NationStates Jolt Archive


Sonnets

Grand Maritoll
03-02-2006, 02:36
1/26/06
Sandcastles

Living life isn't easy, isn't it grand?
The tide comes by day and by night
And it washes away our castles of sand
As we are distracted quite.

Once I sat on the shore, and made a castle,
With towers and windows, a sight to behold!
And as I worked, my mind was my vassal,
So together we made our castle of gold.

But soon the tides turned, the waves rolled in,
And I found myself drowning in sorrow and sin.
My mind was rebelling, no comfort I found,
And the castle I made... fell to the ground.

Let this be a warning to all those who dream;
Fantasia and truth aren't always a team.

1/30/06
Stonecastles

Of all that I've done, of all that I've known,
Just one thing remains- my castle of stone.
Stone castles aren't made with who or with where;
Stone castles are made with time and with care.

Thus my castle is a marvel of thought,
With patience extreme, the iron was wrought.
Thick layers without, thick carpets within,
work well to consume the external din.

But the ocean unyielding does her chore
and washes away the stones on the shore.
My own stone castle is mighty and tall,
but my stone castle will with me fall.

And now the lesson is finally learned,
one who trusts in stone will ere long be spurned.

2/1/06
Truecastles

"How is it so?" You wonder, "How can this be,
that every castle falls into the sea?"
But there is something that is stronger than stone,
the surest foundation that's ever been known.

So build your own castle with time and with care,
but keep in mind truth, which must always be there.
Proceed with caution, and make no assumption,
weakness wears a mask of innocent gumption.

The relentless ocean will try with her might,
to knock down your fortress, to make you despair,
but your layers of truth will prove watertight,
and your castle of truth will always stand fair.

The sea cannot destory that which is true,
so cling to the truth, in all that you do.

3/19/06
Scientia Est Potentia

A young man said to an old man,
“Give to me your years.
I’ll make you young and strong and tan,
For you fear death as it nears.”

The old man said to the young man,
“Stop, fiend, go away!
My life is like a moon most wan,
But I’ll be born anew someday.”

The childish, devilish demon fled
And the old man knew he was safe,
Though the devil had placed a price on his head,
He would never cede to the lying wraith.

The tasks of life are many; the reprieves of life are few,
But I’ll never sell a penny of my ken away. Will you?

3/20/06
Prometheus' Eyes

Hail Prometheus, first to think!
He climbed the Olympian spire,
with eager hand, he seized the fire,
and brought the cup for man to drink.

The cup of Thought, true art of man,
fruit of thinkers, lover's wingspan,
when drunken from, O endless worth!
Spread philosophy 'cross the earth.

Hail to the gods, the old and wise
they who themselves did arbitrate
Prometheus' ghastly fate:
to writhe in pain and lose his eyes.

A word of caution to the wise,
remember the curse of Prometheus' eyes!

3/20/06
See the Pirate

See the young man, who lives abordship,
learning to pillage and shoot from the hip.
The sea is his passion, he sings a sea-song,
no one dare tell him his passion is wrong.

See the pirate, who blesses the sea,
and the sea worthy vessel that keeps him free.
See the Jolly Roger, flying so high,
hear the confusion in the first mate's loud cry:

"See the Admiral! He poisons the sea,
and stalks the fine vessel that keeps us free!
See the Union Jack, chasing our back!
On yer feet, hoist the sails, prepare to tack!"

See the tall gallows, the pirate's black curse,
that bring sudden stop to this jolly verse.
German Nightmare
03-02-2006, 02:52
That's pretty neat! Did you come up with them?
Grand Maritoll
03-02-2006, 02:55
That's pretty neat! Did you come up with them?

Yes. We studied sonnets in english class, and I had plenty of inspriation, so I thought I'd give sonnetry a try.
Moantha
03-02-2006, 03:01
Nice. :)

Have you considered writing professionally?
Grand Maritoll
03-02-2006, 03:11
Nice. :)

Have you considered writing professionally?

I have no idea how such things work, so no ;)
German Nightmare
03-02-2006, 03:11
Yes. We studied sonnets in english class, and I had plenty of inspriation, so I thought I'd give sonnetry a try.
That's great!

If only I could find my long-buried notes from a semester in which we talked about limericks - those were great fun, too! Well, maybe except for the listeners 'cause mine tended to go over the edge on bad taste ;)
Kreitzmoorland
03-02-2006, 03:23
I'm confused by your rhyme scheme - for an Elizabethan sonnet, shouldn't it be ABAB for the quatrains and only one final couplet?
Grand Maritoll
03-02-2006, 03:41
I'm confused by your rhyme scheme - for an Elizabethan sonnet, shouldn't it be ABAB for the quatrains and only one final couplet?

Yes it should, but I decided to not worry as much about using a particular rhyme scheme as keeping the rhythmic flow, and staying true to the message I wanted to convey. As I'm sure you noticed, the rhyme scheme varies even among each of the sonnets.
German Nightmare
03-02-2006, 15:15
Yes it should, but I decided to not worry as much about using a particular rhyme scheme as keeping the rhythmic flow, and staying true to the message I wanted to convey. As I'm sure you noticed, the rhyme scheme varies even among each of the sonnets.
Which is absolutely okay! After all, thou art the poet and the poet is always right. :D

Gee, just take a look at with how many conventions Shakespeare broke in his days. ;)

(Final thought after checking with wiki - there are tons of different schemes!)
Grand Maritoll
21-03-2006, 00:52
Prometheus' Eyes

Hail Prometheus, first to think!
He climbed the Olympian spire,
with eager hand, he seized the fire,
and brought the cup for man to drink.

The cup of Thought, true art of man,
fruit of thinkers, lover's wingspan,
when drunken from, O endless worth!
Spread philosophy 'cross the earth.

Hail to the gods, the old and wise
they who themselves did arbitrate
Prometheus' ghastly fate:
to writhe in pain and lose his eyes.

A word of caution to the wise,
remember the curse of Prometheus' eyes!

See the Pirate

See the young man, who lives abordship,
learning to pillage and shoot from the hip.
The sea is his passion, he sings a sea-song,
no one dare tell him his passion is wrong.

See the pirate, who blesses the sea,
and the sea worthy vessel that keeps him free.
See the Jolly Roger, flying so high,
hear the confusion in the first mate's loud cry:

"See the Admiral! He poisons the sea,
and stalks the fine vessel that keeps us free!
See the Union Jack, chasing our back!
On yer feet, hoist the sails, prepare to tack!"

See the tall gallows, the pirate's black curse,
that bring sudden stop to this jolly verse.




And yes, I felt like talking about curses today. Hopefully the second sonnet has a much lighter feel than the first.