JUL 30, 2023: W-I-P

 PARODY-LYRICS, continuing from our prior blog-post of May 30, 2023.  

JUL 29, mammalian wildlife: "selfie with bison"

Authors' Note: It's hard to believe that there was a 'responsible driver' who let this young person out of the car to take this picture (isolated from a published video), but there you are. 

In national parks in both Canada and the United States, there are fines imposed for approaching wildlife too closely, and signage usually makes this abundantly clear.

A verse, and more pictures of the American bison (buffalo), can be found on this post. 

JUL 28, lexicon of word-pairs: reduplications Si- to Su-

 

Quite a few reduplications (words consisting of two near-duplicated elements) have been highlighted in  short verses by the authors: 

These include "super-duper".

For readers with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

You can proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (duplications T) by clicking HERE.

JUL 27, Carolina lowcountry: sundown at Shem Creek

 

TO SEE MORE STUFF: To see older or newer material  (posted daily, or at least on most 'good' days), CLICK below the Comments Section, on 'Older Post' or 'Newer Post'.

JUL 26, creative anachronism: heavenly host

Along the same lines, readers are invited to review our collection of "creative anachronisms" on our blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE.

JUL 25, submitted palindromes: RANDOM PILES 19

 

You have reached the "Submitted Palindromes" thread on the blog "Daily Edifying Nonsense", a light literary entity that emanates through the blogosphere daily (almost), i.e. 30 times per month.

  On the 25th of each month you will find a slide-filling group of palindromic phrases submitted to the editors by a panel of 7 palindromists. These folks have all been working on this project since January 2020. The personal profiles for each of these contributors are displayed in panels published here at the start of things, and then, we have asked them to provide (palindromically, of course) their views on one of the iconic items in the classic literature, starting with "A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama", continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in monthly random piles (a phrase that you might recognize as an anagram of the word p-a-l-i-n-d-r-o-m-e-s).

You can access this delightful entertainment right here by entering submitted palindromes in one of the two search bars at the top of this post and scrolling downwards through the wordplay posts that you will discover, OR, just follow the links indicated above. 

Devotees of palindromic wordplay can further explore limericks and other short verses about the classic palindromes (and quite a few recent concoctions) that are randomly scattered on this blog after September 2000, or collected into grouped postings on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- start HERE.

JUL 24, lexicon of word pairs: reduplications R to Sh-

 

For readers with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

JUL 23, Carolina lowcountry: various suburban wildlife

fawn in Mt Pleasant subdivision

realistic guard-alligator (concrete)

well-camouflaged crab on stony path

juvenile black-crown night-heron

young green anole

Anerican green tree frog

 

TO SEE MORE STUFF: To see older or newer material (posted daily, or at least on most 'good' days), CLICK below the Comments Section, on 'Older Post' or 'Newer Post'.

JUL 22, patients and their maladies: nervous bladder

 

Authors' Note: Final requests have also been discussed here by speedysnail.

You can view collections of verses on this topic by proceeding to "Nurse-Verse: PATIENTS and their MALADIES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

JUL 21, terminal (poetic) exclamation: KA-POW!

Authors' Note: 

Ka-pow! (variant kerpow!): comic-book type interjection for a noise emitted when a blow is landed in a fight (often involving a super-hero)

Line 6: occasionally used sixth line of a limerick, unheard of in the early days of the modality, finding some currency among modern authors. See our poem on  "Addendum-icitis" HERE. 

The limericks written by Edward Lear and his contemporaries a century ago often included repetition of the poem's key word at the end of the final line.

You can review our collection of poems on the topic of "Terminal Exclamation (Limerick Variations)" as it evolves on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE.  

JUL 20, setting words to music (Inferno, Canto 3): "A TRIP DOWN THE ACHERON RIVIERA" by Gordon Lightfoot

PASTICHE with PARODY SONG-LYRICS.

ORIGINAL POEM:  "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, the first book in the triad "The Divine Comedy", written in the early 14th century.
ORIGINAL SONG: "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", 1976 by Gordon Lightfoot, used primarily for music and meter.

Charon herds souls of the damned.
Painting by Gustave Dore, 1890. 

PARODY COMPOSED: Archaic quasi-Italian and English lyrics by Giorgio Coniglio, May 2015.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "A Trip Down the Acheron Riviera" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

Charon herding souls onto his boat
"The Last Judgment" Michelangelo

"The Vestibule of Hell
 and the Souls Mustering
 to Cross the Acheron River"
William Blake 1827.

to are primarily Dante’s. Some lines were re-arranged, but to the extent possible the original 14th century Tuscan language was preserved. My English translation follows the Italian, with liberal adaptations for modern readers.
See also the collaboration of G. Lightfoot and W. Shakespeare in my post of Aug '14  

A TRIP DOWN THE ACHERON RIVIERA

(to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald")

Intro:

Accounts linger on from Old Testament on down

Of the fiery pit Jews call Gehenna.

You probably knew that our Dante passed through,

And the year Thirteen Hundred was when-a.

“Giustizia mosse il mio alto fattore

Facemi la divina Podestate

Per me si va ne l’etterno dolore

Lasciat’ ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate.”

The tour started badly, we recount to you sadly,

With a big screen predicting the weather,

“At this Rehab-resort, no rainstorms to report –

And you’ll surely be roasted for ever.”

Dante:

Queste parole di colore oscuro

Vid’io scritte al sommo d’una porta.

Per ch’io: “Maestro il senso lor m’e duro.”

Elli: “Qui ogne viltà sia morta.”

The ‘agreement’ on monitor, in font and hue somber

Conflicted with my inner wish-list.

“This Hotel,” it is said, “never gives up her dead.”

Virge explained, “Here all fear is extinguished.”

Virgil (sotto voce):

Siam venuti al loco ov’i’t’ho detto

(E poi che la sua mano a la mia puose),

Qui si convien lasciare ogni sospetto

(E poi mi mise a le segrete cose).

Pretend you’re a dope, play along, give up hope,

They are only programmed to receive here;

We’ll pay cash when we checkout, then we’ll get the heck out

With these exit-wristbands up our sleeves, here.

Dante:

Quivi sospiri, pianti e alti guai

Risonavan per l’aere sempre tinta

Per ch’io al cominciar ne lagrimai

Alla gente par duole sì vinta.

In Fore-Hell, dark the air with deep sighs and despair

- Swarms of tormented waverers squealing.

This sight was so creepy, it made me quite weepy,

But old Virgil was not too revealing.

Dietro a una ’nsegna sì lunga tratta venia

Di gente, ch’i’ non averei creduto

Un’ombra ho riconosciuto, che fece il gran rifiuto

La fama e giustizia lo sdegna.

Stung by insects (no DEET), whirled one shade I did meet,

Celestine, who’d St. Pete’s Seat vacated,

Crewed for the apathetic, chased banners, frenetic.

His successor – B. 8^{th *}, was well-hated.   

   

This helpful map shows the river Acheron surrounding the Rings

Vidi genti a la riviera d’un gran fiume

Di trapassar parevan sì pronte

“Che è quell ch’i’ discerno per lo fioco lume?”  

(Virgil)“Si fier conte su lo rio d’Acheronte”

I saw folks lighting up in some packed smoking-lounge

Like lured birds they had gathered at the ferry-a

(Too many metaphors!), Adam’s seed on the shore,

For their trip down the Acheron Riviera.

Ed ecco! verso noi venire per nave

Un vecchio nocchier a lo blanco pelo

Gridando: “Guai a voi anime prave!

Non isperate mai veder lo cielo.”

And lo! There did float up before us in a boat

Red-necked good-old-boy demon named Charon.

“Do y’all understand where the Wrath-of-God lands?”

He inquired. The crowd answered with groans.   

“E tu che se’ costi, anima viva,

Pàrteti da cotesti che son morti.”

Ma poi che vide ch’io non mi partiva

Disse: “Per altra via, per altri porti.”

This ferryman said, he could only take the dead
Yelled out, "Fella, you’re alive, I can’t row ya.”
Virge gave him some lip, and I didn’t lose my grip;

He caved, ”’Gainst rules, but guess I can stow ya.” 

Virgil:

Figliuol mio, (disse‘l cortese maestro),

Quelli che muion ne l’ira di Dio

Tutti convegnon qui d’ogne paese

E pronti son a trapassar lo rio.

My son (preached my teacher), these polyglot creatures,

Have pissed off their superior, our Father;

When sent farther below, these late souls don’t tarry-o

Here they eerily, eagerly gather.

Quinci non passa anima buona

E però, se Caron di te si lagna 

Ben puoi sapere che’ l suo dir suona,

If Charon seems to care that you haven’t paid your fare

Recall, you’re not a routine ticket-holder.

As a bona-fide shade, I have already paid.

Dante:

La mente di cui la paura mi bagna.

Your assurance won’t make me feel bolder.

La buia terra tremò e diede vento

E balenò una luce vermiglia

La qual mi vinse ciascun sentimento

E caddi come l’uom cui sonno piglia.

The crossing on Wrath-of-God’s deck that strange night,

- I was struck by deep sleep, can’t remember

What remains are the sights and the terrifying sounds

Of a fierce wind, red light and a tremor.

Outro:

Bad mem’ries live on, from Old Testament on down

Of the brownfield site known as Gehenna

A park they’ll instate when they decontaminate

But completion date – hard to know when-a.

* B. 8^th or Boniface VIII, the pope who succeeded Celestine was Dante’s enemy.  

JUL 19, duplication: cootchie-coo

 

Authors' Note: Cootchie coo, sometimes cootchie cootchie coo, with its many spelling variants, has evolved as a (re)duplication voiced when tickling a baby, or possibly other targets, as described [[47817:here]]. Bloviation, and the blowhard are described in other verses.

Readers willing to go down an internet rabbit-hole can easily get to a collection of more than a dozen other short verses SHORT VERSES  in which we have dealt with specific reduplications. 

If interested you could also discover three fairly lengthy PATTER-SONGS about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon. These songs form an important part of our cycle of 9 songs about "Word Pairs".

JUL 18, Canadiana: Eastern Canadian funky towns

 

JUL 17, palinku (poetic novelty): schoolboy humor #2

   In this post, we continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, this new form is used for a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its classic Japanese analogue, this concoction does not mandate the precise distribution of the syllables among the three lines, but does stipulate that each word in the poem be included in a palindromic phrase or sentence in English (i.e. one that can be read either forwards or backwards). 

  To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome (generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem) has been color-coded. 

  The astute reader will note that we have been publishing these verses monthly, generally appearing on the 17th day. 

To review the earlier palinku verse "Schoolboy Humor #1", click HERE.

 You can readily view all our "palinku" verses if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.) 

JUL 16, reptiles: red-eared sliders

Authors' Note: Most commonly, we think of asymptomatic carriers as humans who can transmit a microbial infection, but have no symptoms themselves; such diseases as typhoid and salmonellosis are well-known to be transmitted by such carriers.

Similarly, pets may harbor organisms that cause human disease, although the animals themselves don't become ill. Salmonella bacteria are commonly found on the skins of certain lizards and most turtles. The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta), a reptile native to the US, has attained notoriety in this regard; as children's pets they are cute, easy to care for, and inexpensive. Combined with their penchant for taking over ponds from native turtles, these traits underlie their status as an invasive species whose sale is now banned in many countries around the globe.

 You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles' (don't worry! no snake-photos)' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

JUL 15, painterly poetry: Mary Cassatt (American expat)

Check out our collection of illustrated verses about 'painterly poetry' by clicking HERE. 

 

JUL 13, American satire (prolongation): felony

Author's Note: The above verse could be seen as a companion piece to the author's ' no left felon'. Check that one out HERE.

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! 

JUL 12, folio-entry, couples: brown pelicans

Enjoy illustrated verses about the brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, by clicking HERE and HERE.

And to learn even more, you might want to review our posts "photo-collage: brown pelicans" 

You can view these photos from our portfolio of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" HERE.

JUL 11, lexicon of word pairs: reduplications O to Q

 

 Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials (reduplications O to Q)

Quite a few reduplications (words consisting of two near-duplicated elements) have been highlighted in short verses by prior posts.

And, for those with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. Thee posts have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily start your journey into this singable storehouse of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

You can proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (duplications R-Si) by clicking HERE.

JUL 10, brief saga (national verse): France

France's national holiday is Bastille day, July 14.

You can review our collection of verses about various individual nations, and about the groupings to which they belong, on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

 

 For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "Author's Showcase". The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly since January 2020. And the good news is that almost all limerick-derived verses can be set to music!

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (August 2023), proceed to 'Herbicides'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (June 2023), back up to 'Anagram Swarms'. 

To access all of our 'brief sagas' by the year of their creation, click on your selection below.

2020
2021
2022
2023.