the RANGE:

  (to the tune of Home on the Range)


Introductory Verse:
Now that Hillary's pilloried, Donald J. Trump
Is our president (like it or lump)
America grated,
Our allies frustrated,
Seems America's slated to slump.  
Chorus:
With Hillary pilloried, Trump
Is our prez (Libs might like that or lump).
America grated,
Our allies frustrated,
Revenge? Twenty-twenty, we'll dump.   

VERSE #1:
Spicer thought that today, we should best play it safe, eh?
(Covert intel was leaked by El Jefe.)
"Constant negative press"?
We can clean up that mess
With a weapon Vlad calls "the covfefe".

VERSE #2:
"No attack dog, more scary than poochy,
Nor sex scandal that screams, 'Hoochie-coochie'
Could match the release
Of that New Yorker piece:
My profane rant." The Mooch Scaramucci

VERSE #3:
Though Trump's base found the concept beguiling,
Old Joe's pardon flouts justice, defiling
The Court's verdict: "Contempt".
Worse, this scoundrel's exempt
For bad
 outrages he's been compiling.

VERSE #4:
 A consortium of ursine arms-vendors
Struck gold when they sold ClawExtenders,
Thus fulfilling the prayers
(And the right to arm bears) 
Of good Second Amendment Defenders. 

VERSE #5:
"Can you think of a policy dafter
Than to scuttle good trade deals like NAFTA?
Xenophobic old goat!",
Offshore car-makers gloat.
North American job loss comes after.

VERSE #6:
Half the populace sadly keeps coping.
As elected old lechers keep groping  
Here’s a sobering thought: 
At the top starts the rot – 
Let’s have Congress impeach them– here’s hoping! 

VERSE #7:
Boast! Roast! - morning tweetstorm
"What a child!", gloat detractors, "an effete storm"
He's America's First
(His own enemy, worst)
A self-centered and 'sad' Self-Defeat-Storm.  

OPTIONAL ADDED VERSES (MAKE UP YOUR OWN!)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
At THIS POINT, you can REPEAT the introductory verse and chorus.  


(Editorial Note): We hope that you, even if you are a RINO, enjoyed these lyrics. BTW, You can find 40 poetic verses on this topic in 5 collections on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE to start!  



ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED VERSES:
8. Reckless Trump wrote this lim'rick, "Jerusalem:
Former allies Islamic, cut loose..." A lim 
That was sure to start riots; protesters might die. It's 
Diplomacy? His poor excuse-a-lim.

9. With judgment hard-headed, outrageous and poor,
He pulled hard for the dubious Roy Moore.
Down in ol’ Alabama, child-molesters to slammer 
Should proceed, not U.S. Senate floor. 

10. George Orwell imagined his 'Newspeak'-
In that world, it’s what peons must/do speak.
But the administration that's controlling this nation
Now mandates what words staff eschew-speak.

11..What could menace ambassadress Haley?
She's a hawk who will dress down foes gaily.
Her boss? Slippery as fish — headline-grabbing his wish.
Has he sacked her? She should assess daily
.




January 19, 2020

JAN 19, personal and family history: relations



limerick; relationships; Giorgio Coniglio


  This nostalgic photo was taken June 13, 2004 by SJBH, who kindly provided permission for its use here.
 (The editor admits that the scansion of 'relatively' in the final line of the verse is skewed, and that the mildly cynical verse is not suited to the upbeat nature of the picture. Sometimes, the constraints of verse-writing seem to lead things off in a direction of their own. - SORRY!)


January 18, 2020

JAN 18, trees: Norway maples




 


Authors' NoteYou might also enjoy a poem posted in April 2021 entitled "Leif the (viking) Norway Maple: a Bilingual Complaint". Click HERE.  

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Uprooted Verse: "Poems about Trees" on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". 





January 16, 2020

JAN 16, American satire: borscht






We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 30 more on this topic in 5 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 






January 15, 2020

JAN 15, classic palindromes: critique of palindromes







You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. 

January 14, 2020

JAN 14, American satire: nursery rhyme -- 'grating'




We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find dozens more on this topic in 9 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

January 13, 2020

JAN 13, Carolina lowcountry: oyster clusters



seafood; oyster clusters; Mt. Pleasant; South Carolina; Giorgio Coniglio

Elegant table service at an outdoor charity event:
 Steamed oyster clusters




posted sign; Sullivan's Island; South Carolina; offshore drilling; political opposition



You can review this illustrated verse in a wider context by proceeding to 'Lowcountry Version: Walrus and Carpenter' on the full-service blog Edifying Nonsense





January 12, 2020

JAN 12, Carolina lowcountry: Cooper River vistas






Arthur Ravenel Bridge,
 joining Mt. Pleasant to the downtown Charleston peninsula








pizza delivery boxes in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina,
touting service to 'the Lowcountry'












January 11, 2020

JAN 11, American satire: impulse control



 
We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 30 more on this topic in 5 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

January 10, 2020

JAN 10, a brief saga (exotic destination): Chemainus, B.C., part #1


This blogpost is dedicated to P.H., with best holiday and BIRTHDAY wishes, December 2017.

SINGABLE LIMERICKS inspired by a recent visit to Vancouver Island's appealing east coast. 
ORIGINAL SONG: These verses can be sung to "The Limerick Song", as in "The Flea and the Fly". See sactoGranny's recording on YouTube here. Additionally, it was realized that with a few mild modifications, the same lyrics could be sung to the ballad "Black Velvet Band" as sung by the Irish-Canadian band The Irish Rovers. ballad. A number of verses are displayed using this chord-sequence as well - WIP.
ORIGINAL LIMERICK VERSE:  Giorgio Coniglio, October 2016.


LIMERICKS ABOUT CHEMAINUS, B.C.

(to the tune of "The Limerick Song" . Display of the lyrics has been condensed to 4 lines for each verse, with internal rhyming in line 3, rather than the more customary 5-line limerick format.) 

 The industrial base of Chemainus
Its historical murals explain us 
A few ancestors thrived  / (logging barely survived) --
Their respect for the land was disdainous.
   
On Mt. Sicker o’erlooking the brine
Lived a miner with child Clementine. 
She ran off with a logger / (as retold by this blogger),   
Took his liquor, and shoes number nine.

 Gord, an eco-wise man near Chemainus,
Panned for gold, an old tale to entrain us. 
But it’s not as you think -- / he adored tin or zinc,   
But the ore he deplored was uranous.
 
Rex, a royalist chap from Chemainus,
Thought that monarchists’ views should constrain us.
In his note to the Queen /  He expressed why he’s keen, 
“Visit! Come over soon, for you reign us.”

An astronomy buff from Chemainus
Suffered craving for chocolate most heinous.
He snarfed heavenly Stars, / Milky-Ways and Mars bars,
But his fave nighttime site was Uranus.
 
In a bar, not too far from Chemainus, 
Sang a man with guitar to refrain us.
"From your face wipe that grin! / townfolks' patience grows thin:
Your poor verses do not entertain us." 




   








Authors' Note:   For ecological reasons, the mining of uranium has been banned in British Columbia for several decades. Uranium has been extensively extracted from pitchblende ore at sites elsewhere in Canada, and is present in the reduced or 'uranous' chemical state.
   In the late 1890s, copper, gold and silver were discovered at Mt. Sicker on Vancouver Island. A gold-rush ensued, and mines were operated profitably in the area until 1909.   
   Today, the town of Chemainus (sheh-MAYN-uhs) is best known for its extensive exterior wall-murals which depict the history of its once-thriving resource extraction industries.
   The Dominion Astrophysical Laboratory, site of many important discoveries about the Milky Way, is located 70 km south, in Saanich BC.

The saga  continues ... See part #2 for the second half of this intriguing adventure. Click HERE.

 



January 9, 2020

JAN 9, the Charleston garden: Loutrel Briggs, garden designer

 




gardens; docent; Giorgio Coniglio



You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Poetry Praising the Charleston Garden' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!